This Law of Ours
Encyclopedia
This Law of Ours is a book written by Muhammad Asad
, first published by the Asiatic Press of Dacca in June 1980, and later reprinted and expanded by Dar al-Andalus, Gibraltar in 1987 as This Law of Ours and Other Essays. The book is a collection of Asad's writings -- some written as far back as the 1940s -- which aims to clarify some of the confusion in the Muslim Ummah
about the scope and practical implications of Islamic law
.
The book's preface was written by Pola Hamida, Asad's wife, who first gathered his writings and radio talks and persuaded him to publish a book. In the preface, Hamida points out that the reader will be struck "not only by the extraordinary timeliness and timelessness of these thoughts and predictions, but also by their great consistency."
Asad points out what is incumbent on a Muslim: namely, belief in the "Oneness of God" — indivisible in His existence, unattainable by human thought, all-embracing in His wisdom and power — and in the apostleship of Muhammad
.
A large portion of the book elaborates on Islamic and western civilization and Muslim law. In particular, it deals with the role of ijtihad
and the creative outlook of Muhammad's companions and the great jurists of the past, on the necessity for independent thinking grounded in the Qur'an
and the Sunnah
of Muhammad. It also contains the author's perspective on the ideological basis of Pakistan
as well as on Islam's encounter with the west.
Muhammad Asad
Muhammad Asad , was an Austrian Polish Jew who converted to Islam, and a 20th century journalist, traveler, writer, social critic, linguist, thinker, reformer, diplomat, political theorist, translator and scholar...
, first published by the Asiatic Press of Dacca in June 1980, and later reprinted and expanded by Dar al-Andalus, Gibraltar in 1987 as This Law of Ours and Other Essays. The book is a collection of Asad's writings -- some written as far back as the 1940s -- which aims to clarify some of the confusion in the Muslim Ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
about the scope and practical implications of Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
.
The book's preface was written by Pola Hamida, Asad's wife, who first gathered his writings and radio talks and persuaded him to publish a book. In the preface, Hamida points out that the reader will be struck "not only by the extraordinary timeliness and timelessness of these thoughts and predictions, but also by their great consistency."
Contents
The essays contained in the book represent Asad's work and thought from the mid-1940s to 1987. The following essays are included:- An Imaginary Conversation.
- Codification of Islamic Law.
- And Our Future.
- Islamic Law and Muslim Law.
- A Voice of Nine Hundred Years Ago.
- Is There Another Way?
Asad points out what is incumbent on a Muslim: namely, belief in the "Oneness of God" — indivisible in His existence, unattainable by human thought, all-embracing in His wisdom and power — and in the apostleship of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
A large portion of the book elaborates on Islamic and western civilization and Muslim law. In particular, it deals with the role of ijtihad
Ijtihad
Ijtihad is the making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort , independently of any school of jurisprudence . as opposed to taqlid, copying or obeying without question....
and the creative outlook of Muhammad's companions and the great jurists of the past, on the necessity for independent thinking grounded in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and the Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
of Muhammad. It also contains the author's perspective on the ideological basis of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
as well as on Islam's encounter with the west.