Islam and Literalism : Literal Meaning and Interpretation in Islamic Legal Theory.

Prologue; acknowledgements; 1. understanding literal meaning; 2. literal meaning, hermeneutics and islamic legal theory; 3. the emergence of literal meaning in early islamic thought; 4. literal meaning in early islamic legal theory; 5. early shi'i conceptions of literal meaning; 6. zahirism, literalism and ibn hazm; 7. literal meaning in modern muslim legal theory: two examples; bibliography; index.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-207) and index.

In this reading of Islamic legal hermeneutics, Robert Gleave explores various competing notions of literal meaning, linked to both theological doctrine and historical developments, together with insights from modern semantic and pragmatic philosophers. Literal meaning is what a text means in itself, regardless of what its author intends to convey or the reader understands to be its message. As Islamic law is based on the central texts of Islam, the idea of a literal meaning that rules over human attempts to understand God's message has resulted in a series of debates amongst modern Muslim legal theorists. Key Features. Focuses on Islamic legal writings, with reference to Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir) and Arabic rhetorical works Describes Muslim debates through the lens of modern Western linguistic philosophy, opening the topic up for Western scholars

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