The disagreements of the jurists: a manual of Islamic legal theory

A masterful overview of Islamic law and its diversityAl-Qadi al-Nu'man was the chief legal theorist and ideologue of the North AfricanFatimid dynasty in the tenth century. This translation makes available for thefirst time in English his major work on Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh),which presents a legal model insupport of the Fatimid claim to legitimate rule.Composed as part of a grand project to establish the theoreticalbases of the official Fatimid legal school, Disagreements of the Juristsexpounds a distinctly Shi'i system of hermeneutics. The work begins with adiscussion of the historical causes of jurisprudential divergence in the firstIslamic centuries and goes on to engage, point by point, with the specificinterpretive methods of Sunni legal theory. The text thus preserves importantpassages from several Islamic legal theoretical works no longer extant, and inthe process throws light on a critical stage in the development of Islamiclegal theory that would otherwise be lost to history

The cause of legal disagreement -- Disagreement over the rulings of the religion -- Against disagreement over the rulings of the religion -- The method of the adherents of the truth when the correct ruling on an issue is not known -- Against arbitrary submission to authority -- The difference between submission to illegitimate authorities and referral to the legitimate authorities -- Against consensus -- Against speculative reasoning -- Against analogy -- Against preference -- Against inference -- Against legal interpretation and personal judgment.

Cover -- DISAGREEMENTS OF THE JURISTS -- Title -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- Letter from the General Editor -- About this Paperback -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Notes to the Introduction -- DISAGREEMENTS OF THE JURISTS -- The Provenance of this Book -- Prologue -- Chapter One: The Cause of Disagreement -- Chapter Two: Disagreement over the Rulings of the Religion -- Chapter Three: Against Disagreement over the Rulings of the Religion -- Chapter Four: The Method of the Adherents of the Truth When the Correct Ruling on an Issue Is Not Known -- Chapter Five: Against Arbitrary Submission to Authority -- Chapter Six: The Difference between Submission to Illegitimate Authorities and Referral to Legitimate Authorities -- Chapter Seven: Against Consensus -- Chapter Eight: Against Speculation -- Chapter Nine: Against Analogy -- Chapter Ten: Against Preference -- Chapter Eleven: Against Inference -- Chapter Twelve: Against Legal Interpretation and Personal Judgment -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Glossary of Names and Terms -- Bibliography -- Further Reading -- Index of Qurʾan Passages -- Index -- About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute -- About the Translator -- The Library of Arabic Literature.

The cause of legal disagreement -- Disagreement over the rulings of the religion -- Against disagreement over the rulings of the religion -- The method of the adherents of the truth when the correct ruling on an issue is not known -- Against arbitrary submission to authority -- The difference between submission to illegitimate authorities and referral to the legitimate authorities -- Against consensus -- Against speculative reasoning -- Against analogy -- Against preference -- Against inference -- Against legal interpretation and personal judgment

Al-Qadi al-Nu?man was the chief legal theorist and ideologue of the North African Fatimid dynasty in the tenth century. This translation makes available in English for the first time his major work on Islamic legal theory, which presents a legal model in support of the Fatimids' principle of legitimate rule over the Islamic community. Composed as part of a grand project to establish the theoretical bases of the official Fatimid legal school, Disagreements of the Jurists expounds a distinctly Shi?i system of hermeneutics, which refutes the methods of legal interpretation adopted by Sunni jurists. The work begins with a discussion of the historical causes of jurisprudential divergence in the first Islamic centuries, and goes on to address, point by point, the specific interpretive methods of Sunni legal theory, arguing that they are both illegitimate and ineffective. While its immediate mission is to pave the foundation of the legal Isma?ili tradition, the text also preserves several Islamic legal theoretical works no longer extant—including Ibn Dawud's manual, al-Wusul ila ma?rifat al-usul—and thus throws light on a critical stage in the historical development of Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) that would otherwise be lost to history