Compilation of Islamic law: a social-political study of the legislation of Islamic law in the New Order Period

Family law has been the heart of Shari‘ah and the major area of Islamic law that has remained largely applicable in Muslim countries of today. While most areas of Islamic law have been replaced by modern Western legal codes, Muslim family law has provided the major are of Islamic reform. Change in family law is significant both as an index of social change and as an illustration of Islamic reform, its methodology and problems. Reform of Islamic law demonstrates that Shari‘ah can be revitalized; it is not a fixed and permanent entity but able to be changed to fit new circumstances. Like any other reformed codes in many Muslim countries, the Compilation of Islamic Law of 1991 has shown that when the government began to introduce legal reform in family law, they found the resources of Islamic law responsive to the prevailing needs of the community