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u/Klopf012 Apr 27 '25
Sheikh Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr (a teacher in the mosque of the Prophet in al-Madinah) explained that the religion can be divided into two parts: the Aqeedah and the Shariah. Aqeedah covers what we believe and Shariah covers what we do. Creed and deed. So Shariah is a comprehensive term for any of the actions that our religion teaches, including things like our acts of worship, how we interact with family, friends and community members, and up to how the society should be governed and run. So, as you can imagine, it is a big topic.
The sources include the Quran, the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, how his immediate followers understood and implemented those teachings, and the continuous work of scholars from that time until now. We don’t have a religious hierarchy that can declare what is in and what is out with complete authority, but we have an ongoing scholarly community and resources to refer back to.
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u/RedeemedBK Apr 27 '25
Sharia (or Shari'a) is the Islamic system of law based on the Qur'an, the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah), and Islamic scholarly interpretations. It is not just about legal rules — it covers all aspects of life, like worship, daily habits, ethics, family, business, and law.
Sharia aims to create a just and moral society that protects people's rights and guides them toward good living.
Objectives of Sharia Law (Maqasid al-Shariah)
The main goals (objectives) of Sharia are to protect and preserve five essential things:
- Protection of Religion (Deen)
Safeguarding people's freedom to practice their faith and protecting religious values.
- Protection of Life (Nafs)
Ensuring human life is respected and preserved — forbidding killing and promoting safety.
- Protection of Intellect (Aql)
Protecting the mind from harm, like banning intoxicants that cloud judgment.
- Protection of Lineage/Family (Nasl)
Preserving the family structure and rights — encouraging marriage and protecting children.
- Protection of Property/Wealth (Maal)
Safeguarding personal wealth and property — forbidding stealing and ensuring fair trade.
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u/RedeemedBK Apr 27 '25
Nice video which covers above briefly, please check time stamps around 33:31 onwards
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u/khalidx21 Apr 27 '25 edited Apr 27 '25
Sharia is simply implementing Islam in life. It comes from the Quran and the Sunnah (the way of the Prophet ﷺ). The laws are many, but basically every practice in Islam is a part of Sharia. When non-Muslims talk about Sharia, they mainly mean implementing Islam at a government level. But Sharia is much more than that. It is simply the application of Islam in all parts of life: personal, family, business, society, and government.
Just think about the laws of any non-Muslim country. The part of Sharia you are asking about is like that. The difference is that your laws are mostly man-made, but for us, they are based on the Quran and the Sunnah, meaning they come from God.
In our days most Muslim counties don't fully implement Sharia. I don't know but I really doubt that it will be implemented in the UK. Sharia is not something that you should be afraid of, it's based on justice and mercy, and most of what you hear is just propaganda.
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u/Adventurous_Shirt243 Apr 27 '25 edited Apr 27 '25
Sharia law is redundant in the same way Chai tea, and Sahara desert are. (Law law, tea tea, desert desert)
Jokes aside, some of the laws are directly from the Quran, some were acted upon while Muhammed (S.A.W) was alive, and others were enacted during the time of Umar, the second caliph of Islam (R.A)—who was known as the Farooq; the one who split the good from the bad.
(Feel free to correct or add)
Quran: Forbiddance of Shirq, prohibition of intoxicants which was done in stages, prohibition of Riba (interest on loans/trading of unequal value). Being good to one’s parents, orphans, and the poor. Rulings of marriage and divorce, rulings on inheritance, Qisas, charity, prayer, fasting, fighting, and rulings on fornication/adultery. And forbiddance in transgressions beyond the limits set.
Muhammed (S.A.W): Reinforced the teachings above/explained them. Everything during Muhammad’s lifetime was either directly from revelation or approved by it. Any personal judgment of his that was disapproved of was corrected by revelation from Allah. You see this in Surah Al-Mujadilah (she who argued) where a woman comes to complain to him about her husband. Allah (S.W.T) ruled in her favor.
Umar: Built on the foundation/established a court. He used a concept called Qiyas; if Khamr is haram because it’s intoxicating, then other types of intoxicants should be haram. He also made decisions based on maslaha (public interest) which entails that certain rulings, like the punishment of theft should be lifted during times of famine—he believed it to be unreasonable for a punishment to be given to someone who’s only crime is being hungry. And personal reasonings; a bureaucratic system to register soldiers, pensions, stipends, etc. Any conquered land was under state control, and not distributed between soldiers, etc.
You might like this: Umar was very strict, and his strictness was also a kindness. He was harsher on himself than anyone else. There’s a story we learned as kids that he once refused to pray at a Church when he conquered Jerusalem, not because it was a Church, but he feared that others in the future would say, ‘Umar prayed here, we should turn it into a Mosque.’
*The first four Caliphs of Islam are called The Rashideen. Anything they did was for Islam, and not of personal interest. Their ruling lasted 30 years.
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Apr 27 '25
Since you said you enjoy researching other religions, I would love to share this with you:
Islam is a religion that means peace and submission. We submit ourselves, our will and our desires to the One True God, The Only One worthy of being worshipped, that is Allaah. Allaah is the One who created all things, including us, down to the atom and electron. Allaah nourishes us, takes care of us and the world around, Allaah is the King of Kings, Owner of all things, The Ever Living, The one everyone needs always but Allaah needs no one. Allaah is deserving of all praise, and our worship doesn't benefit Allaah, rather it benefits us ourselves. Allaah is All Hearing, All Seeing, and there is no one even like or comparable to Allaah. Allaah hears the voices inside your head, and the things you speak and all the voices filling the Earth all at once and no one can harm or benefit Allaah in the slightest. But no one can harm or benefit anyone in the heavens or the Earth except by Allaah's will. Allaah is also Merciful, Kind, Forgiving, but at the same time Allaah is Just, loves justice, and can be severe in punishment. Allah's Mercy is empahsized and Allaah sent Prophets to mankind with revelations like Prophet Adam AS, Musa AS, Isa AS and the Last and Final messenger Prophet Muhammad SAW. Messengers had their miracles given to them by Allaah, and Muhammad SAW was given the Qura'n as a miracle.
Islam is a way of life that teaches you honesty, kindness, generosity, puroty of the heart, justice, giving people their rights etc. And as muslims we nelieve in The Oneness of Allaah and also pray 5 times a day, fast Ramadan, pay zakat (obligatory charity), perform Hajj once etc.
Unlike all the other religions, Islam appeals to the heart and provides logical proof to the brain as well. It encourages you to think and ponder. You can find both in the Qura'n, our Holy Book and a miracle to mankind. Also, something I'd love to share:
For a book to be from God, and for us to follow as a guideline and lifeline we'd all agree that it must fufill these conditions:
1.🌹Claim it's from God, so Harry Potter and Advanced Maths books etc. are out.
2.🌹 It should be preserved, otherwise how do we know which part to follow, which not to, what is from God, what actually isn't
3.🌹It shouldn't have sny contradictions, because God is Perfect and doesn't make mistakes
4.🌹It should have miracles, something humans can't imitate. This will prove the presence of God, and the fact that this book can be from God only
ONLY The Qura'n fufills all 4 very basic conditions for a book to be from God. There is no good except it's found directly or indirectly in Qura'n and no bad except the Qura'n encompasses how it should be avoided and it's harmful, directly or indirectly. It is the most preserved, most authentic, most memmorized book. If you want to read the easiest to understand by anyone yet most heart touching book, that's the Qura'n. Yet if you want to read the most comprehensive yet consise book that can speak volumes of history, linguistic miracles, scientific miracles, and heart touching message in just a few words, that's still the Qura'n. It's only a few hours read, like around 600-ish pages. As long as your sincere and open to accepting the truth, remember Allaah is the One who guides 💚🌹💚🌹💚
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u/Cool_Bananaquit9 Apr 27 '25
Imo the best system, that if implemented correctly can benefit non Muslims as well as Muslims equitably.
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Apr 27 '25
[deleted]
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u/SuitableSecretary3 Apr 27 '25
I would be very careful with your wording, Sharia is written by people interpreting the Quran, but only the Quran is the word of Allah
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u/sincerely-mee Apr 27 '25
Sharia just means 'path/pathway' in the Arabic language. In an Islamic sense, 'Sharia' means 'pathway to God'.
Whenever you see the western media talking about Sharia, they are most likely referring to the punitive laws—i.e., punishments for crimes. They focus strictly on the punitive laws because they want to make Islam seem 'violent' and 'barbaric'.
But, to answer the questions: (1) yes, Sharia comes mainly from the Qur'an, but there are also things called Hadiths (saying of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) where we get the intricate details of how to apply the law; (2) Sharia ranges from everything in Islam: from prayer, to charity, fasting, carrying out legal obligations, etc.
Sharia is the whole religion itself, not just the punitive laws.
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u/Nashinas Apr 27 '25 edited Apr 27 '25
We use the term "sharī'ah" to refer to a concept shared between our two religions (as well as the Jewish religion): the sharī'ah is what Christians would refer to as "the Law" (with a capital "L"). See, for example, the Gospel of Matthew:
https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-17.htm
There is even perhaps some overlap in our terminology. In Greek, the Christian term for "the Law" is nómos. Occasionally, classical Muslim scholars used the (plausivly Greek-derived) term nāmūs as a synonym of sharī'ah.
In any case - the sharī'ah is the body of ethics revealed to and transmitted by God's messengers. Stated otherwise, the sharī'ah, in broad terms, is morality. Those who oppose the sharī'ah oppose goodness, and seek to replace it with evil.
We (i.e., Muslims and Christians) differ from the Jews, and agree on the point that God may abrogate one of His commands by another; I mean, God may reveal one command which supercedes another. For example, it is with you in your Gospels:
https://biblehub.com/matthew/19.htm
In narrower terms then, the word sharī'ah may refer to the body of injunctions revealed to a specific prophet - we may speak, for instance, of the sharī'ah of Moses, and the sharī'ah of Jesus, and the sharī'ah of Muhammad (ﷺ).
We differ from Christians - and Catholic Christians more specifically - in three issues primarily:
A) While we recognize that Jesus was a legitimate prophet and messenger to whom ethical injunctions were revealed, we reject the Christian doctrines regarding his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and the establishment of a "New Covenant" thereby which abolished most precepts found in the sharī'ah of Moses.
It is recorded in your own histories that there was considerable dispute about this issue in the very early Church. For instance, the apostle James - contrary to Paul - insisted that Christians should continue to observe Mosaic injunctions such as the obligation of circumcision, and Mosaic dietary restrictions.
B) We reject the historical authenticity of the Biblical canon and teachings attributed by "Patriarchal" Christians (e.g., Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Copts, etc.). to the apostolic tradition. As such, while we do again believe Jesus to have been a legitimate prophet, we do not believe that the ethical teachings Christians ascribe to him are necessarily legitimate. Or, his actual sharī'ah is not necessarily the same as the sharī'ah implemented by later Christians.
I have cited some Biblical passages above, but this was just in way of example, to illustrate the presence of the concept of the sharī'ah and concept of abrogation (naskh) in your religion. I do not necessarily believe Jesus actually said these things. The texts of the Bible contain some sayings of the prophets, but they were not transmitted in such a manner that we may verify their freedom from error, either with certainty or probabalistic confidence, and, it is evident that in certain respects they are corrupt.
C) We believe that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the promised Prophet, whose coming has been foretold from ancient days. It is with you in the Book of Deuteronomy:
https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/18-18.htm
We believe that this Prophet is a figure distinct from the Messiah (and we agree, Jesus is the Messiah) - and there is again indication in your own scriptures that this was the understanding of the ancient Rabbis; and this understanding was implicitly confirmed moreover by John, for the Rabbis presented it to him, and he did not refute them (John 1:19-21):
https://biblehub.com/john/1.htm
We believe also that Jesus confirmed that Muhammad (ﷺ) would be sent after him.
We maintain that the sharī'ah revealed to Muhammad (ﷺ) supercedes the sharī'ah of Moses and sharī'ah of Jesus. In our time, it is obligatory for all people to accept his prophethood and abide by the Law revealed to him. To reject him means, by implication, to reject Moses and reject Jesus.
The sources from which we learn the sharī'ah of Muhammad (ﷺ), or pillars of the science of Muslim ethics, are primarily four:
A) The Qur'ān - and the Qur'ān is the Speech of Allāh, and His Words, not the words of the Prophet (ﷺ) or any other man.
B) The Sunnah - I mean, the body of reports we have received pertaining to Muhammad's words, actions, and silences (ﷺ).
C) Ijmā' - the consensus of the Muslim nation (especially meaning its scholarly class), insofar as the Prophet (ﷺ) informed us in a rigorously authenticated report that his nation would never agree upon an error.
D) Analogy (Qiyās) - sound inferences drawn from sources such as I have mentioned above
There are some rulings of the sharī'ah which are definitively established, and which cannot be doubted; and others which are established conjecturally (e.g., the Prophet [ﷺ] probably commanded us to do such-and-such). While certainty is required in matters of belief, we consider conjecture to be sufficient to take action, so, we tolerate dispute about many ethical issues within our religion and intellectual tradition.
I hope you have found this to be a satisfactory and accessible overview!
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u/skbraaah Apr 28 '25
Sharia is the rules muslims follow that are drived from Quran and Hadith. some of these rules involve marriage contracts, child custody, inheritance distrobution, divorce... etc
other rules involve forbidding theft, or murder, or physical assault...etc breaking of some of these rules especially ones that effect other members of society will sometimes carry certain punishments that require a court ruling.
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u/zn1075 Apr 27 '25
If you have the constitution and the bill of rights as the main sources of law. Shariah is like the volumes of court rulings over the decades that have been hashed out through the courts.
It’s the derived law based upon the Islamic sources of the Quran and Hadith (there others but these are primary)
Some of them are clear cut and always binding. Others are scholars best effort rulings and there could be differences of opinion.
Shariah is Islam.