This classic study deals with the theory and practice of Islamic law in both the formative classic and modern periods and over a range of societies. It is divided into four sections dealing with legal theory; fatwas and muftis in classical Islamic law; the position of religious minorities under Islamic law, and modern developments in Islamic law. The book explores the concept of Ijtihad, or juristic disgression--the process through which a jurist apprehends God's law and can turn it into a legal ruling--and how this has influenced the formulations of law in both Sunni and Shi'i Islam. The subject is viewed from an historical as well as a theoretical angle.