The Philosophy of Language in Islamic Legal Theory - (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 1; The Near and Middle East) by Nora Kalbarczyk

About the Book

In The Philosophy of Language in Islamic Legal Theory Nora Kalbarczyk examines how Faḫr ad-dīn ar-Rāzī (d. 1210) develops - on the basis of Ibn Sīnā's (d. 1037) theory of signification - a hermeneutic toolbox which is also useful in the context of Islamic legal theory.

Book Synopsis

In The Philosophy of Language in Islamic Legal Theory Nora Kalbarczyk examines the influential jurisprudential work al-Maḥṣūl fī ʿilm uṣūl al-fiqh (d. 1210). By means of a detailed analysis of the linguistic treatise of this work she highlights the impact of the philosophical tradition on Islamic legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh) in the so-called post-Avicennian era (11th-14th c.). Her main focus lies on a classification of signification (dalāla) that can be traced back to Ibn Sīnā (lat. Avicenna, d. 1037): a word may signify a meaning by way of congruence (muṭābaqa), containment (taḍammun) or implication (iltizām). The author shows how Faḫr ad-dīn ar-Rāzī develops - on the basis of the Avicennian theory of signification - a hermeneutic toolbox which is not only relevant in the context of Arabic philosophy but also useful for different questions of Islamic legal theory.

Review Quotes

"Der zugegeben sehr sorgfältigen Textarbeit, die große Bewunderung verdient." Angelika Brodersen, in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung 115/1 (2020)

About the Author

Nora Kalbarczyk, Ph.D. (2016), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, is a scholar in Islamic Studies. Her fields of research include Arabic Philosophy and Islamic Legal Theory.