Sharī'ah: The Islamic Law is a landmark work of Islamic jurisprudence by Professor Abdur Rahman I. Doi - one of the most comprehensive English-language treatments of Islamic law grounded directly in the Qur'ān and Sunnah.
Unlike Western-oriented treatments of "Anglo-Muhammadan Law," this work takes the primary divine sources as its foundation and traces the complete architecture of Sharī'ah from its fountainhead to its application across every domain of human life. Drawing on years of research at Cambridge, the Inns of Court at Middle Temple London, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the Université Internationale de Sciences et Droit Comparé in Luxembourg - and refined through years of teaching at the Centre of Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria - Professor Doi presents Islamic law with scholarly rigour, textual authority, and comparative depth.
Six thematic parts guide the reader through the full scope of Sharī'ah:
Part I establishes the theoretical foundations: the nature and aims of Sharī'ah, the primacy of justice ('adl), the Qur'ān as the first source, the Sunnah as the second, and the secondary sources including ijmā', qiyās, ijtihād, and istihsān. This section also provides detailed biographical and scholarly profiles of the four great Imams - Abū Hanīfah, Mālik ibn Anas, al-Shāfi'ī, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal - and the schools of fiqh they founded.
Part II examines family law in comprehensive detail: the philosophy and conditions of marriage, mahr (dower), polygamy, prohibited degrees, unlawful marriage forms, talāq (divorce), khul' (wife-initiated dissolution), 'iddah (waiting period), and nafaqah (maintenance).
Part III addresses criminal law, including the nature of hudūd and ta'zīr, homicide and qasas, zinā, qadhf, hirābah, theft, intoxicants, apostasy, and the principles governing the application of prescribed punishments.
Part IV covers inheritance law (mīrāth) with meticulous attention to the shares of each category of heir, rules of exclusion, the 'awl doctrine, and disposal of property through bequest (wasiyyah), gift (hibah), and endowment (waqf).
Part V presents the Islamic economic system: trade and commerce, contract law, prohibited transactions, usury (ribā), zakāt, and the moral foundations of wealth distribution.
Part VI addresses international law (siyar), the rights of non-Muslims under Sharī'ah, and jihād - its conditions, ethical code, and spiritual dimensions. The concluding chapter surveys the challenges and prospects of Sharī'ah in the contemporary Muslim world, examining the impact of Western legal influence and the debate over legal reform.
Throughout, the text is grounded in Qur'ānic verses and ahadīth presented in both Arabic and English translation, supported by citations from the classical sources of all four major madhāhib. This is essential reading for students of Islamic jurisprudence, comparative law, Islamic studies, and all who seek a rigorous and authoritative account of Islamic legal thought.
