Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular

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Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury (2025). Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular. IHYA

Abstract: This review examines Sherman A. Jackson’s The Islamic Secular (2024), a major intervention in contemporary Islamic political and legal thought. Jackson argues for reclaiming the concept of the secular from Western hegemonic frameworks and situating it within Islamic jurisprudence and history. By engaging classical scholars such as al-Qarāfī and Ibn al-Qaṣṣār, Jackson develops the notion of an “Islamic Secular,” a sphere beyond the sharīʿa yet under the divine gaze. The review summarises Jackson’s chapter-by-chapter arguments and highlights key criticisms, including the risks of conceptual vagueness, terminological difficulties, and unresolved metaphysical questions. While Jackson’s work is bold and thought-provoking, this review concludes that its theoretical promise requires further refinement and application to contemporary ethical and political issues.						

Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury (2025). Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular. IHYA						

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury
TI  - Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular
PY  - 2025
JO  - IHYA
AB  - This review examines Sherman A. Jackson’s The Islamic Secular (2024), a major intervention in contemporary Islamic political and legal thought. Jackson argues for reclaiming the concept of the secular from Western hegemonic frameworks and situating it within Islamic jurisprudence and history. By engaging classical scholars such as al-Qarāfī and Ibn al-Qaṣṣār, Jackson develops the notion of an “Islamic Secular,” a sphere beyond the sharīʿa yet under the divine gaze. The review summarises Jackson’s chapter-by-chapter arguments and highlights key criticisms, including the risks of conceptual vagueness, terminological difficulties, and unresolved metaphysical questions. While Jackson’s work is bold and thought-provoking, this review concludes that its theoretical promise requires further refinement and application to contemporary ethical and political issues.
ER  -						

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury
TI  - Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular
PY  - 2025
JO  - IHYA
ER  -						

@article{09331de2b1e9159ceaada93c710cbb52,
  author = {Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury},
  title = {Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {IHYA},
  abstract = {This review examines Sherman A. Jackson’s The Islamic Secular (2024), a major intervention in contemporary Islamic political and legal thought. Jackson argues for reclaiming the concept of the secular from Western hegemonic frameworks and situating it within Islamic jurisprudence and history. By engaging classical scholars such as al-Qarāfī and Ibn al-Qaṣṣār, Jackson develops the notion of an “Islamic Secular,” a sphere beyond the sharīʿa yet under the divine gaze. The review summarises Jackson’s chapter-by-chapter arguments and highlights key criticisms, including the risks of conceptual vagueness, terminological difficulties, and unresolved metaphysical questions. While Jackson’s work is bold and thought-provoking, this review concludes that its theoretical promise requires further refinement and application to contemporary ethical and political issues.}
}						

@article{09331de2b1e9159ceaada93c710cbb52,
  author = {Safaruk Zaman Chowdhury},
  title = {Book Review, Sherman A. Jackson, The Islamic Secular},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {IHYA}
}