Early Islam in Medina: Malik and His Muwatta: Prof.Yasin Dutton:Islamicate Book Review with Omar Anchassi-Dr Usaama al-Azami- Nov 13, 2021

 YouTube Video:

https://www.youtube.com/live/HQ_CDm7WnoQ?si=mQaI4IlgO856fKfr

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Islam-Medina-Malik-Muwatta/dp/1350261904

Early Islam in Medina: Malik and His Muwatta: Yasin Dutton:

This book considers the transmission of the Sunna through the lens of the great Madinan legal scholar, Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH/795 CE), in his renowned book al-Muwatta’, or 'The well-trodden path'. It considers not only the legal judgements preserved in this book, but also the key scholars involved in the transmission of these judgements, namely, Malik’s teachers and students. These different transmissions provide very strong evidence for the reliability of Malik’s transmission of the Sunna. Overriding these textual considerations is the concept of ‘amal, or the Practice of the People of Medina. This is accepted as a prime source by Malik and those following him, but is effectively rejected by the other schools, who prefer hadith (textual reports) as an indication of Sunna. Given the contested nature of ‘amal in both ancient and modern times, and the general unawareness of it in contemporary Islamic studies, this source receives extended treatment here. This allows for a deeper understanding of the nature of Islamic law and its development, and, by extension, of Islam itself.

Review

“Yasin Dutton's Early Islam in Medina is a survey of the traditional as well as modern scholarship on the nature of legal interpretation and practice in early Islam before the consolidation of the formal schools of law. Eschewing complex historical and legal debates that have rendered scholarship on early Islam impenetrable to a general audience, Dutton's text fills a lacuna by offering an accessible defence of the Malikite school and its foundation in Madinan practice rather than hadith texts.” ―Ovamir Anjum, Imam Khattab Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Toledo, USA

“A great analysis on the school of Medina and the impact and content of the Muwatta, which is essential to understanding the development of Islamic law in the early period.” ―Hamza Yusuf, President and Senior Faculty Member, Zaytuna College, USA

“Professor Dutton has built on his extensive work in this area to gift contemporary scholarship yet another key contribution…This book is highly recommended to all those interested in the Qur'an…those readers who would hope to imagine post-colonial Islamic futures…[and] may be of benefit to those who would seek a revival and renewal of their own practice of Islam.” ―The Muslim World Book Review
About the Author

Yasin Dutton is Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK, and Emeritus Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Biography

https://www.cambridgemuslimcollege.ac.uk/about/people/faculty/professor-yasin-dutton/

Amazon: Islamic Law in Context:Omar Anchassi (Editor)

This volume surveys the diversity of Islamic legal thought and practice, a 1500 - year tradition that has been cultivated throughout the Islamic world. It features translations of Islamic legal texts from across the spectrum of literary genres (including legal theory, judicial handbooks, pamphlets) that represent the range of temporal, geographic and linguistic contexts in which Islamic law has been, and continues to be, developed. Each text has been chosen and translated by a specialist. It is accompanied by an accessible introduction that places the author and text in historical and legal contexts and explains the state of the relevant field of study. An introduction to each section offers an overview of the genre and provides a useful bibliography. The volume will enable all researchers of Islamic law - established academics, undergraduate students, and general readers - to understand the tremendous and sometimes bewildering diversity of Islamic law, as well the continuities and common features that bind it together.

Omar Anchassi is a scholar of Islamic intellectual history with a focus on the disciplines of law (fiqh), theology and Qur'an commentary. He has published on violence, slavery, gender and sexuality in Islamic thought and practice in prestigious venues including Islamic Law and Society, and Edinburgh and Cambridge University Presses. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, and was previously an Early Career Fellow in Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. For three years, he served as Treasurer of BRAIS (the British Association for Islamic Studies).

YouTube Video:Professor Yasin Dutton - Growing Hope (1/4)Cambridge Muslim College-2/19/2026

https://youtu.be/vyoJIIvHVTw?si=IzNu3xEIzxO-uNyv

In this episode, Professor Yasin Dutton explores the Qur’anic concept of hope (rajāʾ) through the verse, “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have a beautiful example” (33:21). Reflecting on the meaning of uswah ḥasanah, he examines what it means to take the Prophet ﷺ - and also Prophet Ibrahim (ʿalayhi as-salām) - as models for those who hope for Allah and the Last Day. A thoughtful reminder that true hope is rooted in remembrance, steadfastness, and living consciously with the Hereafter in view.