ABSTRACT
This (rather simplified) account of God’s relationship with humanity in classical Islamic theology has dominated Muslim discussions about the regulations they should follow in order to demonstrate their obedience to God. This conception, with perhaps minor variants and qualifications, is presupposed (and hence rarely stated explicitly) by the Muslim authors of a great corpus of legal literature collectively known by the Arabic term fiqh. Amongst the earliest extant sources from the incipient Muslim community are documents discussing legal questions (that is, the correct actions Muslims should perform). These texts, if authentic (and there is much debate about the dating of such documents), indicate that correct personal behavior and effective societal organization were topics of dispute and debate from the early period of Islamic history. Whether or not these early documents can be called works of fiqh is largely a matter of classification. Later works which are called fiqh are often much fuller, expanded accounts of God’s law. What is significant is that the early Muslim community was intensely interested in legal questions ranging from the correct system of community organization to the most intimate details of human life. Obedience to God was presumed to be total, and hence there was no human activity, no situation for which God has not produced a ruling. Human beings are called to obey these rulings, and disobedience leads to punishment, in this life, or in the next.
