Everyday Islamic Law and the Making of Modern South Asia

In this erudite debut, historian Lhost chronicles how Islamic law changed under British colonial rule in South Asia from the late 18th century to India’s and Pakistan’s independence in 1947. Digging into folios of legal rulings and judge registers, Lhost analyzes how legislation shaped “ordinary individuals’ understandings of how they should live and the countless ways in which new acts and regulations created... confusion about what the law was and how it applied,” primarily in colonial India. The author examines the law through profiles of such individuals as judge Yusuf Moorghay, who translated for the British East India Company before getting appointed Bombay’s qazi (judge) over heated opposition, demonstrating the company’s preference for elevating collaborators to key positions. Tales of divorce proceedings and disputes over judge fees and hereditary inheritance highlight those who used legal recourse to challenge British rule. Hoossain Beebee, for example, petitioned the British government to let her continue serving in the office of her late husband, a qazi, despite norms that kept women out of such positions. The meticulous regard for quotidian processes and overlooked cases makes for an intimate study of the sometimes befuddling world of Islamic law in British India. Scholars will find this a detailed and nuanced chronicle. (July)