International Review of Law - 3 - Special Issue on Comparative Law, July 2013

Codifying commercial bankruptcy must be in harmony with the characteristics of both public and private life. The economic circumstances of nations do not maintain one constant rhythm but fluctuate between crisis and opulence, hardship and ease. The case is similar with the merchant, whose affairs may alternate between ease and difficulty. It is the function of commercial legislation to keep abreast of all the circumstances that may be faced by individuals and societies. While commercial activity is primarily the trade of the merchant, whether a natural or a legal person, one of the most important subjects in commercial law are the provisions laying out the principles of bankruptcy.

ملخص:

يصنف شراح القانون المقارن العائلات القانونية الرئيسية إلى ثلاث: العائلة اللاتينية، وعائلة القانون العام أو الانجلوسكسونية، والشريعة الإسلامية، وعلى الرغم مما يبدو ظاهريًا أن القانون المدني القطري ومعه غالبية التشريعات العربية تندرج تحت لواء العائلة اللاتينية، إلا أن البحث في ثنايا هذه التشريعات يكشف عكس ذلك. وتتمثل أهمية البحث في إظهار تأثير الشريعة الإسلامية على القانون المدني القطري، حيث تتمثل مشكلة البحث في بيان مدى تأثير الشريعة الإسلامية على القانون المدني القطري، وما ينبغي حيال هذا التأثير، وأثره على المشرع والقاضي في ظل النصوص القانونية النافذة.

وتنهج الدراسة منهج الدراسة التحليلية المقارنة للنصوص القانونية القطرية وعدد من قوانين الدول العربية سواء التي وردت في الدساتير أو المدونات المدنية. حيث تناولت الدراسة هذا التأثير من خلال النص الدستوري في دستور قطر الدائم والذي يجعل الشريعة الإسلامية مصدرًا رئيسيًا للتشريع، ومدى تأثير هذا النص الدستوري على القانون المدني بالنسبة للتشريعات اللاحقة والسابقة على نفاذه. وكذلك النص في القانون المدني على الشريعة الإسلامية باعتبارها مصدرًا تاليًا على التشريع يتعين على القاضي أن يلجأ إليه في حالة عدم وجود نص تشريعي. حيث تم تحليل هذا النص ودراسته مقارنة بالنصوص العربية المشابهة. وانتهت الدراسة إلى عدة نتائج وتوصيات تمثلت في كيفية تفعيل النص الدستوري، والتوصية بإعادة صياغة نص المادة الأولى من القانون المدني والخاصة بتعداد المصادر التي يلجأ إليها القاضي في ضوء تحليل هذه المادة خاصة فيما يتعلق بترتيب العرف بين هذه المصادر ومدى جدوى اللجوء إلى قواعد العدالة، ووجوب التفرقة بين الشريعة الإسلامية والفقه الإسلامي، والمناداة بإعادة فتح باب الاجتهاد في الفقه الإسلامي مع بيان الضوابط التي يتعين الالتزام بها، والأخذ بتقنين الفقه الإسلامي بضوابط معينة، واستخلصت الدراسة بعض النظريات العامة والأحكام التفصيلية المستمدة من الشريعة الإسلامية والمنصوص عليها في القانون المدني القطري والتي تُظهر مدى تأثر القانون المدني القطري بالشريعة الإسلامية.

Abstract

Commentaries on Comparative Law classify law into three types: Roman, Common or Anglo-Saxon, and Islamic Shari'a. In spite of the fact that Qatari civil law, as well as the majority of Arab legislation, appear to fall within the Roman family, research into the details of these systems reveals the opposite. The importance of this research lies in the fact that it shows the extent of the influence of Islamic Shari'a on Qatari civil law. The problem of conducting this research lies in revealing the extent of the influence of Islamic Shari'a on Qatari civil law, what needs to be done in view of this, and its influence on the legislator and the judge within the context of the applicable legal provisions.

This study follows the method of the comparative analytical study of Qatari legal texts and a number of laws from Arab countries, both those contained in constitutions and those contained in civil codes. The study looks at this influence through the text of the permanent constitution of Qatar, which stipulates that Islamic Shari'a is a main source of legislation, and the extent of the influence of this constitutional text on civil law, both texts previously in force and those subsequently in force. Similarly, the fact that civil law refers to Islamic Shari'a as a source of legislation requires the judge to refer to it in the absence of a legal text. This text is subjected to an analytical study in which it is compared to similar Arab texts. The study reaches a number of conclusions and recommendations focusing on how to implement the constitutional text and recommends that Article One of the civil law relating to the enumeration of the sources to which the judge must refer, to be reformulated in light of the analysis of this article. This should be done especially as regards the customary ordering of these sources, the effectiveness of referring to rules of justice, the need to distinguish between Islamic Shari'a and Islamic Fiqh, the call for the door of ijtihad to be reopened in Islamic Fiqh while listing the principles which must be observed and the need for Islamic Fiqh to follow specific principles. The study concludes with some general reflections and detailed provisions drawn from Islamic Shari'a and spelled out in Qatari civil law, which show the extent to which Qatari civil law has been influenced by Islamic Shari'a.

In this study, the researcher seeks to develop a system for appointing the crown prince in GCC countries by employing objective principles and rules when deciding who to appoint as crown prince. On the basis of these, the people of each state would have a role in choosing the future ruler. In this study, the researcher highlights two experiences relating to the succession that occurred during the period of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. These experiences are known as the 'istikhlaf' (the process of choosing a successor). It is true that these two experiences occurred spontaneously and were not repeated, so no clear rules were established regarding them. Nevertheless, they reveal clearly how a set of principles was observed when a caliph was choosing his successor. He did not choose one of his relatives or someone who was not worthy of being ruler. Moreover, Muslims were not obliged to accept his opinion or his choice.