SHARIAsource is a project of the Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School, that aims to provide comprehensive content and context on Islamic law in a way that is accessible and useful. It is a Portal into the digital world of Islamic legal studies and related tools from data science and AI. Working with a global team of advisors, senior scholars, and editors, our mission is to organize the world’s information on Islamic law.
Harvard Law School’s Program in Islamic Law is dedicated to promoting research and resources for the academic study of Islamic law. We host a suite of projects toward that end: a Portal for organizing the world’s information on Islamic law (SHARIAsource), a set of Publications for cutting-edge scholarship in Islamic legal studies, and myriad Program events and support for students, fellows, and other scholars working in the field of Islamic legal studies. We aim to provide comprehensive content and context on Islamic law. For content, the SHARIAsource Portal is home to a growing library of primary sources for Islamic law (historical texts, legislative and court records, and fatwas or documents). We collect these sources through digitization, partnerships, and individual contributions. We also use data science and AI to curate and build digital humanities tools that make the Portal’s Islamic law sources more accessible and useful, and to facilitate new research and analysis. For context, our larger Program initiatives and Publications promote cutting-edge scholarship on Islamic law: The Harvard Series in Islamic Law book series with Harvard University Press, the Papers in Islamic Law occasional paper series, and the Journal of Islamic Law produce peer-reviewed scholarship. The related Journal Forum (an online companion to the Journal), Community Forum (for editors), and Blog (for the public) facilitate more up-to-the minute scholarly conversation and debate on less formal platforms. Keep up to date on the latest developments through our e-newsletters and our social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Our Program, Portal, and Publications collect sources and scholarly commentary on Islamic law from the earliest periods of Islam through today, covering both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority contexts. We adhere to common principles of academic engagement, including attention to diverse perspectives, peer-reviewed analysis, and the free and open exchange of ideas.
You can submit a proposal to contribute primary source materials and/or collections as a guest editor via the official Program in Islamic Law (PIL) publications proposal form.