Includes bibliographical references (p. [177]-190) and index.

Legal absolutism and ethical relativism -- To know or not to know : the basis of acts -- Cognition through models and paradigms -- The domain of ethics and the law -- Chronology of Islamic thought -- Ethics, morality, and the law -- Determining God's position -- Core and marginal sanctions -- Emotion and law in the Qur®åanic discourse -- Threats, incentives, and piety -- Crime and punishment -- Basis for the practice of polygamy -- On the methodological and historical assumptions -- Methodological and disciplinary precedence -- Polygamy in the historical context -- The philology of polygamy -- Women in Islamic law of inheritance -- The Qur®åanic and interpretive dichotomy -- The legal and exegetical treatment of the verses on inheritance -- Women, justice, and interpretation : the principle of Àwl -- Explicitness, consensus, and interpretation -- Shares and heirs per blind survey -- Description of data collection -- Explanation and interpretation of data -- Women in modern times -- Discussion: Linking polygamy and inheritance : disadvantaging women by the numbers -- Discussing the status of women -- Other contested perspectives -- Bespoke justice versus tyranny of majoritism -- Inclusion and exclusion of women.