Constructing the Modern Fatwa: Islamic Legal Reasoning in the American Context (Usul al-Fiqh)

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) as a living discipline responsive to the realities of Muslim life in the United States. Students examine the foundational sources, interpretive tools, and methodological frameworks that scholars employ in constructing legal opinions (fatawa), with attention to how custom, circumstance, and social context shape legal reasoning. The course explores how classical jurisprudential principles apply to contemporary American Muslim life, equipping students to critically evaluate legal opinions and understand the relationship between fidelity to the tradition and responsiveness to lived experience.