Themes Islamic Law Theology

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Theology has a reputation for being transcendent while law more mundane and worldly. Yet, throughout the history of Islamic Civilization, the two have been inextricably linked in discussions as far-ranging as the overarching moral obligation to believe in the law to debates over the awareness of God as a validating factor in ritual. This course provides a diachronic survey of these developments to comprehend how successive generations of theologians and jurists understood the nexus of the sacred and mundane in faith and action. Topics to be covered include the problem of free-will, the role of intentionality, the nature of fatwa and judgment, and the probative value of spiritual experience. The course will follow a module format to allow time to investigate these issues thematically and track their genealogy to the present day.