Overview

A dynamic account of the practice of Islamic law, this book focuses on the actions of a particular legal official, the muhtasib, whose vast jurisdiction included all public behavior. In the cities of Cairo and neighboring Fustat during the Mamluk period (1250-1517), the men who held the position of muhtasib acted as regulators of markets and public spaces generally. They traversed their jurisdictions carrying out the duty to command right and forbid wrong, and were as much a part of the legal landscape as the better-known figures of judge and mufti. Taking directions from the rulers, the sultan foremost among them, they were also guided by legal doctrine as formulated by the jurists, combining these two sources of law in one face of authority. The daily workings of the law are illuminated by the reports of the muhtasib in the vivid Mamluk-era chronicles, which often also captured the responses of the individuals who encountered the official. The book is organized around actions taken by the muhtasib in the areas of Muslim devotional and pious practices; crimes and offenses; the management of Christians and Jews; market regulation and consumer protection; the specific markets for essential bread; currency and taxes; and public order. The case studies presented show that while legal doctrine was clearly relevant to the muhtasib's actions, the policy demands of the sultan were also quite significant, and rules from both sources of authority intersected with social, political, economic, and personal factors to create full and vibrant scenarios that reveal the practice of Islamic law.

Full Product Details

9780199602438

Table of Contents

Reviews

<br> Islamic Law in Action is a valuable contribution to law and society studies and at <br>the same time a marvelous introduction to pre-modern Middle Eastern society <br>generally. By focusing on actual cases, this first comprehensive study of the <br>muhtasib, the official most intimately involved in the regulation of public life, shows vividly how the actions of ordinary people, the laws of jurists, and the policy dictates of the ruler <br>were interwoven. Stilt's book is a triple hit, speaking as it does to specialists and <br>students of Islamic cultures as well as to historians of other world cultures. <br>--Leslie Peirce, author of Morality Tales: Law and Gender in the Ottoman Court of Aintab<p><br> Using the figure of the muhtasib or inspector of public spaces as a lens through which <br>to analyze the lived experience of the law in Mamluk Egypt, Kristen Stilt takes us into <br>the streets of Cairo and Fustat and into the lives of their inhabitants: merchants, millers, <br>and bakers, consumers of bread, young men playing games of chance, female mourners <br>and women in public spaces, tax payers, and religious minorities. The result is a rich <br>tapestry of Egyptian daily life and a fine demonstration of how state agents worked to <br>regulate society by marking the boundary between lawful and unlawful behavior. <br>--David S. Powers, Cornell University<p><br> Professor Stilt's work on the muhtasib during the Mamluk period explains the <br>role played by this important functionary who was entrusted with maintaining law <br>and order in the markets. In addition to shedding light on important aspects of daily <br>life in Mamluk Egypt, the book also deals with a central question that Muslim societies <br>raised since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, how to negotiate the <br>boundary between the religious and the secular. Relying not only on fiqh manuals <br>but also on a wide array of original sources, Professor Stilt's book is a solid piece <br>o

<br> Islamic Law in Action is a valuable contribution to law and society studies and at <br>the same time a marvelous introduction to pre-modern Middle Eastern society <br>generally. By focusing on actual cases, this first comprehensive study of the <br>muhtasib, the official most intimately involved in the regulation of public life, shows vividly how the actions of ordinary people, the laws of jurists, and the policy dictates of the ruler <br>were interwoven. Stilt's book is a triple hit, speaking as it does to specialists and <br>students of Islamic cultures as well as to historians of other world cultures. <br>--Leslie Peirce, author of Morality Tales: Law and Gender in the Ottoman Court of Aintab<p><br> Using the figure of the muhtasib or inspector of public spaces as a lens through which <br>to analyze the lived experience of the law in Mamluk Egypt, Kristen Stilt takes us into <br>the streets of Cairo and Fustat and into the lives of their inhabitants: merchants, millers, <br>an

Islamic Law in Action is a valuable contribution to law and society studies and at the same time a marvelous introduction to pre-modern Middle Eastern society generally. By focusing on actual cases, this first comprehensive study of the muhtasib, the official most intimately involved in the regulation of public life, shows vividly how the actions of ordinary people, the laws of jurists, and the policy dictates of the ruler were interwoven. Stilt's book is a triple hit, speaking as it does to specialists and students of Islamic cultures as well as to historians of other world cultures. --Leslie Peirce, author of Morality Tales: Law and Gender in the Ottoman Court of Aintab Using the figure of the muhtasib or inspector of public spaces as a lens through which to analyze the lived experience of the law in Mamluk Egypt, Kristen Stilt takes us into the streets of Cairo and Fustat and into the lives of their inhabitants: merchants, millers, and bakers, consumers of bread, young men playing games of chance, female mourners and women in public spaces, tax payers, and religious minorities. The result is a rich tapestry of Egyptian daily life and a fine demonstration of how state agents worked to regulate society by marking the boundary between lawful and unlawful behavior. --David S. Powers, Cornell University Professor Stilt's work on the muhtasib during the Mamluk period explains the role played by this important functionary who was entrusted with maintaining law and order in the markets. In addition to shedding light on important aspects of daily life in Mamluk Egypt, the book also deals with a central question that Muslim societies raised since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, how to negotiate the boundary between the religious and the secular. Relying not only on fiqh manuals but also on a wide array of original sources, Professor Stilt's book is a solid piece o

Author Information

Kristen Stilt is Associate Professor in the departments of Law and History at Northwestern University. She holds a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and a PhD. in History and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. She has been named a Carnegie Scholar for her work on constitutional authority and Islamic law in the Muslim world.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available