On February 13, 1763, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad walked into the main courthouse of Damascus as a defendant. He had divorced his wife that very day and was now liable for the unpaid portion of her dowry, which according to the provisions of Islamic law, was owed to the wife at the time of divorce or the death of her husband. Abd al-Rahman insisted that his debt came to fifty piasters, but his wife, represented by her brother, was adamant that it was really one hundred. He would admit ...