Implications of Islamic jurisprudence for environmental engineering systems planning: the case of water law

Abstract

The discussion in this chapter follows our division of Islamic jurisprudence in Chapter 2. We shall consider the implications for environmental engineering systems planning of the sources of sharī‘a and fiqh. We recall that the sharī‘a comprises the explicit texts of the Quran, and the ‘legal, binding Sunnah’. Fiqh is the changeable, time-place constrained Islamic substantive law devised by Muslims consistent with the sharī‘a. Our aim is to elucidate the principles and methodology for developing a basic legal code for public works planning. Illustrations will be given from the field of water resources engineering.