MA Islamic Law

Program Overview

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The SOAS MA in Islamic Law offers a world-leading specialisation in a rapidly developing area of law that has increasing significance in Muslim majority countries as well as in the lives of many Muslims living elsewhere.

The MA deals in depth with issues such as those relating to families, financial markets, philanthropy, inter-state and international relations and globalisation.

It offers a platform for viewing and understanding different parts of the Muslim world from multifaceted and diverse perspectives.

Modules included in the programme investigate the meanings and applications of principles of Islamic law in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and transnationally.

They explore jurisprudence and methodologies, family law, criminal law and financial law, and consider critical areas of intersection with international human rights law. Law and society more generally is a focus for the region-specific modules, interrogating the place and role of law in and its relationship with society, including but not limited to issues of gender, colonialism, constitutional law and plural legal systems.

Why study MA Islamic Law at SOAS?

We are ranked in the UK top 20 (QS World University Rankings 2023)

Our research publications have been rated first in the UK - and our School of Law rated sixth in the UK - in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

MA in Islamic law offers wide-ranging insights into the operation of norms and principles of Islamic law particularly in the global South and in its interaction with emerging international norms and regional mechanisms

those who convene and teach these modules are acknowledged experts in their particular fields and usually also accomplished linguists. The teaching is thus closely informed and research-led, providing dynamic engagements in class on issues of immediate contemporary interest

staff have years of experience advising governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, philanthropic foundations, law firms and financial institutions. Some have been or are legal practitioners in their specialised fields

modules attract students from across SOAS as well as from the School of Law, leading to vibrant, cross-fertilising discussions and exchanges that often add unexpected value to the learning experience

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Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law

Islamic law occupies an important place in the SOAS School of Law, which is home to the

C

entre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law

. The Centre provides a focal point for research activities and regular events, and an opportunity for postgraduate students to become involved and engage with the SOAS research community and actors in the field. In an increasingly small and interdependent world, CIMEL operates as a scholarly legal bridge for research and practice at the crossroad of Islam, the Middle East and the West.

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Why you?

The programme provides required expertise for anyone interested in pursuing a career in Islamic law or in law-related careers focused on Muslim majority countries or contexts. This expertise is much sought after in law, finance and media, international organisations and government.

Many students in the SOAS School of Law take at least one of the modules in this programme because of the way in which the substance of core modules engages with critical areas of law that are increasingly a focus of practitioners and policy makers.

The MA in Islamic Law offers a unique insight into the richness of the subject matter that will compel your attention to the complexities of historical and current interpretations, usages and repertoires of this most exciting set of laws, legal systems and legal processes.

Program Outline

To facilitate the study of law, all MA students are required to attend a two-week

Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods

in the September before beginning the MA programme. Students must take modules to a total value of 180 credits, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules.  Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits. Students who wish to graduate with a specialised MA are required to take at least 60 credits associated with their specialised MA, and the dissertation topic will be undertaken within the MA specialisation.

Please note that not all modules listed will be available every year.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Dissertation

Students must complete a Dissertation (12,000 words) in Law, which should be on a topic relating to their chosen MA specialism.

Module	Credits
MA Dissertation in Law	60

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Taught component

120 credits total

Students take the below compulsory modules (30 credits)

And

Choose modules from

List A

to the value of 60 credits

Choose modules from

List A and List B

OR

from postgraduate open options to the value of 30 credits

Module	Credits
Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods	0
Islamic Legal Theory	15

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List A (subject to availability)

Module	Credits
Islamic Family Law	15
Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa	15
Law, Religion, and the State in South Asia	30
Human Rights and Islamic Law	30
Transnational Law, Finance and Technology	15

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List B (subject to availability)

Module	Credits
Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa	15
Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics	15
Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies	15
Human Rights and Islamic Law	30
International Commercial Arbitration	30
Law and Development in Africa	30
Law and Society in Southeast Asia	15
Law, Rights & Social Change	15
International Migration Law	15
International Refugee Law	15
Law, Religion, and the State in South Asia	30
Law, Environment and Social Justice	15
Colonialism, Empire and International Law	15
Foundations of International Law	15
Human Rights of Women	30
International Criminal Law	15
Law and Natural Resources	30
Law and Postcolonial Theory	15
The Law of Armed Conflict	15
Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements (Law)	15
Law and Global Commons	15
International Environmental Law	15
Biodiversity, Nature and Wildlife Law and Policy	15
Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Law)	15
Multinational Enterprises and the Law I	15
Multinational Enterprises and the Law II	15
Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy	15
Comparative Company Law	15
Israel, Palestine, and International Law (15Cr)	15
Palestine, Resistance, and the Law	15
Alternative Dispute Resolution I	15
Alternative Dispute Resolution II	15
International laws on the use of force	15
Gender and the Law of War	15
The Prohibition of Torture in International Law	15
Law and the Climate Crisis	15
International Protection of Human Rights (15Cr)	15
International Law: Contemporary Problems of World Order	15
Gender and the Law of Peace	15
Islamic Family Law	15
Islamic Legal Theory	15
Transnational Law, Finance and Technology	15
Colonial Geographies of International Law	15
Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa	15
Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Societies	15
Artificial Intelligence: Power, law and resistance	15
International Investment Law	15
International Human Rights Clinic	30
Israel, Palestine, and International Law (30Cr)	30

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Open options

Open options from cross-Faculty list will need approval of deputy PG programme convenor (LLM or MA)

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

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Contact hours

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

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Knowledge and understanding

Students will acquire specialist knowledge of Islamic law.

This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, knowledge and understanding of the following:

1. the theoretical and practical underpinnings of Islamic law;
2. the context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended;
3. the role played by law, particularly Islamic law in different areas;
4. the role and function of legal institutions in managing Islamic law
5. the weight and significance of different sources and methodologies

- Students will develop knowledge of how to locate relevant materials and assess their relevance and/or importance.

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Intellectual (thinking) skills

Students should develop rigor in analysis and assessment of legal arguments.

Students should develop the ability to understand, summarise and critically assess differing perspectives on theoretical debates.

Students should develop independence of thought and the confidence to challenge the accepted wisdom.

Students should learn to identify issues and formulate questions for further research through independent work.

Students will be encouraged to bring to bear their own previous experience and knowledge in addressing legal issues in an interdisciplinary manner.

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Subject-based practical skills

The programme will help students develop the ability to:

Communicate effectively in writing.

Research in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes and online, and retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.

Present seminar papers and defend the arguments therein.

Discuss ideas introduced during seminars.

Develop essay and dissertation research questions.

Read legal source materials rapidly and critically.

Present legal arguments in moots and debates.

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Transferable skills

The programme will enable students to:

Write clear research essays and dissertations.

Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively both orally and in writing.

Read and comprehend significant quantities of reading rapidly and effectively and develop critical faculties.

Find and use a variety of written and digital materials, especially legal materials, in libraries and research institutes.

Present (non – assessed) material orally.

Develop teamwork skills.

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SOAS Library

SOAS Library

is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

SOAS Law graduates leave SOAS as civic minded and critically engaged individuals who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies. With a thorough understanding of the legal dimensions underlying many of our global challenges today, our Law students are valued by employers due to their analytical skills, specialist knowledge, and global perspective.

Recent graduates have been hired by organisations including:

PwC LLP

BLM Law

BloombergNEF

British Medical Association

Clifford Chance

DAC Beachcroft LLP

Department for Work and Pensions

EY

HM Treasury

Latham & Watkins

Legal Cheek

Simpson Millar Solicitors

The Economist

Travers Smith

Vodafone

World Cancer Research Fund

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