{"word_count": 301, "character_count": 2133}
DescriptionThis book offers a new theoretical perspective on the thought of the great fifteenth-century Egyptian polymath, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 1505). In spite of the enormous popularity that al-Suyuti's works continue to enjoy amongst scholars and students in the Muslim world, he remains underappreciated by western academia.This project contributes to the fields of Mamluk Studies, Islamic Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies not only an interdisciplinary analysis of al-Suyuti's legal writing within its historical context, but also a reflection on the legacy of the medieval jurist to modern debates. The study highlights the discursive strategies that the jurist uses to construct his own authority and frame his identity as a superior legal scholar during a key transitional moment in Islamic history. The approach aims for a balance between detailed textual analysis andAl-Suyuti's struggle for authority as one of a select group of trained experts vested with the moral responsibility of interpreting God's law in society finds echoes in contemporary debates, particularly in his native land of Egypt.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Authority by Persuasion: Power Relations in al-Suyuti's Legal Opinion on Scholarly Stipends2. Authority by Association: Consensus vs. Ignorance in al-Suyuti's Legal Opinion on Logic3. Authority by Articulation: The Language of Religious Revival and Reform in al-Suyuti's Tajdid Genre4. Authority by Aggregation and Abstraction: The Pragmatics of Communication in al-Suyuti's Book on Legal Precepts5. Authority by Allusion: The Legacy of al-Suyuti in Contemporary EgyptConclusionRebecca Hernandez, Received her Ph.D. from Georgetown University's Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies and taught previously at Georgetown University and at the College of William and MaryRebecca Hernandez received her Ph.D. from Georgetown University's Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies and taught previously at Georgetown University and at the College of William and Mary. Her primary research interests include Islamic law and society, religious authority, and medieval and modern Egypt&#160;