opinion of the appointed law officers, have also been included in these Lectures, as well as some of the important precedents. In short, I have endeavoured to collect and incorporate in the present work all that appeared to me important, taking great care not, to leave out anything that is useful; so much so, that some of the Lectures, especially the Lecture on Divorce, would, at first sight, appear rather redundant; but if the reader will read the law of Divorce, at least in Hamilton's Hidayah and Baillie's Digest, he will find that, in the former it extends over 218 pages, and in the latter it is covered by 156 pages; that there are scarcely any general rules on the subject, but peculiar phrases, sentences, and terms expressive or implicative of the husband's intention, which, used once or repeatedly at a particular time or times, effect one or two divorces revocable or irrevocable, or three divorces. These sentences, phrases, and terms, though very numerous, are, almost all of them, inserted in the Fatáwá-i Alamgírí, and for the greater part in the Hidayah. It is impossible, therefore, to frame general rules showing as to how one or two divorces revocable or irrevocable, and how three divorces, take place, and how many divorces are effected at a time. I have nevertheless endeavoured my best to frame rules with respect to the above, and have succeeded in framing a few rules,* and have, in consequence, been obliged to insert separately several of the sentences, phrases and terms which did * Vide, for instance, Rules or Principles, 373, 423 & 424. not fall under those rules, and yet they seemed important for the determination of cases of similar descriptions. To most of the Lectures are prefixed Preliminary Remarks, which give not only an insight of the law about to be treated of, but often also an abstract of the law itself. Here I have nothing more to add-having already expressed in the Introductory Discourse and Preliminary Remarks all that I had to say with respect to other matters which formed the subject of a Prefatory or an Introductory Discourse. I, therefore, conclude by observing that as no time and labour have been spared in making the present work replete with useful matters and complete in its kind, and in rendering it adapted for the study of students, as well as for reference in the conduct of cases and administration of justice, I think I may hope the work will meet the approbation of that august body-the Senate of the University, and be useful to the Public in proportion to the pains taken by me to execute the same. *To learn the laws herein inculcated, the student is required to study mainly the principles,-except those which are not of vital importance. The latter are numbered as follow :-38, 43, 50, 111, 112, 142-160, 198, 233, 234, 235, 249, 281, 298, 310-313, 336—338, 347, 348, 361-372, 379–383, 401, 402, 406-409, 411-418, 421, 429, 442-444, 463, 465-169, 475, 476, 504-507, 515, 517 and 542. |