Sharia Compliant: A User’s Guide to Hacking Islamic Law

In this well-reasoned book, Ahmed (Narratives of Islamic Legal Theory) argues that Islamic law can be made more modern to address contemporary concerns. Ahmed suggests that Muslims need to “challenge common assumptions about Islam” to adapt Islamic law to the challenges of 21st-century life. For Ahmed, “hacking” is about revitalizing Islamic law and restoring its inherently innovative nature. He wants to do this by empowering Muslims to work within the system to improve it. Ahmed shares examples throughout history of how hacking Islamic law has helped free slaves, revolutionize financial relationships, broaden women’s rights, and make Muslims stand out in the “selfie-culture” that has developed over the past decade. He coaches readers to plug into online Koran chat rooms and mailing lists to reread and freshly apply verses about women and the family in ways that are both faithful to the text and liberating for Muslimahs. Though lay readers may have difficulty following more nuanced discussions, they will still come away with an understanding of the traditional mechanics of interpreting and applying Islamic laws. Ahmed’s in-depth book demonstrates how flexible Islamic law can be as it evolves to tackle the issues of 21st-century life and will appeal to lay readers interested in the textual origins of popularly held beliefs about the Koran. (May)