Reasoning with God

Khaled Abou El Fadl is Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor in Islamic Law at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, where he is also chair of the Islamic Studies Program. He was named a Carnegie Scholar in Islamic Law, has served on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, and served on the board of directors for Human Rights Watch, among other honors. He is the author of numerous books, including The Great Theft and The Search for Beauty in Islam.

Islamic law is widely viewed in the West as synonymous with Nazi law; it cannot be reformed or redeemed. In Reasoning with God, Khaled Abou El Fadl demonstrates not only how distorted this perception is but also how bigoted it can be as well. Part memoir, part scholarly analysis, and part message to the perplexed, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between Islam, Muslims, and modernity. The common leitmotif that runs throughout this volume is Abou El Fadl’s unwavering ethical orientation. His survey and critique of the good, the bad, and the ugly within Muslim societies and his prognosis for the future of Islam is both persuasive and morally compelling.