Islamic Law, Epistemology and Modernity: Legal Philosophy in Contemporary Iran (Middle East Studies: History, Politics & Law)

Annotation This study analyses the major intellectual positions in the philosophical debate on Islamic law that is occurring in contemporary Iran. As the characteristic features of traditional epistemic considerations have a direct bearing on the modern development of Islamic legal thought, the contemporary positions are initially set against the established normative repertory of Islamic tradition. It is within this broad examination of a living legacy of interpretation that the context for the concretizations of traditional as well as modern Islamic learning, are enclosed MIDDLE EAST STUDIES HISTORY, POLITICS, AND LAW......Page 2 ISLAMIC LAW, EPISTEMOLOGY AND MODERNITY LEGAL PHILOSOPHY IN CONTEMPORARY IRAN......Page 4 Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 9 List of transliteration......Page 11 A. The Purpose of the study......Page 13 B. Theory and methodology......Page 17 C. Previous research and sources......Page 24 D. Introductionary remarks on analytical categories......Page 29 E. Modernity, postmodernism and secularism......Page 35 A. The Islamic legal system? Law, jurisprudence and ethics......Page 48 B. Law and spirituality: Shi'i esoterism......Page 60 A. Knowledge and science......Page 64 B. The 'historical-empirical' epistemic scheme......Page 68 C. The 'theological', 'philosophical' and 'mystical' epistemic schemes......Page 73 D. The 'juristic-rational' epistemic scheme......Page 78 A. Usul al-fiqh (legal theory)......Page 86 B. The constant usul (sources) of law: The Qur'an, sunnat and ijma......Page 88 C. The non-constant as1 (source) of law: