Islamic law is one of the major legal systems in the world today, yet it is often misunderstood, particularly in the West. This book provides a critical overview of the theory, scope, and practice of Islamic law, taking into account both classical and modern scholarly perspectives in examining the various facets of this key legal system. One of the strengths of this book is that it manages, despite its size, to include discussions of some of the big questions about Islamic law that currently divide the scholarly community...In general, this is a well executed book which is extremely readable and intelligently organized and will give those who are approaching Islamic law for the first time the confidence to delve further. It is exactly the sort of book I would recommend to students of Islamic law at all levels of study, as well as to general readers.