The Mālikī School of Law in Andalusia and Its Impact on the Development of European Legal Systems

Abstract

Objectives: This article explores the history of the Mālikī school of law in Andalusia and its influence on European laws. The study opens with the period of the Muslim conquest of Andalusia, aiming to highlight the various schools that existed before the emergence and spread of the Mālikī school and its impact on European laws. Methodology: This article uses a descriptive analysis, drawing on early and contemporary Islamic sources. Its goal is to trace the spread of the Mālikī school of law in Andalusia and analyse its influence on European laws. Findings: This article demonstrates how the Mālikī school of law influenced modern European laws that modified this jurisprudence and integrated it into their legal systems, such as the French Civil Code. Such was the result of a substantial interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims following the Islamic conquest of Andalusia. Consequently, the article concludes that introducing the Mālikī school of law into Andalusia substantially impacted European laws and systems. Originality: This article discusses the entry of Muslims into Andalusia during the European Dark Ages. It elucidates how the conquest of Andalusia affected the Andalusians and that Islamic civilisation and the Mālikī school of law influenced most of Europe's nations as well.