This thesis studies the attitudes of the religious scholars associated with the dayah, the traditional institution of religious learning in Aceh, Indonesia, towards issues of the modernization of Islamic law. In the history of Islamic society in Aceh, these scholars, the 'ulama' dayah, have shown great initiative in guiding their society as it sought solutions to various problems. Their response was not confined merely to religious matters but also extended to the economic, political and social problems. / The impact of modern science and technology has led to many changes in economics, agriculture, medicine, and other fields. All these changes have to be evaluated in terms of their status in Islamic law, because Muslims have always sought to lead their lives in accordance with Islamic teachings. The 'ulama' dayah, have contributed to meeting the challenge of resolving such problems. In formulating their decisions, the 'ulama' dayah usually refer to the standard texts of the four classical schools of Islamic law. The reliance on classical texts is justified by their conviction that present-day 'ulama' are unable to exercise ijtihad independently since they lack the qualifications which have been traditionally demanded of a mujtahid.

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