Journal of Islamic Law Volume 7

We are please to announce the publication of the seventh volume of the open-access, peer-reviewed Journal of Islamic Law! This volume brings together five contributions that span a wide range […]

May Newsletter

The Program in Islamic Law’s (PIL) monthly newsletter is out for the month of May! This newsletter congratulates the class of 2026, primary sources from Saudi Arabia, and much more! […]

April Newsletter

The Program in Islamic Law’s (PIL) monthly newsletter is out for the month of April! This newsletter takes a look at the Roundtable on Knowledge in the Islamic Court, primary […]

March Newsletter

The Program in Islamic Law’s (PIL) monthly newsletter is out for the month of March! This newsletter remembers the late Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus at Harvard Divinity […]

Roundtable on Knowledge in the Islamic Court

On April 16th at 12pm EST, the Roundtable on Knowledge in the Islamic Court was held via Zoom, marking the concluding event in the ISLAMICLAWblog essay series. The discussion brought together scholars to examine how Islamic courts construct and evaluate truth in practice. Key themes included what counts as valid proof in Islamic judicial settings, how judges navigate competing claims, and how evolving technologies reshape evidentiary standards. The conversation also raised broader questions about how Islamic law can be understood when attention is centered on its adjudicative procedures, as well as what defines an “Islamic” court or judge in the first place. Through five case studies, participants reflected on the role of evidence, proof, and legal procedure in shaping judicial reasoning. Focusing primarily on modern and contemporary contexts, the presentations highlighted how rapid social and technological change continues to transform conceptions of proof within Islamic legal systems. Convened […]

ILSS: Sherman Jackson

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, from 12:30–1:30 PM US EST, Professor Sherman Jackson (University of Southern California) gave a talk on his publication The Islamic Secular (Oxford University Press, 2023). […]

ILSS: Ihsan Yilmaz

On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 12:30–1:30 PM US EST via Zoom, Professor Ihsan Yilmaz (Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization, Deakin University) discussed his monograph Sharia as Informal […]

In Memorium: Professor Baber Johansen

We at the Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School mark the passing of Baber Johansen, Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus at Harvard Divinity School. As HDS recently announced, Prof. […]

ILSS: Sherman Jackson, The Islamic Secular (Oxford University Press, 2023)

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 12:30-1:30PM US EST, Professor Sherman Jackson (University of Southern California) will give a talk on his publication The Islamic Secular (Oxford University Press, 2023). The basic point […]

Roundtable on Knowledge in the Islamic Court 

Join us next month on April 16th at 12pm EST via Zoom for the Roundtable on Knowledge in the Islamic Court which will conclude the series of essays on the ISLAMICLAWblog! The Roundtable explores questions such as: […]