Disagreements of the Jurists: A Manual of Islamic Legal Theory

Al-qāḍimal-nu'mān 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 (uṣūl Al-fiqh), 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 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. By Al-qāḍī Al-nuʻmān ; Edited And Translated By Devin J. Stewart ; Volume Editor Joseph E. Lowry. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.