Radical Separation of Powers
A History of Islamic Constitutionalism
Oneworld Publications · Print & ebook · February 24, 2026
Two centuries of Orientalist scholarship have denied that Islam has a constitutional concept.
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- Who it’s for
- An account of premodern Islamic governance, from individual political subjecthood to executive power.
- Genres
- Islamic Law, Constitutional Law, Islamic History
- Published
- Oneworld Publications, February 24, 2026
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Two centuries of Orientalist scholarship have denied that Islam has a constitutional concept. Premodern Islamic political practice has been subject to mistranslation, misinterpretation and condescension through the eyes of colonisers, and judged inferior to the norms of Western liberalism. Wael Hallaq, a leading scholar of Islamic law, sets the record straight in this groundbreaking volume.
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Traumatised by the tyranny of absolute monarchies, Europe came to see in Islam everything that it despised about itself. By seeking to understand Islamic governance from within its own tradition of reason, Hallaq reveals premodern Islam to have a rich and distinctive constitutional tradition: starting from the individual as a political subject up to the power of executives.
Islamic Constitutional Tradition
An account of premodern Islamic governance, from individual political subjecthood to executive power.
Come here for
- Islamic governance viewed from within its tradition of reason
- The constitutional roles of individuals and executives
Expect
- A challenge to Orientalist readings of premodern Islamic political practice
- A focus on constitutional ideas beyond Western liberal norms
Where it sits
| Islamic Law | 65% |
|---|---|
| Constitutional Law | 50% |
| Islamic History | 25% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Administrative Law
- Constitutional Law
- Eastern Philosophy
- Religion & Philosophy
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Political Ideologies
- Islam - General
- Islamic Rituals & Practice
- Sufism
- Authors
- Wael Hallaq, Wael B. Hallaq
- Publisher
- Oneworld Publications
- Published
- February 24, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Administrative Law