Introduction to Islamic Law

Islamic law represents an immensely complex and rich system of law, which has spread throughout the world. The wide spread of Islam has meant that many legal systems have either incorporated some elements of Islamic law, which govern the Muslim citizens of these countries, as in India or more recently South Africa, or are to a large extent completely based on classical Islamic law, as in Saudi Arabia.

In an introductory subject like this one, we cannot hope to do complete justice to the richness and complexity of Islamic law. Rather, we would like to give you a basis from which to explore Islamic law further by concentrating on the various aspects of family law – gifts, wakfs and some other areas of law, such as criminal law, contract and tort – outlined in the syllabus. We would like to encourage you to tackle these foundations of Islamic law before endeavouring to examine the actual manifestations of Islamic law throughout the world.