Heaven On Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law From The Deserts Of Ancient Arabia To The Streets Of The Modern Muslim World (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This is one of the few books out there that deserves six stars. Sadakat Kadri is a good writer and an magnificent historian. The effort he put into writing this book shows as you flip through the pages. Sadakat Kadri undertakes a very objective approach to explain the evolution of Shari'a law. The book starts by talking about the early stages of Islam, when Muhammad, peace be upon him, received his first revelation and how he transferred the Arabian Peninsula. Then it swiftly turns to explain the events that occurred after the death of the prophet, and the different approaches of the four rightly guided caliphs. Next, it details how the Shari'a transformed during Omayyad, Abbasid, Mameluke and Ottoman caliphates and talks about the different schools of thought that emerged. This concludes part one of the book. In the second part, the author turns to talk more about the present of Shari'a law, and how figures like Ibn Taymiyya played a role into transforming many people's understanding of Islam in ways no one can deny. Militant Islam does not fail to occupy most of the second part of the book, with its belief in practices like execution of blasphemers and apostates. Kadri explains how alien such beliefs are to the tolerant message of God. You can read all about Sunnism, Shiism, Sufism, conservatism, extremism and liberalism; in less than 300 pages. The journey ends by saying in reference to extremism, that "mortals can only fail when they play God in the here-and-now." Amazing read. Highly recommended. This book is a good read for anyone who wants to know about the evolution of Shari'a law. Kadri neither dismisses the Shari'a as outdated and irrelevant to current times, nor does he find himself in agreement with the orthodoxists who understand and define Shari'a as it has been shared through generations. Kadri's detailed accounts of seasoned scholars such as Al-Ghazali and Ibn Tayyim is noteworthy. I gotta know a lot about these both scholars. However, the book is too short for such a great subject-field, and sometimes the paragraphs are too barristerial to understand in one go. Still, Heaven On Earth is a mind-opening book.
What do You think about Heaven On Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law From The Deserts Of Ancient Arabia To The Streets Of The Modern Muslim World (2011)?
very slow going. I couldn't finish and it needs to go back to the library.
—hamalasrun
Excellent and thoughtful book. Written with insight and humor.
—ardonel
