First published in 1884 in Tunis, The Reconciliation of the Fundamentals of Islamic Law (or al-Muwafaqat fi Usul Al-Sharai'a), written by Ibrahim ibn Musa Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi, was an innovation in Islamic jurisprudence. It was the first book to address the objectives of the shari'a. The difficulty that some may find in comprehending some of its parts may be attributed to the fact that it was the...