What would you do if you happened to appear in one of the Shariah courts in St. Petersburg?

What for should two professors-orientalists steal an antique manuscript of the Quran from the Russian National Library in Saint-Petersburg?

How should one decide a divorce-case according to Shariah if he has no idea of what to do?

Is it possible to live in peace with three wives in a small flat in St. Petersburg?

To beat or not to beat for drinking in public places? If yes, than how? What does the instruction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs prescribe in this connection? How can one being unfaithful to his wife save the money if he breaks a prenuptial agreement?

You can find the answers to these and many other questions in the book "Islam from monk Bahira" -the first novel in the world written in a genre of "Islamic fantasy". The author is a high-qualified orientalist who has studied in practice how the mechanism of Shariah courts functions. Written in easily understood language this novel can be interesting not only for fantasy-lovers but also for those who enjoy reading different kinds of detective stories: intellectual, psychological, ironic. In the year 2003 the novel was included in the long list of Debut-Prize.