Islamic Imperial Law eBook

Despite the historical and contemporary significance of the Sharia, it has not yet been possible to solve the puzzle of its origins. Whereas previous research has postulated a greater or lesser degree of endogenous Islamic development, the present study reaches a different conclusion, namely that at the end of the 8^th century Muslim state lawyers in Baghdad codified an Islamic Imperial Law, oriented strongly towards Roman-Byzantine law. It is part of an Islamic-Byzantine context, and can only be explained against this intercultural background.