Drawing on five years of field studies in pragmatic- and dogmatic-inclined mosques across Europe, Shari?a and Life explores how Muslims engage with shari?a norms in general, and specifically with the challenges they face as Muslims living in majority non-Muslim societies. The book examines how fatwas (advice on shari?a-related matters) are quested, negotiated, paraphrased, contested, or ignored in mosques, on the internet, and elsewhere. It also analyses individual strategies, external to religio-legal discourse, through which Muslims mitigate conflicts between interpretations of shari?a and everyday life. Among the issues discussed in the book are financial transactions, education, the workplace, sports, electoral participation, Christmas greetings, proselytizing, and the legitimacy of choosing to live in a non-Muslim country. Shifting the focus from the authors and texts of fatwas to their recipients, Shari?a and Life gives voice to those often left voiceless and demonstrates the great discretion and flexibility with which tensions between shari?a and life are resolved.
Drawing on five years of field studies in pragmatic- and dogmatic-inclined mosques across Europe, Shari?a and Life explores how Muslims engage with shari?a norms in general, and specifically with the challenges they face as Muslims living in majority non-Muslim societies. The book examines how fatwas (advice on shari?a-related matters) are quested, negotiated, paraphrased, contested, or ignored in mosques, on the internet, and elsewhere. It also analyses individual strategies, external to religio-legal discourse, through which Muslims mitigate conflicts between interpretations of shari?a and everyday life. Among the issues discussed in the book are financial transactions, education, the workplace, sports, electoral participation, Christmas greetings, proselytizing, and the legitimacy of choosing to live in a non-Muslim country. Shifting the focus from the authors and texts of fatwas to their recipients, Shari?a and Life gives voice to those often left voiceless and demonstrates the great discretion and flexibility with which tensions between shari?a and life are resolved.
This book explores the differences in Muslim attitudes and approaches to the public square in sub-Saharan Africa via a comparative-historical analysis of Muslim politics in Northern Nigeria and Senegal since independence in 1960. While Northern Nigeria has been mired in intermittent religious conflicts and violence, Senegal has maintained peaceful and tolerant relationships in inter-faith and public affairs. Yet, the two Muslim societies had similar Islamic backgrounds in Sufi orders —Qadiriya and Tijaniya in Northern Nigeria; and Tijaniya, Muridiya, Qadiriya and Lahiniya in Senegal — known for their peaceful approach to public affairs. Furthermore, the two Muslim societies belong to the “black African Islamic cultural zone.” These common traits would suggest similar approaches to public affairs, but this has not been the case. The salient factors which are analyzed in the book include the historical factors (the success or failure to establish an Islamic state and the impact of different colonial administrations and ideologies), the extent of homogeneity of the social structure in each country, and strength of the contemporary state in both countries. The combination of these factors illustrates the experiences of the Muslims which further determine their divergent approaches to the public square.
For over a thousand years, Muslim scholars worked to ensure that Islamic law was always fresh and vibrant, that it responded to the needs of an evolving Muslim community and served as a moral and spiritual compass. They did this by "hacking" Islamic law in accordance with changing times and contexts, diving into the interconnected Islamic legal tradition to recalibrate what was outdated, making some laws work better and more efficiently while leaving others undisturbed. These hacking skills made Islamic law both flexible and relevant so that it could meet the needs of a community with changing values while remaining true to its ancient roots. Today, the hacking process has stalled in the face of unprecedented structural challenges, and Islamic law has stagnated. This book is designed to revitalize the hacking tradition by getting readers involved in the process. It walks them through the ins and outs of Islamic legal change, vividly describing how Muslim scholars have met new and evolving challenges on topics as diverse as abolition, democracy, finance, gender, human rights, sexuality, and more. And it provides step-by-step instructions for readers to hack laws for themselves, so that through their engagement and creativity, they can help Islamic law regain its intrinsic vitality and resume its role as a forward-looking source for good in the world.
Hello, Sarai Welcome to the world of books. This colorful, personalized keepsake is just for you. In Sarai s Reading Log, your family and friends will be able to record the first 200 books you read and prepare you for a lifetime of reading, achievement, and success. Sprinkled with great advice and inspiration, this memory book will remind you throughout your life of those books and people who inspired you. A note for adults: recording a child s first books creates a mindset of reading the first steps to a lifetime of learning and growth."
Hello, Sarai Welcome to the world of books. This colorful, personalized keepsake is just for you. In Sarai s Reading Log, your family and friends will be able to record the first 200 books you read and prepare you for a lifetime of reading, achievement, and success. Sprinkled with great advice and inspiration, this memory book will remind you throughout your life of those books and people who inspired you. A note for adults: recording a child s first books creates a mindset of reading the first steps to a lifetime of learning and growth."
