This book reconstructs the theories of matter and space of the mutakallimūn of the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D. It uses texts which have only recently become available. The book presents material which challenges our previous understanding of kalām atomism. In particular, it analyzes the concept of atoms as a 'space-occupying object' without dimension yet having magnitude. It examines the manner of the atom's occupation of space, and discusses arguments for and against unoccupied spaces or the void. A detailed examination of the paradoxical nature of such an atom...

This volume is unique as a collection of studies devoted entirely to topics and issues in the field of Islamic legal theory and authored by fourteen scholars known for their work in this field. The studies deal with such topics as early notions of charismatic authority, hermeneutic techniques in Shāfiʿī's Risālah, uses of the term sunnah in the ninth century A.H., evidence for the emergence of usūl al-fiqh as a genre of legal literature in the ninth century, the function of usūl al-fiqh in relation to legal practice, theological...