A collection of essays which represent the most advanced scholarship on public law in the world of Islam. Whilst the studies cover a wide historical and geographical span, ranging from early views in classical Islamic texts to recent decisions of the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court, the importance of public law in the current debate, within an Islamic legal and cultural context, constitutes the thread running through the work.;Key issues such as shura (consultation), bay'a (choice or election of rulers), the significance of the shari'a (Islamic law), the structure and role of the courts and of the muftis, the rule of law, the production of legal literature in the state and in the educational system, find extensive treatment in studies based on first-hand information by judges, scholars, and practitioners.