Introduction

Aims and Objectives

This teaching and learning manual has been developed with the aim of

supporting teachers and students interested in Islamic law in general and

Islamic family law in particular, in both Muslim and non-Muslim jurisdictions. It

forms part of a series of manuals and materials including an Islamic law

Bibliography and a Glossary of Arabic and English Terms which have been

developed for teaching and learning Islamic law. We suggest that prior to

working with this document, readers look at the companion manuals

Approaches to Teaching and Learning of Islamic Law: Sharing some national

and international Perspectives and Course Manual on Sources of Islamic

Law.

At the date of writing, few higher education institutions in the UK offer Islamic

Law courses. Where they do exist they are often short or elective courses,

offered as part of degrees in law or in Islamic Studies. One aim of this module

is to encourage more teachers to take up the challenge of teaching Islamic

Law. As part of a course on Islamic Studies it is crucial that a student has an

understanding of Islamic civilisation, encompassing as it does history,

theology, philosophy, political thought and sociology. For “regular” law

students the study of Islamic law has many benefits. It equips the student with

the skill of comparative analysis. For prospective 21st century practitioners a

working knowledge of the legal norms of the Muslim population is useful in

contextualising their engagement with any area of law, be it family,

immigration, contract, finance or crime.