This thesis studies the attitudes of the religous scholars associated with the dayah, the traditional institution of religous 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 religous matters but also extended to the economic, political and social problem.rnThe impact of modern science and technology has led to many changes in economis, agricultur, 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 qualification which have been traditionally demanded of a mujtahid.