Chapter 4 - Selections from al-Manthūr fī l-Qawāʿid of Badr al-Dīn al-Zarkashī (d. 794/1392)

Summary

This chapter discusses extracts from the multifaceted legal handbook of the Cairene polymath Badr al-Dīn Muḥammad b. Bahādur al-Zarkashī (d. 794/1392), al-Manthūr fī-l-Qawāʿid. It is a versatile work exploring a number of technically involved legal topics that demonstrates the scholarly virtuosity of its author. Throughout this work al-Zarkashī presents a fascinating conceptualisation of Islamic law. Unlike jurists from earlier eras, he is relatively unconcerned with the fields of legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh) and substantive legal doctrine (furūʿ al-fiqh). He focuses, instead, on the organisation of legal information, a variety of legal question games (including but not limited to riddles), and legal history. His discussion is reflective of trends in the scholarship of Islamic law in 14th century Mamluk Cairo, where a variety of different legal genres were prioritised and riddles and difficult questions were valued as part of the social performance of Islamic legal knowledge.