Introduction: the role of legal history in Muslim jurisprudence. Part 1 The genesis of Shari'a law: Qu'ranic legislation; legal practice in the 1st century of Islam; the early schools of law; Muhammed Ibn-Idris ash Shafi; concluding stages of growth. Part 2 Legal doctrine and practice in medieval Islam: the practical theory of law; unity and diversity of Shari'a law; sectarian legal systems in Islam; Islamic government and Shari'a law; Islamic society and Shari'a law. Part 3 Islamic law in modern times: foreign influences - the reception of European laws; administration of Shari'a law in contemporary Islam; Taqlid and legal reform; neo-Ijtihad. Conclusion: religious law and social progress in contemporary Islam.
