Shi’ism Revisited: Ijtihad and Reformation in Contemporary Times

Shi’ism Revisited moves beyond theoretical questions of reformation to address specific ways that Islamic law is being revisited by jurists.

Contemporary Muslims face a challenge: how should they define the relationship between normative Islamic jurisprudence–worked out by classical jurists over the course of centuries-and the reality that confronts them in their everyday lives. They have to reckon with how religion can regulate and serve the needs of a changing community. Is there a need for reformation in Islam? If so, where should it begin and how should it proceed? So far, these challenging questions have received little attention from Western scholars. Shi’ism Revisited will address this gap.

In order to address pressing religious and social questions–on topics ranging from women’s rights to bioethics and the challenges facing diasporic Muslims–legal scholars have sought to apply ijtihad, or independent reasoning. The lack of a central authority in Islam means the interpretations and
edicts of scholars are frequently challenged, resulting in diversity and plurality in Islamic law. This makes Islamic law capacious, but also suggests the critical importance of examining not just the theory of law, but its application.

Shi’ism Revisited moves beyond theoretical questions of reformation to address specific ways that Islamic law is being revisited by jurists. Tracing the origins and development of Shi’i jurisprudence and legal theory, Liyakat Takim analyzes how underlying epistemologies can be revised in order to
create a moral and coherent legal system.

About the Author

Liyakat Takim is the Sharjah Chair in Global Islam at McMaster University in Canada. He is the author of a number of books, including,ÂThe Heirs of the Prophet: Charisma and Religious Authority in Shi’ite Islam, Shi’ism in America, Shi’ism in North America, and Tashayyu dar Amrica. He has written on a wide range of topics such as reformation in Islam, Qur’anic exegesis, Shi’ism in the diaspora, Islamophobia, and the treatment of women in Islamic law.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: The Concept of an Islamic Reformation

Chapter Two: Usul al-Fiqh and Ijtihad in Shi’ism

Chapter Three: Islamic Reformation and the Tools of Ijtihad

Chapter Four: Reason and Ethics and an Islamic Reformation

Chapter Five: The Neo-ijtihadist Phenomenon

Conclusion

Bibliographic Information

Title: Shi’ism Revisited: Ijtihad and Reformation in Contemporary Times

Author(s): Liyakat Takim

Publisher: ‎Oxford University Press

 Language: English

Length: 272 pages

ISBN: 978-0197606575

Pub. Date: January 25, 2022

Shiism Revisited Ijtihad and Reformation in Contemporary Times