Introduction: The Sufis and Legal Theory; The Sufis and U??l al-fiqh; Part One: Mysticism, Traditionalism, and the School of Mercy; Chapter 1: The Schools of Law; Ijtih?d and the Science of Legal Theory; Hadith vs Sunna; Rationalists vs Traditionalists; The Traditionist-Jurisprudents; The Great Synthesis and the Four Madhhabs; The ??hir?s; Chapter 2: Sufis and Traditionalism; Sufis and Fiqh; Affinities between the Mystics and Traditionalists; Conceptions of Sainthood Among the Traditionalist Movement; The Mystics and the Schools; Chapter 3: Al-Tirmidh?'s Critique of Rationalism; A Brief Sketch of Tirmidh?'s Life and Intellectual Upbringing; Tirmidh? and Jurisprudence; ?ikma: The Spiritual Wisdom Behind the Divine Prescriptions; Tirmidh?'s Conception of Ijtih?d; The Law is Mercy; Conclusion; Chapter 4: Ibn ?Arab?'s Traditionalism; The life of Ibn ?Arab?; The Intellectual Environment in Andalusia; The Influence of Eastern Mystics and Sufis; Mysticism, Traditions and Traditionalism; Ibn ?Arab? and the Works of Ibn ?azm; Chapter 5: The Akbar? Madhhab: Ibn ?Arab?'s School of Mercy; Ibn ?Arab? and ?ahirism; Original Licitness and The Ease Principle; Divine Pardon and Mercy; Ibn ?Arab?'s Position on Ijtih?d; Taql?d, Pluralism and God's Mercy; Summary; Did Ibn ?Arab? Have His Own Madhhab?; Chapter 6: Loyalty to the Akbar? Way: ?Abd al-Wahh?b al-Sha?r?n?; ?Abd al-Wahh?b al-Sha?r?n?; Sha?r?n?'s Writings on Ibn ?Arab?; The Removal of the Fog; Part Two: Mercy in Flexibility: A Path for All Mankind; Chapter 7: The All-Comprehensive Nature of the Shar??a: From Tirmidh? to Suy???; The Early Concept of Leeway; The POSITION OF THE Four Madhhabs; Ibn ?anbal and the Traditionalists; Al-?ak?m al-Tirmidh?; Ibn ?Arab?; Taq? al-D?n al-Subk?; Al-Suy???; Difference of Perspective; Chapter 8: The 'Scale' of ?Abd al-Wahh?b al-Sha?r?n?; The Scale; The Sufi Ideas Underlying the Theory; The Concept of Leeway vs the Concept of Abrogation; Sha?r?n?'s Defence of the Madhhabs; Why Sha?r?n? Wrote the M?z?n; The Problem of Talf?q; Part Three: The Akbar? Madhhab in Practice and its Influence on the Modern World; Chapter 9: A?mad ibn Idr?s and the Implementation of Ibn ?Arab?'s Jurisprudence in the 19th Century; The Importance of A?mad ibn Idr?s; His Education; Ibn Idr?s as Teacher; Ibn Idr?s as Heir to Ibn ?Arab?; Ibn Idr?s's Study of the Jurisprudential Sections of the Fut???t; Chapter 10: The Teachings and Influence of A?mad ibn Idr?s; The Teachings of Ibn Idr?s on Ijtih?d; The Idr?s? Tradition and Beyond; Chapter 11: From Ibn ?Arab? to the Salaf?s; The Hijaz Revival; Shah Wal?-All?h and the Indian Ahl-i Hadith Movement; The Iraqi and Moroccan Revivalists; The Damascene Salafiyya; Ma?m?d Kha???b al-Subk?'s al-Jam?iyya al-Shar?iyya; Conclusion: The Spirit of the Law: Competing Visions; Appendix: The Classical Juristic Debate on Whether or not Every Mujtahid Was Correct; Al-Ghaz?l? and Infallibilism; Ibn ?Arab?, Suy??? and Sha?r?n?, index.