Law and Politics under the Abbasids

Erscheinungsjahr 2020
ISBN: 978-1-108-72195-0
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 329 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 440 g

Reihe: Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization

Abu Ma'ali al-Juwayni (d.478/1085) lived in a politically tumultuous period. The rise of powerful dynastic families forced the Abbasid Caliph into a position of titular power, and created instability. He also witnessed intellectual upheavals living amidst great theological and legal diversity. Collectively, these experiences led him to consider questions of religious certainty and social and political continuity. He noted that if political elites are constantly changing, paralleled with shifting intellectual allegiances, what ensures the continuity of religion? He concluded that continuity of society is contingent upon knowledge and practice of the Shari'a. Here, Sohaira Siddiqui explores how scholars grappled with questions of human reason and knowledge, and how their answers to these questions often led them to challenge dominant ideas of what the Shari'a is. By doing this, she highlights the interconnections between al-Juwayni's discussions on theology, law and politics, and the socio-political intellectual landscapes that forged them.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Siddiqui, Sohaira Z M

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Naher & Mittlerer Osten
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; Part I. Historical Background: 1. Politics, patronage, and scholarship in Nishapur; 2. Al-Juwayni¯: life of a scholar; Part II. Epistemology: 3. Intellectual fissures: the Ash'ari¯s and the Mu'tazila; 4. The epistemology of al-Juwayni¯; Part III. Legal Theory: 5. Certainty in legal sources: Hòadi¯th; 6. Certainty in legal sources: Ijma¯'; 7. The rise of legal uncertainty: Qiya¯s al-Ma'na¯; 8. Coping with legal uncertainty: Qiya¯s al-Shabah; Part IV. Political Thought: 9. The search for continuity: al-Juwayni¯'s political thought; 10. Continuity, custom, and applied epistemology in al-Juwayni¯'s political thought; Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Siddiqui, Sohaira Z M
Sohaira Z. M. Siddiqui is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, Qatar. She has published a series of articles in the Journal of Islamic Studies, Islamic Law and Society, the Journal of the American Oriental Society and Middle East Law and Governance. She is also the editor of a forthcoming volume entitled Locating the Shari'a: Legal Fluidity in Theory, History and Practice. She has held fellowships at the University of Cambridge and Harvard Law School and is a series editor for Sapientia Islamica, published with Mohr Siebeck.