Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence

Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence is a translation of the first volume of Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr’s seminal work, Durus fi ‘Ilm al-Usul. In this famous textbook, the author explicates the development of the essential principles of Islamic jurisprudence in the Shi‘a tradition in a clear and well-reasoned fashion. Unlike some of Ayatollah al-Sadr’s other complex works, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence is designed to be accessible to novice students and is frequently taught as an introductory work in Shi‘i seminaries. An ideal guide for students of and researchers in Islamic law.

Born to a family of religious scholars in Kazimayn, Iraq in 1935, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr proved to be a precocious and diligent student. As a young seminarian, he attended the courses of various great teachers, attaining the distinguished rank of mujtahid at the age of 30. In his writings, he sought to formulate an Islamic response to the most serious challenges of modernity. In 1980, he was arrested on the order of Iraq’s Baathist regime and was executed without trial.