Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Islamic Studies (CIS) is hosting Dr Wael Hallaq, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University, for a special three-part public lecture series titled “What is Shariah?”.
The series explores the fields of knowledge and practice in law, ethics, governance, and politics, and draws comparative and critical insights to deepen the understanding of the Shariah system.
Dr Hallaq gave the first talk of the series on February 5, in which he explored the relationship between Shariah law and ethics in Islam and offered insightful comparisons between the Islamic perspective and modern legal frameworks. In the second lecture, which took place February 12, Dr Hallaq analysed the value of the human being in Islamic law in comparison to how the human is perceived in modern legal discourse.
His talk revolved around the argument that modernity, as a whole, has lost sight of what the “human” is, and is instead instrumentalising this concept for material and political ends. The third session on February 19, will introduce the main constitutional features of Islamic governance, map out the functioning of legislative, judicial, and executive powers within this system, and discuss their relationships to each other.
Dr Hallaq is a distinguished academic who has authored eighty major scholarly articles and numerous books, including Restating Orientalism: A Critique of Modern Knowledge and Reforming Modernity: Ethics and the New Human in the Philosophy of Abdurrahman Taha. Dr Recep Senturk, dean, CIS, said: “By collaborating with Dr Hallaq, we have built a unique platform that adds considerable value to the intellectual debate and constructive dialogue surrounding Shariah and its influence in Islamic legal scholarship.
His visit reinforces the College’s status as a hub for contemporary Islamic studies that fosters intellectual inquiry beyond curriculum-based teaching.”
