Modern Islamic Thought in a Radical Age

'For those seeking to understand debates among Muslim scholars on contemporary political and social issues, I could hardly think of a more profound study than this one. Few scholars have the depth and reach to accomplish what Zaman does here, which is nothing less than a socio-history of modern Islamic thought. [He] returns again and again to the formative debates of the late nineteenth century to discuss a wide range of issues. A tour de force.' John R. Bowen, Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor, Washington University, St Louis, and author of A New Anthropology of Islam

'Drawing on rich and diverse materials from debates on some of the most controversial issues facing Muslim communities in the Middle East and South Asia, Zaman explores the ambiguities both within and beyond lines of internal critique to provide nuanced insight into the construction, maintenance, and reconfiguration of religious authority. This is an important book for anyone interested in Islam and Muslim societies in the modern era.' R. Michael Feener, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

'With great insight and erudition, Zaman opens a new window onto the ways in which the heirs of the pre-modern Muslim scholarly tradition think, rethink, and argue about contentious issues in the modern world, some of them wielding a soft power that few of their counterparts in the Western academy can emulate.' Michael Cook, Princeton University

'Few books will shape the subfield of Islamic studies in the manner that Muhammad Qasim Zaman's refreshing interpretation of traditional religious thought in the modern period promises to do ... Inspired by Zaman's example, future scholarship dedicated to Islamic law and society will render the field a great service by also taking the hermeneutical battles to some of the narratives generated by macro-political and economic conditions that impact Muslim practices and ideas.' Ebrahim Moosa, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Muhammad Qasim Zaman is Robert H. Niehaus '77 Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Religion at Princeton University, New Jersey. He is the author of Religion and Politics under the Early Abbasids and The Ulama in Contemporary Islam, among other works.

1. Introduction; 2. Rethinking consensus; 3. The language of Ijtihad; 4. Contestations on the common good; 5. Bridging traditions: madrasas and their internal critics; 6. Women, law, and society; 7. Socioeconomic justice; 8. Denouncing violence: the ambiguities of a discourse; 9. Epilogue: the paradoxes of internal criticism.