From “Jurisprudence” to “Islamic Law”; A Critical Study of the Creation of the Concept of “Islamic Law” in the Thought of Joseph Schacht

"Islamic Law" is a relatively new concept for Muslims. This concept provides a new formulation of Islamic jurisprudence. One of the main platforms for the formation of this concept is the ideas of the Orientalists. Joseph Schacht is one of the orientalists who has specifically explained what "Islamic law" is. What Schacht has done is the creation of "Islamic law". "Islamic law" in Schacht’s thought is the product of reappraisal of jurisprudence in the framework of historical sociology. The question of the current article is: What challenges does this new formulation face in terms of validity and reliability in explaining jurisprudence? The present article is an attempt to explain the development of this new matter in the three areas of methods, sources and issues in Schacht’s thought (theory, approach and research processes) and a glance at some of its weaknesses in explaining jurisprudence. To seek answers, the present paper has used the descriptive-analytical method.