Composed in the twelfth century by the leading Muslim jurist Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani (1135 97), the original Arabic al-Hid yah remains a central text of Islamic personal law. This English translation, from a Persian version of the work, was prepared by the orientalist Charles Hamilton (c.1752 92) for the East India Company in 1791. Although since superseded, it remains a fascinating document in the history of colonial jurisprudence. The legal system was central to the entrenchment of British rule in India, providing the framework for active control of civil administration and the courts....

Composed in the twelfth century by the leading Muslim jurist Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani (1135 97), the original Arabic al-Hid yah remains a central text of Islamic personal law. This English translation, from a Persian version of the work, was prepared by the orientalist Charles Hamilton (c.1752 92) for the East India Company in 1791. Although since superseded, it remains a fascinating document in the history of colonial jurisprudence. The legal system was central to the entrenchment of British rule in India, providing the framework for active control of civil administration and the courts....

Composed in the twelfth century by the leading Muslim jurist Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani (1135 97), the original Arabic al-Hid yah remains a central text of Islamic personal law. This English translation, from a Persian version of the work, was prepared by the orientalist Charles Hamilton (c.1752 92) for the East India Company in 1791. Although since superseded, it remains a fascinating document in the history of colonial jurisprudence. The legal system was central to the entrenchment of British rule in India, providing the framework for active control of civil administration and the courts....

Composed in the twelfth century by the leading Muslim jurist Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani (1135 97), the original Arabic al-Hid yah remains a central text of Islamic personal law. This English translation, from a Persian version of the work, was prepared by the orientalist Charles Hamilton (c.1752 92) for the East India Company in 1791. Although since superseded, it remains a fascinating document in the history of colonial jurisprudence. The legal system was central to the entrenchment of British rule in India, providing the framework for active control of civil administration and the courts....