The Law Applied

Looks at judicial decision-making, legal responses (fatwas), customary practices, the actions of public inspectors, cultural contexts, and theological discourses as well as modern legal reform and constitutional development. This book offers an account of how Islamic law works in practice in the social life of the contemporary world.

A sea change has taken place in Islamic legal studies. This book both reflects and contributes to that change. Traditionally, scholars in this field have tended to focus on law as a body of rules and doctrines, as 'fiqh'. This volume is more interested in how the law has been applied to concrete situations. It looks at judicial decision-making, legal responses (fatwas), customary practices, the actions of public inspectors, cultural contexts, and theological discourses as well as modern legal reform and constitutional development. Reflecting the interests of a new academic generation, "The Law Applied" offers an ambitious and textured account of how Islamic law works in practice in the social life of the contemporary world.