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Lesson 1: Shari'ah Law (Islamic Law) In this article you will learn about The Islamic Law, its Nature and Significance. The ritual practices (5 Pillars of Islam) such as:


 * Testifying that there is no God but Allah (swt) and Muhammad is His Messenger (Shahadatayn)
 * The daily Prayers (Salah)
 * Almsgiving or (Zakat)
 * Fasting during the month of Ramadhan (Sawm)
 * and Pilgrimage to Mecca(Hajj)



Shari'ah Law

The religious law of Islam is seen as the expression of God’s command for Muslims and, in application, constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon all Muslims by virtue of their religious belief. Known as the sharīʿah (literally, “path leading to the watering place”), the law represents a divinely ordained path of conduct that guides Muslims toward a practical expression of religious conviction in this world and the goal of divine favour in the world to come.

===     It is an Islamic Law, that is the ideal law of God as interpreted by the Muslim scholars over centuries aimed towards justice, fairness, and mercy. There are various grades of approval and disapproval in Sharia Law, it covers all human actions, and it is applied in given circumstances. Sharia is the body of revealed laws found in both the Qur'an and Sunnah. ===

Nature and Significance of Islamic Law In classical form, the sharia differs from Western systems of law in two principal respects. In the first place, the scope of the sharia is much wider, since it regulates the individual’s relationship not only with neighbours and with the state, which is the limit of most other legal systems, but also with God and with the individual’s own conscience. Ritual practices—such as the daily prayers (ṣalāt), almsgiving (zakāt), fasting (ṣawm), and pilgrimage (hajj)—are an integral part of sharia law and usually occupy the first chapters in legal manuals. The sharia is concerned as much with ethical standards as with legal rules, indicating not only what an individual is entitled or bound to do in law but also what one ought, in conscience, to do or to refrain from doing. Accordingly, certain acts are classified as praiseworthy (mandūb), which means that their performance brings divine favour and their omission divine disfavour, and others as blameworthy (makrūh), which has the opposite implications. However, in neither case is there any legal sanction of punishment or reward, nullity or validity. The sharia is thus not merely a system of law but also a comprehensive code of behaviour that embraces both private and public activities.

The second major distinction between the sharia and Western legal systems is a consequence of the Islamic concept of the law as the expression of the divine will. With the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632, direct communication of the divine will to human beings ceased, and the terms of the divine revelation were henceforth fixed and immutable. The overall image of the sharia is thus one of unchanging continuity, an impression that generally holds true for some areas of the law, such as ritual law. However, revelation can be interpreted in varying ways, and, over time, the diversity of possible interpretations has produced a wide array of positions on almost every point of law. In the premodern period the ʿulamāʾ (Muslim religious scholars) held a monopoly over interpretation of the law, but since the 19th century their monopoly has been challenged by Westernized elites and laypeople. The question of which interpretations become normative at any given time is complex. Early Western studies of Islamic law held the view that while Islamic law shaped Muslim societies, the latter had no influence on Islamic law in return. However, this position has become untenable. Social pressures and communal interests have played an important role in determining the practice of Islamic law in particular contexts—both in the premodern period and to an even greater extent in the modern era.

 The Five Pillars of Islam  The belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam. This phrase, written in Arabic, is often prominently featured in architecture and a range of objects, including the Qur'an, Islam's holy book of divine revelations. One becomes a Muslim by reciting this phrase with conviction.

Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a recitation of the opening chapter (sura) of the Qur'an, and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat used expressly for this purpose. Muslims can pray individually at any location or together in a mosque, where a leader in prayer (imam) guides the congregation. Men gather in the mosque for the noonday prayer on Friday; women are welcome but not obliged to participate. After the prayer, a sermon focuses on a passage from the Qur'an, followed by prayers by the imam and a discussion of a particular religious topic. In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their income to community members in need. Many rulers and wealthy Muslims build mosques, drinking fountains, hospitals, schools, and other institutions both as a religious duty and to secure the blessings associated with charity.

During the daylight hours of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, all healthy adult Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink. Through this temporary deprivation, they renew their awareness of and gratitude for everything God has provided in their lives—including the Qur'an, which was first revealed during this month. During Ramadan they share the hunger and thirst of the needy as a reminder of the religious duty to help those less fortunate. Every Muslim whose health and finances permit it must make at least one visit to the holy city of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. The Ka'ba, a cubical structure covered in black embroidered hangings, is at the center of the Haram Mosque in Mecca. Muslims believe that it is the house Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) built for God, and face in its direction (qibla) when they pray. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, believers from all over the world have gathered around the Ka'ba in Mecca on the eighth and twelfth days of the final month of the Islamic calendar.

Book: Islamic Jurisprudence

Shamsy, Ahmed El and Coulson, Noel James. "sharia". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Dec. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shariah. Accessed 25 March 2023.

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