Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
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
