Interview with PhD student Ebrahim Mansoor

What is your research about?

My research focuses on the Zaydi school of law, its development and textual legal heritage. Zaydi law, known also as Zaydi fiqh or madhhab, is a legal system that has been developed over centuries and more importantly, still has relevance in today's society in Yemen. I came to Bergen in 2020 and I am currently in the fourth year of my PhD and expect to complete my research in six months.

Why is it important to study Zaydi fiqh?

Zaydi fiqh is not just a collection of legal texts or rules; it represents a community whose intellectual and cultural legacy has been preserved in Yemen since the 10th century. This long history offers valuable insights and must have a lot to tell us, not only about the Zaydi community but also about Yemen itself. Despite its rich history, Zaydi fiqh is one of the less-studied areas in Islamic law. This was largely because of Yemen's geographical isolation and the difficulties researchers have faced in accessing Zaydi manuscripts. Fortunately, recent digitization projects led by scholars like Prof. Sabine Schmidtke have made many Zaydi manuscripts available online. This makes it an ideal time to fill the gap in the Zaydi scholarship at large. By exploring Zaydi fiqh, I hope to bring to light a rich legal tradition that can contribute to contemporary legal and ethical discussions and raise a greater appreciation for the diversity within Islamic law.

What are you focusing on in your research?

Since my research is one of the first studies on the Zaydi legal school, I am concentrating on general issues such as its formation, leading figures, important texts, and major transitions. I am also connecting my research to broader academic discourses by engaging with concepts like canonization and codification, which are particularly relevant in current Islamic studies discussions. In the future, I plan to explore deeper aspects of Zaydi fiqh, especially how it is applied in today's socio-political context. This will enhance our understanding of Zaydi fiqh and contribute to broader discussions about the role of Islamic law in the modern world.

You said that your project is approaching its end. What key findings have you reached so far?

One significant finding is the approach some Zaydi scholars took towards issues of canonization. Understanding what makes certain texts within a legal tradition more influential than others is a pressing question in Islamic law studies. In the Zaydi tradition, the book of al-Azhār has been considered the official source of Zaydi fiqh since the 15th century. My research highlights certain factors that may explain the canonicity of al-Azhār. I have shared these findings at international conferences and will be publishing two articles on this topic soon.

Is it not strange to go to Norway to study Zaydi history?

Norway has valued institutions and scholars dedicated to Islamic history in general. My supervisor, Eirik Hovden, started the focus on Zaydi studies in Norway and has written valuable works on Zaydi history and law. What to note in this regard is that global academia today encourages interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration in diverse settings. So, I think undertaking the study of Zaydi history in Norway highlights this universal nature of academic inquiry and the interconnectedness of scholarly activities across different cultures and regions.

You can read more about Ebrahim Mansoor here.