Customary and Shari'ah Law in Arabian Society

R.B. Serjeant

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2024
• Edition: 0
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040231005
• Topic: History
• Index: History

The society and legal systems of Southern Arabia, both ancient and modern, form the subject of this second collection of articles by Professor Serjeant. His approach has been to make a detailed study of modern social structures and legal customs and to relate these to what we know of ancient society and law. The traditional tribal society of the region, he argues, has preserved in its customary law and practice a very great deal that derives directly from the pre-Islamic period, whereas the shari'ah, the law of Islam, though stemming from the same sources, has often diverged significantly from it. An understanding of the modern situation, therefore, is of immediate relevance to the interpretation of pre- and early-Islamic society. Among the particular topics covered are the interplay between tribal affinities and religious authority, marriage legislation and the "Frankish chancre" or (syphilis), and maritime customary law. From an ethnographic viewpoint, furthermore, these studies record peoples and lifestyles that have been increasingly overwhelmed by contemporary events. Les sociétés et les systèmes juridiques de l'Arabie du Sud, moderne et ancienne, sont le thème de ce recueil d'articles par le professeur Serjeant. Il aborde le sujet avec une étude des structures sociales modernes, ainsi que du droit coutumier, puis les rattache à ce qui est connu de la société et du droit anciens. La société tribale traditionnelle de la région, affirme-t'il, a conservé un grand nombre d'us et coutumes trouvant des origines directes au cours de la période pre-islamique, alors que le droit de l'Islam, le shari'ah, bien qu'issu des mêmes sources, s'en éloigne de façon significative. Le fait de comprendre la situation moderne a donc un rapport immédiat avec toute interprétation de la société islamique à ses débuts. Parmi les thèmes spécifiques que couvre l'auteur, se trouvent le droit marital et le "chancre" franc (syphilitique), le droit

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Publisher's Note
• Preface
• Chapter I: The Ḍa'īf and the Mustaḍ'af and the status accorded them in the Qur'ān
• Chapter II: The Caliph 'Umar's letters to Abū Mūsā al-Ash'arī and Mu'āwiya
• Chapter III: The Interplay between tribal affinities and religious (Zaydī) authority in the Yemen
• Chapter IV: The 'Awdhillah Confederation with some reference to al-Hamdānī
• Chapter V: Dawlah, tribal shaykhs, the Manṣab of the Waliyyah Sa'īdah, qasāmah, in the Faḍlī sultanate, South Arabian Federation
• Chapter VI: Yāfi', Zaydīs, Āl Bū Bakr b. Sālim and others: tribes and Sayyids
• Chapter VII: The Ma'n "Gypsies" of the West Aden Protectorate
• Chapter VIII: A Judea-Arab House-Deed from Ḥabbān (with notes on the former Jewish communities of the Wāḥidī Sultanate)
• Chapter IX: Famine death without loss of honour in ancient Arabia and Yemeni Arḥab
• Chapter X: The "White Dune" at Abyan: an ancient place of pilgrimage in Southern Arabia
• Chapter XI: Forms of plea: a Šāfi'ī manual from al-Šiḥr
• Chapter XII: Two tribal Law cases (documents), Wāḥidī
• Chapter XIII: Recent marriage legislation from al-Mukallā, with notes on marriage customs
• Chapter XIV: Sex, Birth, Circumcision: Some Notes from South-West Arabia
• Chapter XV: Maritime customary law off the Arabian coasts
• Chapter XVI: Omani naval activities off the Southern Arabian coast in the late 11th/17th century, from Yemeni chronicles
• Chapter XVII: Notices on the "Frankish Chancre" (syphilis) in Yemen, Egypt and Persia
• Chapter XVIII: Notes on some aspects of Arab business practices in Aden
• Index