Title of the Dissertation

Sharīʿa from a legal system to sacred law: A study of the transformations of the notion of Sharīʿa in the 19th and 20th centuries

Summary of the project

My research investigates the transformation of the notion of sharīʿa in Egypt during the colonial era, focusing on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It traces how Islamic legal thought and education were reshaped under the influence of colonial modernity. Special attention is given to the role of key legal institutions and transnational legal exchanges. The study analyzes legal curricula, scholarly writings, and judicial practices to understand how sharīʿa evolved from a pluralistic legal tradition into a sacralized notion of state law. It also explores the connections between colonial legal reforms and the ideological emergence of the modern ‘Islamic state.’ Ultimately, the work contributes to a critical reassessment of the genealogy of Islamic legal modernity.