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Category: Books

Mustafa Zarka – A list of his works:

Mustafa Zarka, one of the most prolific scholars of the last century, was a rarity amongst intellectuals. Not only had he mastered the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, reached the level of tackling higher legal debate outside of his specific school, but had also studied western law to the extent that he could see the need for synergy between the two, instead of viewing them as absolute opposites.

I thought I would put together a list of his works for future reference, and perhaps find others interested in his writtings that may put me on to some that I’ve missed in this list.

1-      al-Madkhal al-Fiqhi al-‘Aam (المدخل الفقهي العام): A General Introduction to Islamic Law; an introductory work written focusing on more general precepts and theories in Islamic law, written with a style that can be easily understood by both students of fiqh and students of law.

2-      Nazariyyat al-Iltizaam al-‘Aamah (نظرية الالتزام العامة): The General Theory of Obligation; a seminal work on how Islamic law handles rights and obligations.

3-      ‘Aqd al-Bai’ (عقد البيع): The Sales Contract; this book was to be the first in a re-assessment of Fiqh works, progressing from the General to the specific. I was told the Shaikh passed away shortly after this work and thus the series was never finished.

4-      Al-Fatawa (الفتاوى): A collection of his various fatawa. It is important to note that this does not contain the countless fatawa that the Shaykh gave as a founding member of AlRajhi Bank’s Shariah Board.

5-      Al-Fi’l al-Daar wa ‘l-Daman fihi (الفعل الضار والضمان فيه): A study of Torts and compensation; this work was based on Jordanian law, prefixed with relevant material from Islamic law, the law on which it was based was then amended. This was one of a series of books for creating a civil law based on Islamic texts to be used in the United Arab Republic.

6-      ‘Aqd al-Istisnaa’ (عقد الاستصناع): Procurement contracts. I have yet to see this book in print, even though a friend says he has a copy.

7-      Al-Istihsan wa al-Masalih al-Mursala fi al-shari`a al-islamiyya wa usul fiqhiha
(
الاستحسان والمصالح المرسلة في الشرعية الإسلامية وأصول فقهها): A book dealing with public welfare and legislative license in Islamic law.

If anyone else knows of others not listed, please mention them in the comments.

The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible (Paperback)

The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible

Amazon.com Review

Keith Devlin is trying to be the Carl Sagan of mathematics, and he is succeeding. He writes: “Though the structures and patterns of mathematics reflect the structure of, and resonate in, the human mind every bit as much as do the structures and patterns of music, human beings have developed no mathematical equivalent of a pair of ears. Mathematics can be seen only with the eyes of the mind.” All of his books are attempts to get around this problem, to “try (more…)

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Paperback)

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Amazon.com Review

Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, Douglas R. Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is still something of a marvel. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of Bach, the artwork of Escher, and the mathematics of Gödel. It also looks at the prospects for computers and artificial intelligence (AI) for mimicking h (more…)

Visigothic Spain 409 – 711 (A History of Spain) (Paperback)

Visigothic Spain 409 - 711 (A History of Spain)

Review

“Readers interested in more detailed accounts of Spanish history will … find this book very accessible.” British Bulletin of Publications “There is much to admire and enjoy in this volume … highly readable and impressively researched work.” History

This history of Spain in the period between the end of Roman rule and the time of the Arab conquest challenges many traditional assumptions about the history of this period.Presents original theories a (more…)

Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review

Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review

Review

“I plan to recommend Academic Legal Writing to my students, and I recommend it to you too.” — Isthatlegal.org”I’d recommend it to any law student…who want(s) to polish their writing skills.” — Jack M. Balkin, Yale Law Professor”If you have a sibling…in law school…buy them a copy of Academic Legal Writing.” — FindLaw’s Writ, August 22, 2003
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Designed to help law student (more…)

Don’t They Know It’s Friday? Business and Life in the Gulf (Paperback)

Don't They Know It's Friday? Cross-Cultural Considerations for Business and Life in the Gulf

Don’t They Know It’s Friday? Cross-Cultural Considerations for Business and Life in the Gulf (Paperback)

Picked this up recently to get a better grasp on navigating the area. Seems to be the best out there so far from someone that actually lived and worked in the region for more than a short stint.

Amazon

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Amazon.com Review

Bestselling author Nassim Nicholas Taleb continues his exploration of randomness in his fascinating new book, The Black Swan, in which he examines the influence of highly improbable and unpredictable events that have massive impact. Engaging and enlightening, The Black Swan is a book that may change the way you think about the world, a book that Chris Anderson calls, “a delightful romp through history, economics, and the frailties of human nature.” See Anderson’ (more…)

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Starting reading this book after seeing an interview with the author on CNBC. The premise of the book is good, and if you are analytical in any sense you will get the point of it quickly. The author tries to relay the same message through stories and parables, and the smugness can get tiring, but all in all it is a good, easy read.