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Vol. 11 No. 4 (2026)
Special Issue: Sociology of the Islamic Golden Age

Special Issue: Sociology of the Islamic Golden Age

A Sociology of Law, Institutions, and Social Order in the Islamic Golden Age: The 8th To 14th Centuries

https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v11i4.1385

Published 16.09.2026

Zainab Dahham
Visiting Professor, Dublin City University, Ireland

Abstract

This article examines law as a central social institution during the Islamic Golden Age (8th–14th centuries) through a sociological and legal lens. While this period is widely recognised for its scientific and intellectual achievements, the social foundations of its legal order and the institutional practices that sustained justice have received comparatively limited sociological analysis. Drawing on the sociology of law, the article argues that Islamic law during the Golden Age functioned not merely as a normative system of rules, but as an embedded social institution shaped by courts, legal professionals, ethical norms and communal practices. The study explores how legal institutions, such as courts, judicial offices and scholarly networks, operated within broader social, political and economic contexts, enabling legal pluralism, accountability and social cohesion. By analysing the interaction between Shari’ah (Islamic law), fiqh (jurisprudence), customary practices and administrative governance, the article demonstrates how justice was experienced as a lived social reality rather than an abstract legal ideal. Methodologically, the article adopts a historical-sociological approach informed by classical legal sources and contemporary sociological theory. It contributes to ongoing debates on the sociology of the Islamic Golden Age by highlighting the formative role of law in structuring social order, resolving conflict and sustaining institutional trust.

Keywords

Islamic Golden Age, sociology of law, Islamic jurisprudence, courts, justice, legal institutions

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