English translations of modern legal documents from the Judean Desert cast light on the Islamization of the tribal customary law in the tribal judge's precinct. This book is intended for students of Islamic law, of customary law and comparative law, legal, social and economic historians, and Arabists.

AHARON LAYISH, Ph.D. (1973), Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has published extensively on Islamic, Druze and tribal law, including: Sharīʿa and Custom in Libyan Tribal Society (Leiden, 2005). He was President of The Israel Oriental Society (2004-6); He currently is a member of the editorial board of Islamic Law and Society (Brill).