The Evolution of Fiqh (Islamic Law & the Madh-habs).

In the Evolution of Fiqh (Islamic Law & the Madh-habs). The author very clearly presents a brief overview of the historical development of Islamic law and its schools (the madh·hahs). The book identities the main reason for the appearance of the madh-habs and the factors leading to differences among them. For those to whom the madh-habs have been a mystery'. this aspect of the book will be extremely enlightening. Although the author sheds lighe on both the positive and ncgative roles of the madh-habs in the past, the main message of the book is a call to the understanding of logistic differences (with an aim to remove them where possible), and a proposal for the unification of the madh-habs. "What makes this book stimulating are the perceptive and penetrating questions that Abu. Ameenah raises ... The book is important as it draws the Muslims' attention to self-criticism that is long overdue" - Dr. Abdur Rahman Doi , Muslim World Book Review, Vol 10, no.4, 1990 "In this book the author ... presents the subject in such an attractive and lucid manner that I could not part from it once I started reading it, finishing it in one sitting" - M.M. Abdul Cader, Former Supreme Court Judge. Sri Lanka About the Author: DR. ABU AMEENAH BILAL PHILlPS was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and grew up in Canada, where he accepted Islam in 1972. He completed a BA from the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usool ad-Deen) at the Islamic University of Madeenah in 1979 and a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985 at the University of Riyadh, College of Education. In 1994 he completed a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales. From 1994 to 2001, Dr. Bilal founded and directed the Islamic Information Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the Foreign Literature Department of Dar al Fatah Islamic Press in Sharjah, UAE. In the year 2001, Dr. Bilal established the Islamic Online University, the first accredited Islamic university on the Internet. He was a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Dubai and Ajman University, head of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Preston University-Ajman, UAE, and a lecturer at Qatar Guest Center, Doha, Qatar.