This Handbook is a detailed reference source comprising of original articles covering the origins, history, theory and practice of Islamic law.

Previous publications on this topic have approached Islamic law from practically every disciplinary and pedagogical perspective (philology, history, sociology, anthropology etc.) except that of the study of law. The real challenge is that there are a number of historical and doctrinal aspects of Islamic jurisprudence that cannot be properly evaluated unless the functions and processes of legal cultures and the patterns of legal thought are also taken into account. This comparative perspective has a direct bearing on the structure and selected topics of this book:

• Part I: Approaching Islamic Law

• Part II: Sources and Origins of Islamic Law

• Part III: The Emergence and Dynamics of Islamic Law: The Classical Legacy

• Part IV: Praxis and Islamic Law

• Part V: Substantive Fields of Islamic Law

• Part VI: Islamic Law: Transformation and Modernity

• Part VII: Islamic Law and the Challenges of the Age of Globalization

With contributions from a selection of highly regarded scholars in this field, theRoutledge Handbook of Islamic Law is an essential resource for students and scholars who are interested in the field of Islamic Law.