Outlines of Islamic jurisprudence covers a number of topics of usul al-fiqh, sometimes in abridged form, that have been covered in the title on the subject of Islamic Jurisprudence by the same author. The significance of this book can only be understood through a comparison with that book. Islamic jurisprudence focuses on the discipline of usul al-fiqh and deals with it in an exhaustive way. It, thus, covers the different aspects of interpretation and theories of Islamic law. The present book includes some of the topics covered in that book. The bulk of Outlines of Islamic Jurisprudence, however, summarizes the entire law of Islam presenting it in a concise yet effective way. Property, contracts, evidence, procedure, constitutional matters and issues of Muslim personal law (family law) are dealt with efficiently. The last part of the book also includes information on the schools of law and their history. Due to the treatment of the entire Islamic law in a comprehensive way, the book is like a short encyclopedia. The book was first published in 1998 and is now in its sixth edition. It is very popular among law students, lawyers and even the general readers. Minor improvements to the book have been made over the years and it is constantly updated. Parts of the book dealing with property and contracts are taught independently as a one semester course on contracts, in particular for Islamic banking. The section on the history of the schools serves as a brief introduction to the law of Islam.

This is the fifth edition of a book that has enjoyed immense popularity for more than six decades. The author was a scholar of not just Islamic law, but very significantly of Islamic jurisprudence, as well as of Arabic and Persian-the original languages in which Islamic laws and Commentaries were written. In a learned and elegantly written introduction, Fyzee gives a detailed background of pre-Islamic Arabia and ancient Arabian customs, tracing the advent of Islam and the origin of Muslim law. The main text covers areas such as marriage and its dissolution, parentage, guardianship, and legitimacy, maintenance and gifts, as well as the Sunnite and Shiite laws of inheritance. The author has made a notable contribution to the study of Muslim law, especially as it is administered in India. The fifth edition, revised and edited by Professor Tahir Mahmood traces developments and modifications that have taken place in Islamic law since the publication of the fourth edition in 1974, highlights new statutory and case law, and also provides brief analytical comments. He remains true to the format and intellectual design of the original book, which remains a study primarily of Indian Islamic law. Wherever relevant, it includes references to the law in Pakistan and Bangladesh.