The Spirit of Islamic Law (Spirit of the Laws)

Rating:
Summary: The Spirit Of Islamic Law
Review: I was literally pulled into this book, as the topic itself has fascinated me for quite some time now. The book revolves around determining the "spirit" of Islamic law. Islamic Law here being the law body that was developed during the rise of the Islamic Empire. It also engages in the development of defining the boundaries and constitutes of Islamic law as it pertains to Shari'ah (the ideal of God's law) and the utopian world-view which fueled that development. I have already been exposed to many of the facts cited in this phenomenal work, but I have never been exposed to them in such a way that identifies the "spirit" which animated the process itself (Note that the unique spirit referred to here is, in contemporary Islamic legal thought, by-and-large dead). I was stunned as I read this title, I barely put it down at all until it was done.
I had read Bernard Weiss's previous title "The Search For God's Law: The Writings Of Sayf Al-Din Al-Amidi" and was equally impressed and enlightened. If you are wondering about the unique "spirit" of this body of law, and its various manifestations in history, then you must read this title. Bernard Weiss's balance and sensitivity for his subject are the signs of mature and sober scholarship, and for his contributions I am grateful. His presentation is direct and easy to follow. There is no need to seek complimentary materials to understand this work, its scale is unmatched by anything I have seen regarding the "spirit" of Islamic law. I only wish more contemporary Muslims would familiarize themselves with these sorts of readings.

Rating:
Summary: The Spirit Of Islamic Law
Review: I was literally pulled into this book, as the topic itself has fascinated me for quite some time now. The book revolves around determining the "spirit" of Islamic law. Islamic Law here being the law body that was developed during the rise of the Islamic Empire. It also engages in the development of defining the boundaries and constitutes of Islamic law as it pertains to Shari'ah (the ideal of God's law) and the utopian world-view which fueled that development. I have already been exposed to many of the facts cited in this phenomenal work, but I have never been exposed to them in such a way that identifies the "spirit" which animated the process itself (Note that the unique spirit referred to here is, in contemporary Islamic legal thought, by-and-large dead). I was stunned as I read this title, I barely put it down at all until it was done.
I had read Bernard Weiss's previous title "The Search For God's Law: The Writings Of Sayf Al-Din Al-Amidi" and was equally impressed and enlightened. If you are wondering about the unique "spirit" of this body of law, and its various manifestations in history, then you must read this title. Bernard Weiss's balance and sensitivity for his subject are the signs of mature and sober scholarship, and for his contributions I am grateful. His presentation is direct and easy to follow. There is no need to seek complimentary materials to understand this work, its scale is unmatched by anything I have seen regarding the "spirit" of Islamic law. I only wish more contemporary Muslims would familiarize themselves with these sorts of readings.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Work
Review: This book is wonderfully written and easy to understand, even for beginners in the field, such as myself. It outlines the processes by which classical Islamic law and government came into being without being drawn out. Wonderful book.