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Marion Holmes Katz is Assistant Professor of Religion at Mount Holyoke College.

"…recommend[ed] … for those who are looking for a path into the sources of and the debates about formative Islam and law." — Journal of the American Oriental Society"For too long Islamic law has been seen by academics as a body of esoteric lore discernible only to the initiated. Katz masterfully positions a detailed and technical subject—early Islamic ritual law—within the broader context of comparative religions. This book will be the starting point for any future work on the subject." — Paul M. Cobb, University of Notre Dame, author of White Banners: Contention in >Abbasid Syria, 750–880"Katz breaks new ground in the field of Islamic law. This is the first book to thoroughly examine the classical Islamic-law works as well as the works of Western anthropologists on matters of ritual purity." — Farhat J. Ziadeh, author of Property Law in the Arab World

• Acknowledgments Introduction The Comprehensiveness of the LawThe Historical BackgroundMethodological DevelopmentsThe Case of Islamic LawApproach to the Sources 1. Qur'anic Rules of Purity and the Covenantal Community The Biblical ExampleThe Qur'anic Material: Surat al-Ma'idaPatterns within the Qur'anConclusions 2. Interpreting the Qur'anic Text The Problem"When You Rise to Pray""Wipe Your Heads and Your Feet... " "If You Have Touched Women... " Conclusion: Revealed Text and Personal Example in the Law of Purity 3. "Cancelers of Wudu" and the Boundaries of the Body Wudu from Cooked FoodWudu from Touching the GenitalsBlood and Other Bodily IssuesConclusions 4. Substantive Impurity and the Boundaries of Society The Fluidity of the LawWomen, Nonbelievers, and the DeadChildren of AdamPurity and GenderConclusions Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index