Many thanks to Ilyass Amharar for joining us as guest blog editor in August. In case you missed his essays, here they are:
- Early Contacts Between Mālikism and Ashʿarism: Rethinking a Narrative of Separation
- Kairouan, Baghdad, Fez: The Early Networks
The Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School is an academic initiative focused on the study and dissemination of Islamic law and its historical, social, and legal contexts. It publishes scholarly articles, research notes, and roundups that explore various aspects of Islamic jurisprudence, legal traditions, manuscript studies, and contemporary issues related to Islamic law across different regions. The program covers topics such as Islamic legal history, family law, fatwas, legislation, and the interaction of Islamic law with modern societal challenges. It also highlights manuscript traditions and scholarly exchanges within Islamic legal schools, contributing to academic discourse on Islamic law globally.
Many thanks to Ilyass Amharar for joining us as guest blog editor in August. In case you missed his essays, here they are:
…
By Ilyass Amharar
Where the Previous Essay Left Off
The previous essay set out the grammatical anatomy of the phrase fawqa ʿarshihi al-majīd bi-dhātih (and that He is above His glorious Throne by His essence) in the theological preamble to…
By Ilyass Amharar
Framing the Question
This third essay in our series on the early encounters between Mālikism and Ashʿarism focuses on perhaps the most contested figure in the debate over their historical relationship: Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh Ibn Abī…
By Ilyass Amharar
Why This Essay Belongs on the Islamic Law Blog
My first essay established that the encounter between Mālikism and Ashʿarism cannot be relegated to a late, politically motivated Almoravid (448–541/1056–1147) or Almohad (524–668/1130–1269) synthesis. From the very…
By Ilyass Amharar
Why This Question Matters for Islamic Legal History?
Readers of a blog devoted to Islamic law might reasonably wonder why a post about kalām (speculative theology) belongs here. The answer lies in a structural feature of the…
lyass Amharar is a Faculty Member in Arabic Language and Islamic Thought at the University of al-Qarawiyyin’s Muhammad VI Institute of Quranic Studies, Rabat. He holds a Habilitation to Supervise Research in Islamic Studies (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris)…
Many thanks to Janina Safran for joining us as guest blog editor in July. In case you missed her essays, here they are:
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By Janina Safran
In this essay, I illustrate the methods of juridical thinking and argumentation at the highest level among Mālikīs in al-Andalus in the early sixth/twelfth century. One aim is to demonstrate the refinement of expertise in jurisprudence. Another…
By Janina Safran
In the previous essays, I described the emergence of Mālikī “mother texts” in the middle of the third/ninth century. These were compilations of authoritative statements attributed to Mālik (d.179/795) and his students based on the auditions of…
By Janina Safran
Proto-Mālikīs in al-Andalus in the third/ninth century memorized, copied, transmitted, and studied opinions attributed to Mālik (d. 179/795) and his students (masāʾil, sg. masʾala). Proto-Mālikīs considered these masāʾil an authoritative foundation for responding to legal questions and…