On Schacht's Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence (Islamic Texts Society)

This is a very fine book which disects the theories of Schacht about unreliability of Hadiths. Author takes us step by step with Schacht's claims and provides contrary arguments to negate Schacht's assertions on the subject. Although he has made every effort to make the book independent of Schacht's book "Origins:, It is helpful to read both in paralell.Most of the time author has either summarized or replicated Schacht's claims before he attacked them. This book is very helpful in understanding why Schacht is considered as Orientalist, for instead of claiming that Schacht was wrong in this or that as a blanket statement, he proves why he was wrong.

Unfortunately, Schacht's seminal work on the evolution of fiqh and the growth and fabrication of the hadith literature [ON MUHAMMADAN JURISPRUDENCE] is no longer in print. What is also unfortunate is the inaccessibility of Schacht's text due to the large volume of material that he handles. Moreover, his citations are merely referenced rather than being extensively quoted. Many of his citations are difficult to obtain readily as well since they are comprised of extremely old sources and different versions of those very same sources. Overall, for over 50 years, the theories of Schacht, building on those of Ignaz Goldziher 50 years before him, remain basically irrefutable insofar as key sections of his theories are materially, historically and textually substantiated.al-Azami's book is an incredible resource for two reasons: 1) he quotes in both Arabic and English what Schacht mostly on cites and 2)it is perhaps the most substantial response by a scholar of the Arab Worlds 'ulema' to a piece Western scholarship. Note, this 15 yr. old book has not as of yet been published in Arabic, neither has Schacht's work. Before I left Egypt this year, one of my professors had the manuscript for the Arabic translation [of al-Azami, not Schacht] of this book--meaning that the only Arabic-speaking speaking scholars will only be able to read the polemic, which is unfortunate.al-Azami goes through Schacht's work in detail, but he just doesn't seem to 'get it'. By 'it', I mean the methodology embodied in Schachts work of critical scholarship. There seems to be a lack of understanding of what compromises evidence and proof. For example, al-Azami consistently uses texts written hundreds of years after the texts and people being discussed. The problematic of the hadith is never grasped fully. [to give everyone an idea, the hadith where not committed to writing until 200 yrs. after the fact ... like if we had just started to produce historical records of the American revolution today]. Nevertheless, al-Azami remains a scholar worth reading, although if one is interested in a radically revised and much better approach to hadith, one would be best helped examining the works of H. Motzki.Schacht's work is controversial to Muslims because as al-Azami states, there is a fear that he is trying to destroy the basis of their culture and civilization. The contrary is actually the truth. Schacht was a scholar that actually highly valued the system and genius of the Islamic tradition of law; however, he viewed this tradition as a HUMAN tradition. Schacht's criticisms of the origins of Islamic Law proving that it is neither prophetic nor divine but simply human does not destroy a civilization or tradition but opens it up to revision and modernized based on reason rather than religious fanaticism. And, indeed, this is the modus operandi of the original modernist reform movements in the 19th century Mid East.

This is a very important book in its field against the Orientalist onslaught against Islam and Muhammadan Jurisprudence. The author Muhammad Azami achived in his dissertation of refuting the orientalist Schacht's thesis on Muhammadan Jurisprudence. Schacht's Origins On Muhammadan Jurisprudence was highly acclaimed amongst Orientalists, such that H.A.R Gibb considered,"It will become the foundation for all future study of Islamic Civilisation and Law, at least in the West". Schacht's work in other words was regarded as the bible for the Orientalist attack on Islam, moreover, became a reference point of other Orientalists in refuting Islam. Muhammad Azami comprehensively repudiates Schacht's work by deconstructing his theories and arguement to the point of making it into mere fiction. Muhammad Azami elucidates on the lack of scientific approach taken by Schacht thus effecting his deduction. Schacht had two methods at his disposal 1. To draw conclusions from a study of the original sources of islam, the Quran or, 2. The writings of early scholars as sources. Schachts opts for the latter approach. Azami highlights in taking the second approach Schacht failled to consult the relavant literature and futhermore misunderstood the texts he quoted, even to the point of occassionally quoting out of context. Schacht's work as a result is full of contradictions and is completely opposed to History per se. The false methodology of Schacht concludes in the the total negation of Islamic jurisprudence by claiming the Hadith literature and its chain of narrators to be fogeries. Rather, Schacht concludes of a conspiracy to revive a non-existant legal history of the Prophet Muhammad in which the four legal schools in Islam get involved in perpetuating. The early scholars are accussed of putting words into the mouth of the Prophet Muhammad and interpretting the Hadiths to embody their own attitudes and doctrines... This particular book of Muhammad Azami dispels the theories of Schacht elegantly and in a lucid manner, leaving the reader in no doubt of the falsity and futility of Schacht's theories and accusations. This is a very important book for the Muslim, such that, it has been translated into the Arabic language which is a rare and an outstanding achievement. A must for every Muslim and non-Muslim interested in Islam and Hadith literature.

This book is a good refutation. Admit it.

Never disappointing