Debates in the Principles of Islamic Sharia between Ibn Hazm and al-Baji

Dr. Abdel-Magid Turki’s Debates on the Principles of Islamic Law Between Ibn Hazm and Al-Baji, published by Dar Rouya, stands as a premier critical study on classical Islamic jurisprudence and legal theory (Usul al-Fiqh) in Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus). The book reconstructs the famous historical and intellectual confrontations between the literalist Zahiri master Ibn Hazm and the prominent Maliki jurist Abu al-Walid al-Baji. Turki examines how these two intellectual giants diverged on core methodologies of Islamic law, analyzing their debate across key areas: textual interpretation of the Quran and Hadith, the binding authority of consensus (Ijma'), and the validity of analogical reasoning (Qiyas). By analyzing the political, social, and scholarly context of 11th-century Al-Andalus, the work offers researchers a rigorous comparative analysis of how competing hermeneutical systems shaped classical Islamic law and legal philosophy.

It provides an indispensable, rigorously researched comparative guide to classical Islamic legal theory, detailing how foundational methodology, textual literalism, and consensus were debated in Andalusian intellectual history.

Ideal for scholars, graduate students, researchers of Islamic legal theory (Usul al-Fiqh), medieval Islamic history, Andalusian studies, and comparative jurisprudence.