Short answer
Sharia is the way of life God (﷾) has laid down for Muslims, and most of it is worship and good conduct. The word means a path. The classical books of Islamic law almost all start with purification and prayer. Then come charity, fasting and pilgrimage, and after them trade, marriage and inheritance. The penalties for crimes come later, and they are a small part of the whole. The scholar al-Ghazali said the law exists to protect five things: faith, life, mind, family line and property. On an ordinary day the Sharia tells a Muslim to pray, to honour his mother and to feed the poor. It tells him to be good to his neighbour, to sell honestly, and to be just even against himself. In Islam law and morality are one. Even daily work becomes worship when done for God (﷾).
Full explanation
What the word means
Sharia means a path, the road laid down to follow. In the Qur'an, God (﷾) tells the Prophet (ﷺ) that He has set him on a way (shari'a) of religion, and tells him to follow it. Another verse says God (﷾) has given each community a law and an open way.
“Then We put thee on the (right) Way of Religion: so follow thou that (Way), and follow not the desires of those who know not.”
“To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;”
How the law books are ordered
Ibn Qudamah was a Muslim scholar of the 12th and 13th centuries. His book al-Mughni is a standard work of the Hanbali school, one of the four schools of Islamic law. It shows the usual order. It opens with purification and prayer, then charity, fasting and pilgrimage. Trade, inheritance and marriage follow. The chapters on crimes and fixed penalties (hudud) come well after the chapters on worship, in its later volumes.
One of the standard reference works of Islamic law (Hanbali school). It opens with the Book of Purification and then Prayer, followed by funerals, charity, fasting and pilgrimage. Trade, inheritance, marriage and divorce follow. The books on injuries, blood-money and the fixed penalties (hudud) come in its later volumes.
What the law is for
Muslim scholars asked what the whole law is for. Al-Ghazali, a scholar who died in 1111, answered that it protects five things: religion, life, mind, offspring and property. He called them the aim of the law. Later scholars built on this and called it the maqasid (the aims of the Sharia). So murder is forbidden because it destroys life, and drink because it destroys the mind. Adultery is forbidden because it destroys the family line, and theft because it destroys property. The law is a wall around what every decent person wants protected. Muslim scholars hold that the fixed penalties belong only to a lawful court in a Muslim state, never to individuals. The page on Muslims and the law where they live explains this.
In this work on the principles of Islamic law, al-Ghazali holds that the aim of the Sharia for mankind is to protect five things: their religion, their life, their mind, their offspring and their property. Whatever protects these five is a benefit (maslaha), and whatever destroys them is a harm to be prevented.
The five things the law protects
- Religion, that is, faith.
- Life, so murder is forbidden.
- Mind, so drink is forbidden.
- Offspring and the family line, so adultery is forbidden.
- Property, so theft is forbidden.
Every act has a ruling
Islamic law gives every act a ruling. Scholars grade acts on a scale of five. Fard means obligatory, such as the daily prayers and the fast of Ramadan. Sunnah means recommended, following the example of the Prophet (ﷺ). Mubah means simply allowed. Makruh means disliked. Haram means forbidden. Whatever is not haram is halal (lawful), and no one may forbid what God (﷾) has made lawful. The Prophet (ﷺ) said the lawful is clear and the forbidden is clear. He taught believers to keep away from the doubtful things between them.
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-”
“Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.”
“O ye who believe! make not unlawful the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, but commit no excess: for Allah loveth not those given to excess.”
“But say not - for any false thing that your tongues may put forth,- "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah, will never prosper.”
Al-Nu'man ibn Bashir heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say that what is lawful is clear and what is forbidden is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that most people do not know. Whoever keeps away from the doubtful matters protects his religion and his honour.
| Ruling | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fard | Obligatory, such as the daily prayers and the fast of Ramadan |
| Sunnah | Recommended, following the example of the Prophet (ﷺ) |
| Mubah | Simply allowed |
| Makruh | Disliked |
| Haram | Forbidden; whatever is not haram is lawful |
Law and morality are one
Islam does not treat law and morality as two things. What is unlawful is also immoral. Moral values do not change with the mood of a generation, because law and morals both come from God (﷾). The Qur'an says God (﷾) perfected the religion in the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ). It also forbids anyone to call a thing lawful or forbidden on his own say. Scholars separate two layers. The Sharia is the fixed commands of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which is the example of the Prophet (ﷺ). Fiqh (the rulings scholars draw from them) can meet the changing needs of each age. But a ruling that contradicts the Sharia is void.
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”
“But say not - for any false thing that your tongues may put forth,- "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah, will never prosper.”
Where Western law and morals part
In most Western countries, the law and the churches' moral teaching have gone separate ways. Canada has had no criminal law on abortion since its Supreme Court struck down the old law in 1988. The Catholic Church teaches that every deliberate abortion is gravely wrong, and forbids it to its members.
The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the abortion section of the Criminal Code. Parliament has passed no criminal law on abortion since.
The Catechism teaches that since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion, that this teaching has not changed and cannot change, and that direct abortion is gravely contrary to the moral law.
Faith, public life and government
Islam does not divide life into a private religious part and a public secular part. Faith guides how a Muslim lives at home, at work and in public life. The work of government may be done by different people from the scholars. The Qur'an speaks of "those charged with authority" beside the Messenger (ﷺ). But every authority stays under God's (﷾) law, and any dispute goes back to God (﷾) and His Messenger (ﷺ). Christians often cite Jesus' words about rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's. Most countries with Christian majorities now have secular governments. Yet the same saying ends "and unto God the things that are God's", and Islam teaches that every part of life is God's (﷾). Wherever a Muslim lives, that same law binds him to keep the law of the country he lives in (17:34).
“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.”
“They say unto him, Cesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cesar the things which are Cesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
“Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).”
Everyday acts can be worship
The Sharia is not only rituals. It covers the whole of life. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that deeds are judged by their intentions. So work, family life and kindness done for God's (﷾) sake become acts of worship.
Umar ibn al-Khattab heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say that deeds are judged by their intentions, and each person receives what he intended. A man who emigrated for worldly gain or to marry a woman has only what he emigrated for.
Parents and neighbours
Most of the Sharia is kept at home and in the street, not in any court. The Prophet (ﷺ) named the mother three times as the one who most deserves a person's good company, and the father after her. The Qur'an commands kindness to parents, to relatives, and to neighbours near and far. The Prophet (ﷺ) said believers must not harm a neighbour, and must be generous to him. He also said that the angel Gabriel kept urging him about neighbours, so often that he thought they would be made heirs.
Abu Huraira reports that a man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who most deserves his good company. The Prophet said: your mother. The man asked three more times who came next, and the answer was your mother, then your mother, and then your father.
“Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;-”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must not harm his neighbour, must honour his guest, and must speak good or keep silent.
Abu Shurayh reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must be generous to his neighbour and generous to his guest.
Aisha reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the angel Gabriel kept urging him to treat neighbours well, so often that he thought Gabriel would make neighbours heirs.
The poor and honest trade
The Qur'an praises those who feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for God's (﷾) sake alone. The Prophet (ﷺ) named feeding people among the best things in Islam. A whole chapter of the Qur'an opens with a warning to those who cheat in trade. The Prophet (ﷺ) said an honest sale is blessed. Once he found wet grain hidden under dry, and he said that whoever cheats is not of him.
“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive,- (Saying),"We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.”
Abdullah ibn Amr reports that a man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) which qualities of Islam are best. He answered: to feed people, and to greet with peace both those you know and those you do not know.
“Woe to those that deal in fraud,-”
Hakim ibn Hizam reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that if buyer and seller speak the truth and make clear the faults and qualities of the goods, their sale is blessed; if they lie or hide something, the blessing of their sale is lost.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) put his hand into a heap of grain for sale and found it wet underneath. He asked the seller why the wet grain was not on top where people could see it, and said that whoever cheats is not of him.
Justice, even against yourself
The Sharia commands justice even when it goes against a Muslim himself, his parents or his relatives. It commands it even towards people he dislikes. The law of the land a Muslim lives in has its own page. The Sharia binds him to keep that law, except where it orders him to sin.
“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”
“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”
Abdullah ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a Muslim must listen and obey those in authority, whether he likes it or not, unless he is ordered to disobey God. If he is ordered to commit a sin, there is no listening and no obeying.
Perspectives
The Islamic perspective
The Sharia is the whole way of life God (﷾) gave through the Prophet (ﷺ). It is mostly worship, ethics and family life, and its aim is to protect faith, life, mind, family and property. The penal code is a small part of it.
The Qur'an calls the religion God (﷾) set for the Prophet (ﷺ) a shari'a, a way to be followed.
Classical law books begin with purification and prayer. They deal with crimes and penalties only after worship, trade and family law.
Al-Ghazali taught that the law exists to protect religion, life, mind, offspring and property.
In Islam, law and morals are one. What is unlawful is also immoral. And the fixed commands do not change from one generation to the next.
Canada has no criminal law on abortion, while the Catholic Church forbids deliberate abortion as gravely wrong. So in the West, the law and the church's morals have gone separate ways.
Islam does not separate religion from the state. Other people may rule, but all authority stays under God's (﷾) law. Wherever a Muslim lives, that law binds him to keep the law of the country (17:34).
Every act is graded as obligatory (fard), recommended (sunnah), allowed, disliked or forbidden (haram).
Any lawful act done for God's (﷾) sake is worship, because deeds are judged by intentions.
The Sharia commands honour to parents and kindness to neighbours.
The Sharia commands feeding the poor and forbids cheating in trade.
The Qur'an commands justice even against oneself and one's family, and even towards enemies.