8vo. Volume I: 72 pp. / Volume II: 80 pp. publisher’s original wrappers, cover of volume 1 worn round edges, cover of volume 2 professionally repaired, previous owner’s inscription at top corner of front covers, scattered foxing, otherwise set in good condition, J. H. de Bussy, Amsterdam, 1884.

Synopsis

Lodewijk Willem Christiaan van den Berg, van den Berg, was a Dutch oriental scholar in the Dutch colonial era famous with his research on Arab Indonesians of Hadhrami descent, which was the first detailed research of its kind in the world at the time. He studied at Leiden University, graduating in 1868 with a dissertation on Muslim property law. Soon afterwards, he left for the Indies where he held several clerical and judicial posts until, in 1878, he was given the prestigious, newly created, position of Official for the practice of “Indische” languages and Adviser for Eastern languages and Muslim law. He continued his exploration of Muslim law by publishing this work: [The Principles of the Mohammedan Law, according to the Imams Abu Hanifah and Shafi’i] in 1874.
This work is a commentary by Hurgronje on Van den Berg’s De Beginselen van het Mohammedaansche Recht which first appeared in 1874. Many times van den Berg had opposite opinions with Snouck C. Hurgronje, another Dutch orientalist. Van den Berg’s first exchange with Snouck concerned Van den Berg’s own paper publication on Imam al-Nawawi’s Minhadj at-Talibin.