Name: Law and Piety in Medieval Islam
Brand: Cambridge University Press
SKU: 9781108410786
Price: 428.74 HKD
Availability: InStock
Author: Megan H. Reid
ISBN: 9781108410786

Law and Piety in Medieval Islam

By Megan H. Reid

Cambridge University Press August 2017

Specifications

ISBN-13: 9781108410786
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: August 2017
Format: Paperback
Jurisdiction: U.K. ? Countri(es) for reference only

Details

The Ayyubid and Mamluk periods were two of the most intellectually vibrant in Islamic history. Megan H. Reid's book, which traverses three centuries from 1170 to 1500, recovers the stories of medieval men and women who were renowned not only for their intellectual prowess but also for their devotional piety.

Through these stories, the book examines trends in voluntary religious practice that have been largely overlooked in modern scholarship. This type of piety was distinguished by the pursuit of God's favor through additional rituals, which emphasized the body as an instrument of worship, and through the rejection of worldly pleasures, and even society itself.

Using an array of sources including manuals of law, fatwa collections, chronicles, and obituaries, the book shows what it meant to be a good Muslim in the medieval period and how Islamic law helped to define holy behavior. In its concentration on personal piety, ritual, and ethics the book offers an intimate perspective on medieval Islamic society.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The persistence of asceticism

2. 'Devote yourself to deeds you can bear': voluntary fasting and bodily piety

3. Charity, food, and the right of refusal

4. The devil at the fountain: problems in ritual

Conclusion.