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In this book, Omar Farahat presents a new way of understanding the work of classical Islamic theologians and legal theorists who maintained that divine revelation is necessary for the knowledge of the norms and values of human actions. Through a reconstruction of classical Ashʿarī-Muʿtazilī debates on the nature and implications of divine speech, Farahat argues that the Ashʿarī attachment to revelation was not a purely traditionalist position. Rather, it was a rational philosophical commitment emerging from debates in epistemology and theology. He further argues that the particularity of this model makes its distinctive features helpful for contemporary scholars who defend a form of divine command theory. Farahat's volume thus constitutes a new reading of the issue of reason and revelation in Islam and breaks new ground in Islamic theology, law and ethics.
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The Foundation of Norms in Islamic Jurisprudence and Theology OMAR FARAHAT McGill University The Foundation of Norms in Islamic Jurisprudence and Theology In this book, Omar Farahat presents a new way of understanding the work of classical Islamic theologians and legal theorists who maintained that divine revelation is necessary for the knowledge of the norms and values of human actions. Through a reconstruction of classical Ashʿarı¯-Muʿtazilı¯ debates on the nature and implications of divine speech, Farahat argues that, rather than being a purely traditionalist position, the Ashʿarı¯ attachment to revelation was a rational philosophical commitment emerging from debates in epistemology and theology. He further argues that the particularity of this model makes its distinctive features helpful for contemporary scholars who defend a form of divine command theory. Farahat’s volume thus constitutes a new reading of the issue of reason and revelation in Islam and breaks new ground in Islamic theology, law, and ethics. Omar Farahat is Assistant Professor of Law at McGill University in Montreal. University Printing House, Cambridge cb2 8bs, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, ny 10006, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, vic 3207, Australia 314–321, 3rd Floor, Plot 3, Splendor Forum, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi – 110025, India 79 Anson Road, #06–04/06, Singapore 079906 Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108476768 doi: 10.1017/9781108614252 © Cambridge University Press 2019 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2019 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A. A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data names: Farahat, Omar, 1982–, author. title: The foundation of norms in Islamic jurisprudence and theology / Omar Farahat, McGill University, Montreal. description: New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. identifiers: lccn 2018034498 | isbn 9781108476768 (hardback : alk. paper) | isbn 9781108701471 (pbk. : alk. paper) subjects: lcsh: Islamic law. | Islam–Theology. | Islam–Doctrines. | Social norms. classification: lcc kbp144 .f3653 2018 | ddc 297.2/114–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018034498 isbn 978-1-108-47676-8 Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet