The Life of Shari′a – A Comparative Anthropology of Law

Is there a way to think about contemporary life with knowledge that is neither modern nor Western? Rather than confining Islam to a “religion” and shari?a to its “law,” Youssef Belal provocatively argues that Islamic shari?a is a mode of knowledge with its own concepts and scholarly categories through which the world and the self are grasped. The Life of Shari?a considers two intertwined lineages: how Islamic scholars have formulated knowledge from the classical period to today and how Westerners have understood the law and its origins. By melding these two traditions, Belal puts the formation of modern law under a new light and offers, through a compelling conceptualization of shari?a, a powerful argument for its continued relevance to the life of contemporary Muslims.