Table Of ContentThe Fatigue of the Shari‘a
Palgrave Series in Islamic Theology, Law, and History
This groundbreaking series, edited by one of the most influential scholars of
Islamic law, presents a cumulative and progressive set of original studies that sub-
stantially raise the bar for rigorous scholarship in the field of Islamic studies. By
relying on original sources and challenging common scholarly stereotypes and
inherited wisdoms, the volumes of the series attest to the exacting and demand-
ing methodological and pedagogical standards necessary for contemporary studies
of Islam. These volumes are chosen not only for their disciplined methodology,
exhaustive research, or academic authoritativeness, but also for their ability to
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it was, is, and is likely to become. They make central and even pivotal contribu-
tions to understanding the experience of the lived and living Islam and the ways
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are chosen for their great relevance to the many realities that have shaped the
ways Muslims understand, represent, and practice their religion, and ultimately,
to understanding the worlds that Muslims have helped to shape, and in turn, the
worlds that have helped shape Muslims.
Series Editor:
Khaled Abou El Fadl is the Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor
in Islamic Law at the UCLA School of Law, and chair of the Islamic Studies
Program at UCLA. Dr. Abou El Fadl received the University of Oslo Human
Rights Award, the Leo and Lisl Eitinger Prize in 2007, and was named a Carnegie
Scholar in Islamic Law in 2005. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on
Islamic law and Islam, and a prominent scholar in the field of human rights.
Titles:
Custom in Islamic Law and Legal Theory: The Development of the Concepts
of ‘Urf and ‘Adah in the Islamic Legal Tradition
A yman Shabana
The Islamic Law of War: Justifications and Regulations
Ahmed Al-Dawoody
Shi‘i Jurisprudence and Constitution: Revolution in Iran
Amirhassan Boozari
Constructing a Religiously Ideal “Believer” and “Woman” in Islam:
Neo-traditional Salafi and Progressive Muslims’ Methods of Interpretation
Adis Duderija
The Fatigue of the Shari‘‘a
Ahmad Atif Ahmad
The Fatigue of the Shari‘a
AHMAD AAATIF AHMAD
THEFATIGUEOFTHESHARI‘A
Copyright © Ahmad Atif Ahmad, 2012.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2012 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
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Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
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registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
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Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
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ISBN 978-1-349-34292-1 ISBN 978-1-137-01500-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137015006
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ahmad, Ahmad Atif.
The fatigue of the shari‘a / by Ahmad Atif Ahmad.
p. cm.
1. Islamic law—Interpretation and construction. 2. Ijtihad
(Islamic law) I. Title.
KBP453.A445 2012
340.5(cid:2)9—dc23 2011038852
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: April 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Dima, Iyad, and Kindah
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Ahmad
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—Bukhari’s Sahih, #100 (Chapter 3, On
Knowledge = Kitab al-‘Ilm)
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—Tabari’s History of Prophets and Kings
(Cairo: Dar al-Ma‘arif, 1971), vol. 1, pp. 11, 12.
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Contents
Series Editor’s Preface ix
Preface: Speaking of History in a Time of Change xi
A cknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Part I Foundations
1 Truth and Fatigue 11
2 Open Questions 23
3 IjtihaddTheory 39
Part II Jurists and Nonjurists
4 Suppose We Forgot the Law 57
5 The End of Jurisprudence 73
6 Ijtihaddfor All 85
Part III Modernity and Its Questions
7 A New Picture 101
8 Absent Good Government 129
Part IV Beyond Modernity
9 Neglected Knowledge 153
10 Constant Interpretation 173
Conclusion 181
Notess 187
Bibliographyy 201
Indexx 207
Series Editor’s Preface
W hen I was invited to become the editor of the Palgrave Series in Islamic
Theology, Law, and History, I sought to find works that are not just inter-
esting but compelling—works that can be described as publishing events.
I sought to find works that leave an indelible mark on the field that neither
the conscientious scholar nor student can rightly ignore. The present book
by Ahmad Atif Ahmad, an already accomplished scholar in his own right,
is without a doubt an event in the history of Islamic Studies. Ahmad’s
The Fatigue of the Shari‘aa is highly original, addictively readable, and awe-
inspiringly brave; it is the kind of book that justifies the very existence and
continuation of this series. Reading Ahmad’s book has been a full-fledged
event in my own intellectual life to the point that I feel genuinely fortunate
to be given the privilege of introducing it to specialists and nonspecialists
alike.
In this meticulous and singularly unique book, Ahmad takes his read-
ers on a thrilling and thought-provoking journey through Islamic law,
theology, and history. He deals with a little-known, practically forgot-
ten, debate that has thoroughly profound implications for contemporary
Muslims. Ahmad asks the notoriously incendiary question: What if, due
to the change in times and people, the divine law or the norms ordained
to human beings through Revelation cease to be relevant? In Ahmad’s
language, the fatigue of divine norms means a condition in which, for
whatever reason, God’s laws or prescriptions are no longer compelling or
fitting for the believers. The issue he deals with is the very existence of
divine guidance for every age and time, and whether it is conceivable that
God’s law would become unavailable, or, for whatever the circumstance,
absent from the lives of the faithful.
What makes this study invaluable is that Ahmad offers a very acces-
sible and comprehensive review of the Islamic classical theological and
jurisprudential debates on these issues. The discourses found in the clas-
sical tradition are rich, nuanced, and very often surprising, and they are
also extremely relevant to contemporary Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Ahmad does not shy away from investigating the implications of the
