This is the first edited collection of scholarly studies to be published in the Palgrave
Series in Islamic Theology, Law, and History. It is a volume that I take great pride
in introducing to the readers of the series. This single volume includes articles by
some of the most prominent scholars in the field of Islamic Studies, covering a
broad array of topics in Islamic theology, philosophy, law, and history. In many
ways, the collection contained in this book represents an illuminatingly informative
survey of some of the most compelling scholarship being done in the Western
academy in the field of Islamic Studies. The editors of this book have already written
an introduction setting out the contributions made by each author, and I dare
not burden the reader by repeating the same information. Read cover to cover, this
volume will leave its readers with a sense of having been treated to an enlightening
and enjoyable engagement with the Islamic tradition. This collection is distinctive
not just because of the range and significance of the topics treated, but also because
of the unparalleled caliber of the scholars contributing to the work. The articles in
this volume are model examples of the kind of serious and rigorous scholarship so
urgently needed in the field of Islamic Studies.