Islamic law is one of the major legal systems in the world today, yet it is often misunderstood, particularly in the West. This book provides a critical overview of the theory, scope, and practice of Islamic law, taking into account both classical and modern scholarly perspectives in examining the various facets of this key legal system.

Based on original sources, this book includes the historical and theological bases of the of the Islamic law of succession developed by the Muslim schools of jurisprudence. The author makes a comparative study between theSunni and Shia laws of inheritance and focuses on problems being faced by Muslims due to the strict application of traditional Islamic law in their contemporary situations. This book is an essential component of the course on'Muslim Personal Law' for LLB students and the course on 'Islamic Law' for LLM students.

This volume, orginally published in 1925, outlines the historical development of the Muslim law of inheritance in pre-Islamic Law. It discusses the ranking of heirs and guardians, reforms introduced by Muhammad, subsequent development of the law, and rise of the orthodox schools.

Iim-ul-Faraiz, i.e., the Islamic Law of Inheritance, is the most important branch of Shariah (Islamic Law). By providing rigid and clear-cut-rules of inheritance, in Sura al-Nisa (Al-Qur'an), Allah, the Law Giver of Islam, has Himself emphasized its importance.

Muslim law and rules for dealing with the distribution of a dead person's property differ greatly from western law. The system of Muslim law, the SharVa, is derived from the Qur'an and the words of the Prophet himself, and is therefore believed to be of divine inspiration, and not man-made. A variety of schools of law have grown up which interpret the Prophet's sayings, and the practical effect of these different rules of interpretation varies considerably. Recent codifications have not necessarily remained within the classical Muslim legal traditions, and have introduced further differences. With western law it is assumed that a man will make a will, and, broadly speaking, his property will be distributed in accordance with its provisions. It is only in the event of a man dying without making a will that the rules of intestacy are applied. Muslim law makes the opposite assumption.