Wudoo’: The Prophet’s Ablution

Ibn Khaldun, the fourteenth century Arab historiographer and historian, is viewed as a founder of modern historiography, sociology and economics. He lived during a turbulent part of history, and out of his experiences, he ?conceived and created a philosophy of history that was undoubtedly the greatest work ever created by a man of intelligence…?. This work tells of the period of unrest in Ibn Khaldun?s life marked by political rivalries. It is during this turbulent period which provided him with the opportunity to write the Muqaddimah (or Prolegomena), earning him an immortal place among historians, sociologists and philosophe

This work constitutes a critical analysis of classical and modern aspects of the concept of istihsan (juristic preference), an important principle in Islamic legal legislation throughout history. Although there has been many research works on the subject, it still requires further investigation on the role and nature of istihsan with regard to a combination of classical and modern approaches. Consisting of four chapters, the author begins by introducing some general principles of Islamic law, before discussing the history of istihsan during the time of the Prophet and his Companions. He also analyses the validity of istihsan as a source of law and discusses the differences among scholars on its method of implementation.

Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi, who died in 1888, had sought an answer to the challenge posed by modernisation and change to Islamic law, by introducing maslahah, which forms the basis of his philosophy of Islamic law. In a fascinating way, the author leads us step by step to what he considers the true import of Shatibi’s views concerning jurisprudence.