Editing Sharia (section)

=== Jurists ===
{{Main|Mufti|Madrasa}}

Sharia was traditionally interpreted by [[mufti]]s. During the first few centuries of Islam, muftis were private legal specialists who normally also held other jobs. They issued [[fatwa]]s (legal opinions), generally free of charge, in response to questions from laypersons or requests for consultation coming from judges, which would be stated in general terms. Fatwas were regularly upheld in courts, and when they were not, it was usually because the fatwa was contradicted by a more authoritative legal opinion.{{sfn|Hallaq|2009|pp=9–10, 13}} The stature of jurists was determined by their scholarly reputation.{{sfn|Hallaq|2009|pp=9–10}}{{sfn|Stewart|2013|p=499}} The majority of classical legal works, written by author-jurists, were based in large part on fatwas of distinguished muftis.{{sfn|Hallaq|2009|pp=9–10}} These fatwas functioned as a form of legal [[precedent]], unlike court verdicts, which were valid only for the given case.{{sfn|Hallaq|2010|p=180}} Although independent muftis never disappeared, from the 12th century onward Muslim rulers began to appoint salaried muftis to answer questions from the public.{{sfn|Stewart|2013|p=501}} Over the centuries, [[Sunni]] muftis were gradually incorporated into state bureaucracies, while [[Shia]] jurists in Iran progressively asserted an autonomous authority starting from the early modern era.{{sfn|Dallal|Hendrickson|2009}}

[[File:Samarkand, Registan, Ulugbek Medressa (6238565020).jpg|thumb|[[Ulugh Beg Madrasa, Samarkand]] (est. 1422)]]
Islamic law was initially taught in study circles that gathered in mosques and private homes. The teacher, assisted by advanced students, provided commentary on concise treatises of law and examined the students' understanding of the text. This tradition continued to be practiced in ''[[madrasa]]s'', which spread during the 10th and 11th centuries.{{sfn|Hallaq|2009|pp=45–47}}{{sfn|Lapidus|2014|p=217}} Madrasas were institutions of higher learning devoted principally to study of law, but also offering other subjects such as theology, medicine, and mathematics. The madrasa complex usually consisted of a mosque, boarding house, and a library. It was maintained by a ''[[waqf]]'' (charitable endowment), which paid salaries of professors, stipends of students, and defrayed the costs of construction and maintenance. At the end of a course, the professor granted a license (''[[ijaza]]'') certifying a student's competence in its subject matter.{{sfn|Lapidus|2014|p=217}} Students specializing in law would complete a curriculum consisting of preparatory studies, the doctrines of a particular madhhab, and training in legal disputation, and finally write a dissertation, which earned them a license to teach and issue fatwas.{{sfn|Stewart|2013|p=501}}{{sfn|Hallaq|2009|pp=45–47}}