Leiden University Student Repository

Dahman, Rafik (2016)

Andalusian Fiqh Concerning non-Muslims: the Discrepancy Between Written Formality and Daily Practice (900-1250).

Master thesis | History (MA)

This thesis questions the generally presented thought that the religious rulings concerning non-Muslims was Islamic law. By differentiating punctually and thoroughly adequate between the religious rulings of the scholars, the policies of the rulers, and daily reality of the people, it enables one to understand these three phenomenons as entities, but within their inter-complemantary context. As a result, it made it possible through literary evidence to distinguish between the written formality as laid down in the fiqh-literature, and daily reality as lived by all people. Between these two a discrepancy is often to be observed, which means that the question whether The Islamic law of Andalusia was tolerant cannot homogeneously be answered. Alternatively, to answer the question whether Islamic law of Andalusia concerning non-Muslims was tolerant, one is to decide which touchstone he or she is using. Furthermore, this thesis reserves likewise a focus on the eschatological motivations...Show moreThis thesis questions the generally presented thought that the religious rulings concerning non-Muslims was Islamic law. By differentiating punctually and thoroughly adequate between the religious rulings of the scholars, the policies of the rulers, and daily reality of the people, it enables one to understand these three phenomenons as entities, but within their inter-complemantary context. As a result, it made it possible through literary evidence to distinguish between the written formality as laid down in the fiqh-literature, and daily reality as lived by all people. Between these two a discrepancy is often to be observed, which means that the question whether The Islamic law of Andalusia was tolerant cannot homogeneously be answered. Alternatively, to answer the question whether Islamic law of Andalusia concerning non-Muslims was tolerant, one is to decide which touchstone he or she is using. Furthermore, this thesis reserves likewise a focus on the eschatological motivations behind the seemingly mundane character of the rulings concerning non-Muslims, a focus which is still too poorly integrated in academic works.Show less

fiqh

andalusia

Islamic law

non-Muslims

dhimmis

Muslim tolerance

Author

Dahman, Rafik

Note

Knowledge of Arabic and the Islamic law would be helpful, though not imperative.

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Europe 1000-1800

Supervisors

Sicking, Louis

ECTS Credits

30

Language

en