Wahhabi Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity

This book focuses on the history and work of the Saudi Dar al-Ifta, one of the most central modern Islamic official religious institutions. The study was undertaken from two perspectives: (1) Dar al-Ifta creation, power structure, functions and the sociopolitical environment in which it operates; and (2) The actual work of this institution, mainly the mechanisms by which modern Saudi state muftis cope with clashes between Wahhabi idealism and the reality of an evolving society. This is a critical work which updates the readers' grasp of contemporary law and society in the modern Saudi state, in particular, and in Islamic jurisprudence in general.