FUNDAMENTAL REFERENCE MATERIAL ON ALL ASPECTS OF ISLAMIC LAW

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers And Reviews Editor, “The Barrister”

The “Oxford Handbook” series from Oxford University Press have an established reputation with a standard of excellence unsurpassed throughout the academic and legal world. Indeed, for both academics and practitioners alike will find this new work on Islamic Law of fundamental importance in the twenty-first century.

Therefore, the OUP title, “The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Law”, which has been edited by Anver Emon and Rumee Ahmed is no exception to the lengthening list of the Oxford handbooks. The purpose of the book is to introduce the reader to subject-matter many will have little detailed knowledge of although they are affected by it. It is highly relevant to a wide range of readers as well, both lawyers and non-lawyers alike, consisting of five main parts and 35 specific chapters.

And it is a title which provides a comprehensive survey of the contemporary study of Islamic law and a critical analysis of its deficiencies. It has been compiled and written by 36 outstanding senior and emerging scholars in their fields within this substantive law area.

We agree that “it offers an innovative historiographical examination of the field of Islamic law” and conclude that it is an ideal introduction to key personalities and concepts in this legal area.

Whilst capturing the state of contemporary Islamic legal studies by “chronicling how far the field has come”, the handbook also goes on to explain why certain debates appear to recur. Such an explanation is most useful and indicates some of the fundamental gaps in our knowledge, especially those who are relatively new to the topic.

We found it refreshing to see that each chapter gives what the editors call “bold new avenues for research”. Therefore, as a research tool, we think it will help readers “appreciate the contested nature of key concepts and topics in Islamic law”. And we would add that much of this area remains relatively unknown to many within English jurisprudence although the primary audience for the work is based in North America.

This handbook is clearly set to be a major modern reference work for scholars and students of Islam and Islamic law for years to come.

The two North American Professors are to be thanked for producing over a 1,000-pages of scholarship which will help those who “regularly confront artificial limits imposed by the disciplinary formation (s) of Islamic legal studies”.

We are fortunate, indeed, to have this new work available to us. The contributors “focus on such studies "because of the way it captures myriad Islamic legal fantasies”, adding “some of which would be utterly humourous” if it were not for the fact that they inform actual state policies that target the civil liberties of Muslims across the globe, particularly North America. Thank you very much for a most erudite piece of scholarship.

The book was published on 15th August 2018.