About The Book

'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Amr al-Awza'i (c.707-774) was Umayyad Syria's most influential jurist, part of a generation of scholars who began establishing the first formal structures for the preservation and dissemination of religious knowledge. Following the Abbasid revolution, they provided a point of stability in otherwise unstable times.

Despite his close ties to the old regime, al-Awza'i continued to participate in legal and theological matters in the Abbasid era. Although his immediate impact would prove short-lived, his influence on aspects of Islamic law, particularly the laws of war, endures to this day.

Contents:

Foreword
Introduction
Al-Awza‘i's Biography

1 THE SOURCES

2 AL-AWZA‘I'S JURISPRUDENCE

• Law in the Formative Period of Islam
  
• Al-Awza‘i's Fiqh
  
• Evaluating Al-Awza‘i as a Legal Scholar
  

3 AL-AWZA‘I'S SCHOLARLY MILIEU

• Pro-Umayyad Friends and Rivals
  
• The Hanafis: Al-Awza‘i's Foes
  
• The Malikis
  

4 AL-AWZA‘I'S THEOLOGY

• Damascus as a Theological Center
  
• Al-Awza‘i's Theological Views
  
• Al-Awza‘i and the Qadarites
  
• Conclusions: Al-Awza‘i's Theology
  

5 AL-AWZA‘I AND THE POLITICAL ELITE

• Al-Awza‘i and the Umayyads
  
• Surviving the Fall of the Umayyads and the Abbasid Revolution
  
• Al-Awza‘i and the Abbasids
  
• Al-Awza‘i's Post-Revolutionary Life
  
• Conclusion: Evaluating Al-Awza‘i as a Political Figure
  

6 AL-AWZA‘I'S LEGACY

• Al-Awza‘i's Students
  
• Al-Awza‘i's Regional Persistence
  
• Al-Awza‘i's Legal Legacy
  
• Al-Awza‘i in Modern Times
  

Conclusion
Bibliography
Index