The earliest extant work of theoretical legal writing, Shafi'i's ninth-century Risala (Epistle) has been characterized by scholars as a synthesis of Islamic legal sources. Diverging from that received wisdom, Lowry (Near Eastern languages and civilizations, U. of Pennsylvania) argues that it is an effort to formulate an original and complete theoretical account of Islamic law. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)