Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari‘ah in the Modern Age Hardcover – October 23, 2014

I wrote a more thoughtful review, but it was too many characters to post. So, this is my revised shorter review:This book is amazeballs. Don't be put off by the # of pages. This book is written in three parts, which all can stand on their own. Powerful, nuanced, thought-provoking. Easily the best book I have read on the subject. Like all the truly rare occurrences of brilliant and highly spiritual scholarship in history, El Fadl is derided for his nonconformity & his arguments are essentialized by those on all extreme sides. Thus, you must put aside such peripheral noise & read it for yourself.The short of it, as RZA says in, "Who is the Man," feat. Rev. William Burk, "Allah don't like ugly."

A very interesting defense of the best parts of Islam and explanation of how the fundamentalists have gone astray.

A very good book that should be carefully read by anyone seriously interested in contemporary Islamic legal discourses. But it could have easily been edited down about 100 pages without losing the force and depth of the main argument.

Autobiographical, historical, classical Islamic jurisprudence. Very thorough and informative. He's obviously not a fan of puritanical Saudi Wahhabi Islam and this is like a more complex, deeper version of his last book The Great Theft Wrestling Islam from the Extremists.

This is an important book for non-Muslims who want to understand Islam.

These notes I took down from pages 198 and 309 stuck out to me:Be a person who pursues the divine but never assume that you have acquired it. One who arrogantly assumes to have acquired the divine, no longer pursues it.Submission to a limitless God creates unlimited ways of engaging with the divine. The Prophet is reported to have said “every mujtahid [jurist who strives to find the correct answer] is correct; or will be [justly] rewarded.” This implies that God wants or intends for human beings to search - to live a life fully and thoroughly engaged with the divine.

This book presents a complex and nuanced portrayal of the systems and institutions that have comprised the Islamic legal tradition in pre-modernity and especially in modernity. Abou El Fadl provides much insight into the challenges and issues that face Muslims--and their ethical and legal traditions--in the contemporary age. Abou El Fadl grapples honestly with some of the most entrenched and difficult challenges, including: the proper role of law in the lives of Muslims, the relationship and differences between law and ethics, and the role of the conscience, intellect, context, and culture in the practice of Islam and the lives of Muslims. I think this book deserves to be read by all thoughtful Muslims who seek to gain a deeper understanding of Islamic law and the ethical issues that confront us, as well as those Muslims who feel disenchanted with or disconnected from the Islam they see being practiced.While as another reviewer has noted, the book is on the longer side and is not necessarily easy reading, in my opinion, those who read this book carefully will be amply rewarded by the knowledge, insights, and perspective they gain. The narrative style also makes the book quite engaging; Abou El Fadl artfully combines personal narrative and anecdotes with a more scholarly and historical approach.

This is a thorough and in-depth examination of how Sharia has been hijacked to support, at best, misguided and worldly ends and, at worst, acts of extreme ugliness and evil. It's an incredibly important read for anyone hoping to understand the world's second largest religion and how it shapes and impacts the lives of 1/5th of the human population. I couldn't give this book higher praise.

A challenging but highly worthwhile read. El Fadl gives both an in depth and convincing explanation of how contemporary Islam has developed and seeks to remind that prior to modernity and the rise of what he terms ‘puritanical Salafism’ Islam had a rich and beautiful intellectual tradition. He also sets out a deeply inspiring vision for how Muslims can seek in the Quran, not simply a dry set of rules to be followed, but an ethical trajectory and potential which has not yet been adequately realised. Including some highly relevant and important discussion on issues such as women’s rights and relationships between Muslims and non Muslims. This is the first time I have recommended a book and I do so because I think this is such an important contribution not just for Muslims but for humanity.

Abou el Fadl is one of the most illuminated thinkers of the contemporary world- the fact that he is free to speak and does not respond to a political pressure / limit is so refreshing and necessary. A must read for everyone. You will understand the evolution of islamic thought and politics and why it has been a source of grief and intellectual poverty in the last decades.

Prof. El Fadl eloquently expresses and points out many of the issues plaguing current Muslim societies and offers a brilliant insight into the Muslim tradition and how it can be made relevant again in modern times

One of the best Islamic book I have ever read in my entire life.The reason I rated 4 Stars is the cover of the book not strong enough.

Good book