Covering more than three centuries of legal history,The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law presents an important account of how Islam developed its own law while drawing on ancient near Eastern legal cultures, Arabian customary law and quranic reform. The book explores the interplay between law and politics, explaining how the jurists and the ruling elite led a symbiotic existence and mutual dependency that--seemingly paradoxically --allowed Islamic law and its application to be uniquely independent of the 'state'. This book will appeal to students, lawyers and legal historians.