Up to this point of the chapter our discussion has mainly been chronological.

We reviewed in Part I the development and basic features of the traditional (Islamic) judiciary system of Iran, and in Part II the long and tedious process of efforts for its reform and Westernization.

But what was the nature of the new system? How well-integrated or “adopted’’ was it, functionally and psycho-culturally, with the deeply rooted Sharia system? Did the new system gain any degree of ascendancy in society? These are important questions whose answers provide the ultimate criteria for judging the success of any innovation and reform, and with these questions we shall be concerned in this part. We shall begin with an examination of the nature and substance of the various components of the modern judiciary, namely, the constitutional, civil, penal, procedural and organizational laws, and at the end, will try to draw certain conclusions from the whole enterprise.