Both Judaism and Islam define the character of the social order, morality and theology through law, reflecting the shared view that there is nothing in human life beyond the scope of divine concern. But the uniqueness of the two religions is apparent in the areas where they disagree: the idea of the Land of Israel has no counterpart in Islam, while Islam's jihad is nowhere to be found in Jewish law.

The authors compare the classical statements of the Torah and of classical Sunni Islamic law to present an innovative study that compares and contrasts the two religions, and offers an example of how comparative religious studies can provide the grounds for mutual understanding.