This ground-breaking new monograph underscores the fact that Ijtihad, although long emphasized as an integral aspect of modern Islamic law, has a flexible definition. The concept of Ijtihad had had immense popularity amongst every segment of Muslim intelligentsia and has been used in a variety of religious and secular setting, however, none of the intelligentsia or various reform groups agree on its meaning. Dr. Fareed's comparative analysis discusses the aims and processes of legal reform, based on the Ijtihad dispute by various reform movements and personalities, in light of the pressures of modernization, nationalism, colonial cultural and administrative activity. This book is an important addition to the field.

This collective volume deals with the main components in the laws of Islamic societies, past and present: sharia, custom and statute. Covers a wide range of geographical areas, from the Balkans to Yemen, and from Iraq to the Maghrib -- Back cover.

Toward an Islamic Reformation is an ambitious attempt to modernize Islamic law, calling for reform of the historical formulations of Islamic law, commonly known as Shari'a that is perceived by many Muslims to be part of the Islamic faith. As a Muslim, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im is sensitive to and appreciative of the delicate relationship between Islam as a religion and Islamic law. Nevertheless, he considers that the questions raised here must be resolved if the public law of Islam is to be implemented today. An-Na'im draws upon the teachings and writings of Sudanese reformer Mahmoud Mohamed Taha to provide what some have called the intellectual foundations for a total reinterpretation of the nature and meaning of Islamic public law.