1. Shari‘a The Path to the Oasis
Session RELS

2. What is shari‘a?
“[In Islam] there is no church, no separate institution or body distinct from the rest of society charged with conveying God’s will, or the Prophet’s teachings, to the ordinary believer… The term shari‘a applies to much more than law in the strictly legal sense. It includes the details of ritual, as well as a whole range of customs and manners, although local customary laws are also recognized. Shari‘a literally means ‘the way to the watering place’: the Qur’ānic use of the term suggestively combines the notions of a vital means of sustenance in this world and access to the divine realm of the world to come. The law is there both for the purpose of upholding the good of society and for helping human beings attain salvation. Interpretations of the law may vary in accordance with time and place, but the Shari‘a itself is considered a timeless manifestation of the will of God, subject neither to history nor circumstance.” (M. Ruthven, p. 73)

3. “In accordance with time and place”:
Schools of Islamic law

4. Why and how? – Succession of Prophet’s responsibilities
– Learned clergy; caliphs and caliphate

5. Major Caliphates Rightly Guided Caliphs Umayyad (661–750)
Abu Bakr (632–634)
Umar (634–644)
Uthman (644–656)
Ali (656–661)
Umayyad (661–750)
Abbasid (750–1258)
Ottoman (1517–1924)
abolished by Kemal Ataturk (l.)

6. What shari‘a covers Torts and compensation Contracts
criminal law
civil law
Contracts
Family rights, obligations
Wills
Property
Commerce
Finance
Government policy
Dietary specifics
Personal morality
Hygiene
Professional conduct and obligations
Dress and comportment
Social etiquette

7. Sources of authority 1. Qur’ān 2. Hadith 3. Analogical reasoning
4. Consensus of ummah

8. Hadith
“X heard from Y who heard from Z who heard [saw] the Prophet say [do]…”
Z is a Companion of the Prophet
Science of hadith authentication
Compilations and “denominations”

9. Categories of Action 1. Required 2. Recommended 3. Neutral
4. Discouraged
5. Prohibited