Adam Ramadhan presents at the 10th Islamic Legal Studies Conference

AMI Head Librarian Adam Ramadhan presented his research at the X Islamic Legal Studies Conference, convened by the International Society for Islamic Legal Studies (ISILS) in partnership with the Governance Programme at the Aga Khan University – Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) and held at the Aga Khan Centre in London. Adam presented the results of his masters research on Imāmī legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh) at the University of Oxford. His paper, titled ‘Qāʿidat al-injibār: The Debate over Rehabilitating Traditions in Imāmī Legal Theory’, examined the development of a principle utilised in Imāmī legal theory whereby a tradition which has a weak chain can have this weakness compensated by the acting of the majority of early Imāmī jurists on it. The case of this mechanism, Adam argued, is indicative of a general trend in Imāmī legal thought to resort to mechanisms that justify reliance on textual sources – however problematic they may sometimes be – at the expense of other potential solutions.

Bio of Speaker

Adam Ramadhan completed a BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Leeds and subsequently spent several years studying traditional Islamic Studies at the Al-Mahdi Institute. He recently completed an MSt in Islamic Studies and History at the University of Oxford and is the Head Librarian at the Al-Mahdi Institute. His research interests include Imāmī legal theory and theology.