Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips was born in Jamaica, but grew up in Canada where he accepted Islam in 1972. He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from the College of Theology (Usool-ud-Deen) at the Islamic University of Madeenah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985 and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, U.K. he also completed a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. He taught Islamic Education and Arabic in private schools in Riyadh for over ten years and for the past three year he has been lecturing M.Ed. students in the Islamic Studies department of Shariff Kabunsuan Islamic University in Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines. Since 1994 he has founded and directed The Islamic Information Center in Dubai, U.A.E. and the Department of Foreign Languages at Dar al Fatah Islamic Press in Sharjah, U.A.E. ' to 'Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but grew up in Canada where he accepted Islam in 1972. He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from the College of Theology (Usool-ud-Deen) at the Islamic University of Madeenah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985 and in the department of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, U.K. he also completed a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology in 1994. He taught Islamic Education and Arabic in private schools in Riyadh for over ten years and for the past three years he has been lecturing M.Ed. students in the Islamic Studies department of Shariff Kabunsuan Islamic University in Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines. Since 1994 he has founded and directed The Islamic Information Center in Dubai, U.A.E. and the Department of Foreign Languages at Dar al Fatah Islamic Press in Sharjah, U.A.E.
A brief overview and summary of the schools of jurisprudence. Recommended for the beginner who wants to study the historical background of the Madhahib. However when one had encountered/studied the development of the history of Islam and how it came in contact with diverse civilizations and socio-politcal contexts, the book is lacking in detail in terms of analysis (both critical and objective) and depth. Intricacies are not discussed as to how inevitable differences arose, which is self-evident with the length of the book, and as such one may run the risk of having a simplistic understanding of the Islamic tradition and scholarship. The book will not suffice a reader/student who wants to study this aspect of Islamic Law.
Perhaps, I would rate it more when I actually read it about 9 years back. Its amazing how acquisition of knowledge and time adds complexity to the discourse which may be considered very simple and straightforward, otherwise. Bilal Philips' thesis is dangerously lacking depth.
Excellent piece of work. I recommend this book to all Muslims, especially the ones new to learning about the religion. It is written in a very simple and easy way so that everyone at all level can understand. The only problem is there are some spelling and grammatical mistakes but it doesn't occur often. I loved this book and will continue to reread every once in a while.
Abu Ameenah's book always seem to be very clear, even on complicated and convoluted subjects. His books are especially good for people who may not have a lt of formal Islamic study behind them...and its not translations, he is a native English speaker.
Great read to understand that we are all from 1 Madh-habs and how it evolves and what we should do. There are also sharing of misintepretation of Madh-habs.
A great entry-level book to understand the evolution of the understanding and application of divine law (shari'ah) (Islamic Jurisprudence /Fiqh).
Where did Fiqh come from? What is a school of thought? How many schools of thought are there? What is the difference between each? What is the reason behind the differences? Do we need to follow a school of thought? What is blind following? Is blind following allowed? Should we leave the school of thought? Should we consolidate them?
Answer to all the above and much much more is provided in this book in a very easy-to-understand way.
Highly recommended if you want to understand how fiqh works and what is its history and future.
I would highly recommend this book to any Muslim out there, as it was recommended to me by my sibling. Dr. Bilal Philips does a fantastic job of addressing the way Islaamic law came to be all the way from Prophet Muhammad - Peace and Blessings be upon him. He even goes in depth about the situation today as the causes of them as well, concluding with how this can be changed, if it should, in the future. The clarity and word usage to describe the subject is concise, such that every sentence has a purpose and makes a contribution without which we would find something missing.
The main message of the book is a call to understanding juristic differences, with an aim to remove them where possible, and a proposal for the unification of the madh-habs.
The Evolution of Fiqh can be purchased directly from the publisher, International Islamic Publishing House, at or ask for it wherever IIPH books are sold.
Mashaa'Allaah, a very simple but accurate approach to understanding the different schools of thought. Sets a good timeline on their development, prosperity or otherwise and has a balanced attitude to the sciences in general. Recommend it to everyone as a foundation for their studies.
This was part of the curriculum for fiqh101 and its a one of its kind book on the evolution of fiqh aka islamic jurisprudence. Gives you an excellent understanding on how we have the four mashabs as we do today.
This book is essential for those embarking on the journey of Islamic studies. Highly Recommended! Even though you may differ with a few things, this book puts the Madhaahib in their perspective.
A concise informative read about the origins of Islamic jurisprudence. I enjoyed every bit of it. Highly recommended for fresh students of the Islamic sciences.
If you are a beginner and are overwhelmed by the differences in opinion and the heavyweight position held by the Imams, then this books is a must read. it guides a person who has zero knowledge of the madhaib and leads them to an understanding so that they appreciate the different schools of jurisprudence and the effort put in by scholars throughout the 1400 years of our scholarship.
Studied this in my degree years and gave away the book to a junior who never returned it back to me.
Worth the repurchase as its a comprehensive yet simple read about the evolution of mazhab and background understanding of the development of islamic law.
There is a common misunderstanding in the present Muslim world that, a Muslim is obliged to follow one of the four Madhabs. But the true scenario is different from that. In this book, the author; Abu Aminah Bilal Philiphs addresses this issue. He has presented a brief history how Madhabs are introduced in Islamic Fiqh. During the course of time these Madhabs have transferred into a source of self pride and self honor of the Islamic World rather that satisfying Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'la. Finally the author praises the attempt to go back to the original form of Islam which prevailed in the time of the Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. He also refuted for the Salafi movement which originates from the Wahabi Movement. It is a must read book for every Muslims to eradicate common misunderstanding about Islamic Fiqh and Madhabs.
Penulisan buku ini sangat cemerlang dan memudahkan pemahaman, terutama bagi orang awam. Penulis memperkenalkan sejarah awal perkembangan mazhab mazhab dalam islam. Bagaimana tokoh tokoh dari mazhab mazhab ini tumbuh dari masa ke semasa, serta pengalaman saling 'menyantuni' apabila berlaku nya ikhtilaf dalam pendapat.
Di akhir catatan, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips menganjurkan supaya menghindari dari taksub kepada mazhab dan bertaqlid, tetapi mengambil pendekatan ittiba'.
Mr. Philips journeyed through the evolution of Fiqh in Islam and made it very simple. He elaborated how it was started to establish this new science during the time of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) till things went too far during the Ottoman Caliphate. I wished Mr. Philips treated the life and the approach of other Fiqh schools; like Al Abadeyya and Al Zaydeyya...