Islamic Law: From Historical Foundations to Contemporary Practice - Dien, Mawil Izzi. University of Notre Dame Press, 2004. 178p. $15.00, Paperback. ISBN 0268031746. $40.00, Hardcover. ISBN 0268031738. 340.5’9 Islamic law.

The publisher notes that the author has brought a neat, lucid, valuable aid to an extremely complex subject. Agreed. The book consists of five parts: historical background (the law of the Prophet and his companions); law and its sources (the divine source—God, the Qur’an (Koran), Sunna and Ijma, the human sources); source-tuners (refinements, clarifiers, the public interest, etc.); legal mechanisms for understanding the law (legal jurisprudence, understanding the textural expressions of the Qur’an); and legal authority and the future of Islamic law.

Dien, a senior lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, approaches his subject matter carefully, using both Western and Eastern views of the law, to aid the reader’s understanding. “Islamic law, in whichever sense we take the term,” writes Dien, “is sometimes unclear in both its content and in its historical order.” The main reason, he surmises, is that it is religious and therefore carries with it all the ambiguity that any world religion entails. As he writes, Dien inserts the Arabic words for various nouns for personal, legal or religious concepts so the reader can learn the proper terms. He gives generous examples of all he presents.

This is a most enlightening book that I recommend for all congregational libraries where there is interest in understanding the basics of Islamic law and its origins. It would serve as an excellent student aid. Contains a glossary, transliteration key, bibliography and index.

Monica Tenney
C&SL Media Review Editor
Maple Grove United Methodist Church
Columbus, Ohio