ABSTRACT
I SLAMICLA\VistheepitomeoftheIslamicspirit,themosttypicalmanifestationoftheIslamicwayoflife,thekernelof Islamitself.ForthemajorityofMuslims,thelawhasalwaysbeen andstillisofmuchgreaterpracticalimportancethanthedogma. Eventodaythelawremainsadecisiveelementinthestruggle whichisbeingfoughtinIslambetweentraditionalismandmodernismundertheimpactof\Vesternideas.Itisimpossibleto understandthepresentlegaldevelopmentintheIslamiccountries o[theMiddleEastwithoutacorrectappreciationofthepasthistoryoflegaltheory,ofpositivelaw,andoflegalpracticeinIslam.
