The Development of Islamic Law and Society in the Maghrib ─ Qadis, Muftis and Family Law

Powers (Near Eastern studies, Cornell U.) collects 12 articles he has written over the past 20 years or so dealing with the Islamic legal institutions of divorce, inheritance, and endowments, and their application in courts in the Islamic West. His main source is a collection of cases in North Africa and Spain between 1000 and 1500 compiled by jurist Ahmad al-Wansharisi (d. 1508 CE). Among his topics are judicial review in Islamic law, familial politics in the middle Maghreb in the eighth/fourteenth century, four cases relating to women and divorce in al-Andalus and the Maghreb 1100-1500, a socio-historical approach to the Islamic inheritance system, a court case of endowments from 14th-century North Africa, and the attack on Muslim family endowments in Algeria and India. The facsimiles retain the original page numbers to keep references accurate. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

David S. Powers is Professor of Islamic History and Law at Cornell University, USA.