Introduction to Islamic Law

What is Islamic law? What kinds of sources do we use to access Islamic law, and how has Islamic legal thinking and practice changed historically? This course introduces students to topics in Islamic law while addressing questions of continuity and change in the legal tradition from the medieval period to the present. The first part of the course will introduce aspects of substantive Islamic law, including criminal and penal law, family law, and the law of war. The second part will explore the diversity of Islamic legal traditions across chronological and geographic space, examining topics from classical jurisprudence to Ottoman constitutionalism, the encounter with colonialism and modern state iterations. No prior knowledge or prerequisites are required.