Shari’ah is the detailed code of conduct of the faithful, or the canons comprising ways and modes of worship. Remember that Islam asks the faithful to live a life of obedience and submission to their Lord, Allah.
Shari’ah also sets the standards of morals and life and laws, laws which allow this, or proscribe that. This is the judgement between right and wrong. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the final prophet of Allah, and they believe that the final codified law, as-Shari'ah, is the body of law which is applicable for all of mankind and for all time.
The sources of Shari’ah are the Qur’an and Ahadith, or ‘the sayings of the prophet Muhammad'. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is a divine revelation. Further, they believe that the Qur’an is made up of the literal and actual words of Allah. Ahadith, or ‘the sayings of the prophet Muhammad’, are made up of instructions issued by Muhammad, or the memoirs of Muhammad’s conduct and behaviour. They are preserved by those who were present in his company, or by those who were handed down this guidance by the first witnesses. The collections of Ahadith were made by Malik, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah. These are the Ahadith which are considered to be the most authentic.
Fiqh, or detailed law derived from the Qur’an and Ahadith, may be broken down into four major schools of thought. They are: Fiqh Hanafi, Fiqh Maliki, Fiqh Shafi’i, and Fiqh Hanbali. These four schools took final shape within two hundred years after the death of the prophet. All four schools of thought are considered to be correct and true, regardless of which school of thought a Muslim belongs to. It’s all a matter of interpretation.
Fiqh deals with observable conduct and the fulfilment of the obligations of Islam to the letter of the law. Tasawwuf, by contrast, deals with the spirit of a Muslim’s conduct. Tasawwuf, in its true sense, is an intense love of Allah and Muhammad. The love of both requires strict obedience to Allah and Muhammad’s commands as written in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, or the way of the prophet of Allah.
People can be divided into two types: those who go astray wilfully; and those who go astray out of ignorance. As-Shari’ah, or the Sharia, meets the need of separating these two types of people.
As-Shari’ah forbids all that is ‘harmful’ to man and ordains all that is useful to him.
The scheme of life which Islam envisions consists of a set of rights and obligations. Muslims are asked to live up to these. These rights and obligations are as follows:
1. The rights of Allah: the primary right being that man should have faith in him and in him alone; and that man should accept his guidance (Hidayah) and seek his pleasure with heart, mind, and soul. Further, man should obey Allah, honestly and unreservedly; and he must worship him, and him alone.
2. One's own rights: The Shari’ah forbids those things which are injurious to man’s physical, mental, or moral existence.
3. Other men’s rights: Other people’s rights should not be violated. Hence, adultery, fornication and unnatural sexual pleasures have been strictly forbidden.
a. To preserve morality, the free co-mingling of the sexes has been forbidden. Further, man has been asked to lower his gaze when he comes into contact with women.
b. ‘Proper’ dress should always be worn. A man should not expose any part of his body between his knees and his navel. A woman should expose no part of her body other than her hands and her face. Except, that is, to her husband. This is a religious duty for every woman.
c. Islam does not approve of pastimes, entertainments, or recreations which stimulate the senses. They are a waste of time, money, and energy, and they destroy morality in society.
d. Believers are required to avoid mutual hostility in order to safeguard the unity and solidarity of the Ummah.
e. Muslims must seek out knowledge and science for the common good, but Muslims are forbidden from aping the mode of living of the non-Muslim.
4. The rights of all creatures: Each animal has its own rights, as do vegetables.
The law of Islam, as-Shari’ah, is eternal. It is said not to be based on the customs or the traditions of any particular people, and nor is it meant for a particular time in the history of the world; rather, it is one body of laws for man for all time, in the same way that Muslims believe that Islam is the universal religion for man for all time, the religion is for an eternity.
[Source: Abul A'la Mawdudi: Towards Understanding Islam]
©Mark Alexander
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