The Qur'an as the Only Constitutive Source of Islamic Law

Authors

  • Ahmed Ali Salem Zayed University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.19109

Keywords:

The Quran, the Sunnah, Islamic law, the Prophet’s ijtihād, abrogation

Abstract

In The Problem of Dealing with the Prophet’s Sunnah (originally in Arabic), Al-'Alwani proposes a comprehensive and coherent concept of Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah based on the linguistic, Qur'anic and Prophetic usages of the term Sunnah, and argues that a prophet’s saying, action or approval is authentic if evidently rooted in the Qur'an, not only narrated in a correct, honest and accurate way. Al-'Alwani stresses the Prophet’s humanness and contends that the Qur'an proves his fallibility in his ijtihad and corrects it if it was not in full conformity with the Qur'an. Hence, the Qur'an’s authority over the Sunnah. Al-'Alwani links the authentic legislative Sunnah to the Qur'an and denies that one source can abrogate the other because there can be no contradiction between them. He argues that the authentic legislative Sunnah constitutes no laws; rather, it only illustrates the Prophet’s interpretation and implementation of the laws already constituted in the Qur'an. Hence, Al-'Alwani’s argument that the Qur'an is the only constitutive source of Islamic law. He asserts that the Qur'an contains all laws explicitly or implicitly, and the Sunnah is its application. Al-'Alwani sends a clear message in this book, that is, the unity of Muslim Ummah can be reestablished only through the recognition of the Qur'an’s role in life, and the Prophet’s role in implementing it.

Author Biography

  • Ahmed Ali Salem, Zayed University

    Ahmed Ali Salem is a professor and associate dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. He is also a senior research associate in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University, South Africa. His research interests include mainstream, critical and non-Western theories of international relations; foreign policies of Muslim and Western states towards each other; and Muslim reformist thoughts. He authored, edited and translated tens of books, book chapters, and journal articles in Arabic and English, and made tens of presentations in international fora. He is the author of “Resisting Islamophobia: Efforts of International Organizations, Civil Institutions, and Global Movements,” My Ummah and the World, Vol. 15 (Cairo: Civilization Center for Studies and Researches, 2020).

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Published

2021-10-13

Issue

Section

Review Articles

How to Cite

Salem, A. A. . (2021). The Qur’an as the Only Constitutive Source of Islamic Law. Comparative Islamic Studies, 14(1-2), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.19109