The Rise of Critical Islam is a historical exploration into  a community of Muslim legal scholars committed to the openness, fluidity, and continued exploration of God's law (the Shari'a). The study reveals a culture whose members encouraged one another to debate and critique each others' ideas, hoping thereby to fulfill a personal duty to understand God's elusive commands. In uncovering this legal culture, Soufi invites readers to question assumptions about critique's allegedly secular nature.

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Soufi presents a richly narrated historical study that takes readers to the mosques and colleges of Baghdad and Nishapur where a funeral gives way to a lively debate over the taxation of converts and a professor's travels becomes an occasion to debate women's autonomy in contracting their marriage. Using the life and career of celebrated Iraqi jurist Abū Isḥāq al-Shīrāzī, Soufi analyzes the wider institutional, social, and discursive conditions in which Islamic legal debate took place, and examines how oral debates indelibly shaped the history of Islamic law. 

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Praise for The Rise of Critical Islam

"A fascinating and engaging exploration of the history of critique in Islamic legal and intellectual history." -Shehnaz Haqqani, New Books Network

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"The Rise of Critical Islam is an essential addition to studying Islamic intellectual history and holds important lessons for Muslims today." Brian Wright, Islamic Studies Journal

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Interviews on The Rise of Critical Islam

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Interview on the New Books in Islamic Studies Podcast 

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Book Presentation at Harvard University's Program in Islamic Law

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