The Search for God's Law: Islamic Jurisprudence in the Writings of Sayf al-Din al-Amidi (Utah Series in Turkish and Islamic Stud) Hardcover – September 30, 2010

Arguably the best presentation of classical Islamic jurisprudential principles or the theories underpinning how to derive from scripture, rules, ethics, moral precepts, and in fact theology, in sunni schools. The science of Usūl ul-Fiqh has been written about a lot with some gopd introductory texts like the late Taha Jabir al-Alwani, works specialised in hermeneutics like Sukrija Ramic, and now the works of Ahmed Hasan, Hashim Kamali and Imran Ahsam Khan Nyazee. This was the first and arguably the best focused exposition of mutakallim work on Usūl through explaining the works of Sayf ul-Dīn Āmidī. It is sometimes singular in the choice of language and the way terms are translated but it is a reliable, detailed and deep exposition of the intellectual framework and methodology of Kalām Usul i.e. the theologians approach popular among 3 of the 4 sunni schools or madhāhib.Very slight criticism is in commenting on some issues outside the ambit of the authors focus which is completely understandable and to be expected e.g. on tahsīn and taqbīh completely ignores the Maturīdī perspective and those among Ash'arīs who agreed with them, but this is minor. Also, and this is not a criticism but the original work is a summary of the major works that proceeded and is written in very clear Arabic and presented exceptionally well. It is though rendered well in English but is inevitably more complicated. Weiss, the author recommends those that can to read in paralell, which is an interesting idea. But would thoroughly recommend to an interested reader, and to the expert/academic in Islamic studies, jurisprudence, or Islamic Law.This is the second edition amended with some more focus on the substantive jurispridence of Āmidī and the main body of the text too.

This book covers the subject of usul al-fiqh or Islamic legal theory as expounded by al-Amidi - a reference text in the field. And Professor Weiss has written in English what is surely a reference study on this text.