On 04 February 2014, Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad [LL.M. (Harvard); Founder and Director, Center for Law and Policy; Founding Director and Associate Professor, UMT School of Law and Policy] was invited to give a talk, titled "Introduction to Islamic Law," at EBS Law School, Germany.
Professor Asad started by giving an overview of the talk to the audience. He informed them that he would keep his comments and explanations simple, as most of the participants had no prior knowledge of Islamic law. He also emphasized that the participants should feel free to raise questions and disagree with his views.
Professor Asad began by describing the concept of revelation, the primary source of Islamic law. He defined its two forms, i.e., the Quran and the Sunnah, and explained their inter se status. He also discussed the different positions that Muslim scholars have taken regarding the authenticity of the Hadith.
He then moved to Ijtehad and discussed its significance as a method for the development of Islamic law. He also mentioned how certain scholars have declared that Ijtehad cannot be practiced any longer, while others consider it to be an indispensible tool for keeping Islamic law alive.
Professor Asad then focused on the scope of Islamic law. He demonstrated how it deals with constitutional, humanitarian, criminal, family, transactional, and financial matters. He discussed how Islamic law is being implemented in present-day Muslim countries by giving examples from Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
Throughout the talk, the participants raised different questions pertaining to religious dissent, pluralism, criminal law, status of women, humanitarian law, foreign relations, extremism, etc.
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