ABSTRACT
This chapter is divided into sections corresponding to the sources of law mentioned above. Each section begins with a general introduction providing a brief overview for that particular source of law, which is followed by a discussion of every identifiable instance where this source of law is applied in the texts under survey. When a formal legal argument is brought up in the surveyed works which does not conform perfectly to one of the sources of law, it is discussed in relation to the source it most closely resembles. The introduction to each section does not set out to elaborate on all the questions of Islamic legal theory related to that source of law, which would be an exhaustive work in its own right. Instead, it highlights the important areas of convergence and disagreement between the four schools. Elaborations on the finer points of theory are introduced as needed in the discussions of the particular legal arguments drawn from the surveyed texts.
