English-speaking Muslims are challenged today in dealing with real life issues. Concerns such as how to deal with modern systems of finance when making major purchases, medical ethics on issues from abortion to treating the terminally ill, and how to appropriately dress, are among the issues modern Muslims seek to examine in light of the teachings of Islam. Most current books on Islamic law are addressed to the scholars, not the lay reader. This book is written in non-specialist language. Its objective is to take non-specialist readers beyond the list of do's and don'ts into a summary of the philosophy of Islamic law underlying them and all the traditional "schools" of law. By making these principles more transparent, modern Muslims can more lucidly implement them in their attempts to come to terms with proffered solutions to their challenges.