Hisham M. Ramadan - Understanding Islamic Law (Contemporary Issues in Islam)

Hisham M. Ramadan

Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it knocks out its brain, and behold, falsehood doth perish! Ah! woe be to you for the (false) things ye ascribe (to Us).

The Holy Quran 21:18

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full Knowledge and is well-acquainted (with all things).

The Holy Quran 49:13

The purpose of this book is to explain several aspects of Islamic jurisprudence fundamentals to the common reader in order to acquaint him with ideologies that are far from his zone of accessible knowledge. The essays presented in this volume were carefully selected to cover several areas of Islamic jurisprudence. Irshad Abdal-Haqq, in chapter 1, lays this volumes foundation by explaining the sources and elements of Islamic law, Islamic major schools of jurisprudence and essential definitions. In chapter 2, I attempt to capture the essence of Islamic criminal law by demonstrating the objectives of Islamic criminal law, its rationales, and the characteristics of the punishment. Ahmed Zaki Yamanais chapter on international humanitarian law is of utmost importance at the present time, when a number of individuals invoke Islam as a justification for shocking acts of terror, because the essay demonstrates the genuine Islamic ethics of warfare. Professor Noor Mohammeds chapter 4 may assist the reader to understand the essentials of Islamic contract law in a time when a growing number of Muslims are seeking Islamic financial services in the West, and there is a rapid increase in the implementation of the Islamic financial system by many Islamic states.

While Mahmoud Hoballah explains the basics of Islamic family law in chapter 5, Professor Nazeem Goolam clarifies common Islamic family law misunderstandings. The merit of his chapter 6 is not limited to vindication of certain Islamic law positions but also extends to educate numerous Muslims of the true spirit of Islamic law. Professor Ali Khan, in chapter 7, presents a theory on Islam as intellectual property whose significance extends far beyond excellent creativity in academic exercises to raise the question of the validity of the orientalists analysis of Islamic law. I conclude this volume by including two highly important documents: The Islamic Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The Constitution of Medina supplemented by a commentary. The latter document presents the first constitution made by the Prophet Mohammed in establishing an Islamic state in Medina. The former document, as drafted by the European Islamic Council, a nongovernmental organization, highlights Muslim efforts to codify Islamic human rights apart from oppressive regimes, in a number of states populated by a Muslim majority, and from Western ideologies that might be inconsistent with Islamic law.