Sharia

Sharia is the religious law of Islam, derived from the Quran and Sunnah and understood and implemented through jurisprudence. The term Sharia, from Arabic shari‘ah, denotes divine guidance or the path to the water that governs not only ritual duties but many aspects of a Muslim's life.

Primary sources: The Quran, believed to be the word of God, and the Sunnah, the practices and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Secondary sources include ijma (consensus of scholars), qiyas (analogical reasoning), and principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh). Together they form a framework for deducing prescriptions and permissible actions.

Sharia is distinct from fiqh. Sharia refers to the divine ordinances; fiqh is the human scholarly understanding and application of those ordinances. Jurists translate Sharia into practical rules in areas such as acts of worship (ibadat) and matters of daily life and civil law (muamalat), including family, contracts, property, and penal matters in some systems.

There are multiple legal traditions within Islam. Sunni schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) and Shia jurisprudence (Ja'fari) differ in methodologies and emphasis but share core sources. Modern legal contexts vary widely: some Muslim-majority countries legislate entire codes according to Sharia, others apply Sharia only to personal status matters, and many jurisdictions blend Sharia with national laws. Penalties under Sharia in criminal law (hudud, qisas, ta'zir) are controversial and are not uniformly applied.

Scholars and movements vary in how they interpret Sharia in contemporary life, with debates about rights, human dignity, and reform alongside views that emphasize traditional readings. Sharia is thus a complex and contested term representing a broad spectrum of beliefs and practices.