Shari‘a
Shari‘a
This chapter discusses the shari'a, the sacred law of Islam. Law is an essential feature of revealed religion in both the Qur'an and Islamic thought in general, and the term shari'a is used with reference not only to Islam but also to Judaism and Christianity, because all three are conceived as having a divinely given law. According to later jurists, 500 verses of the Qur'an, treat legal subjects, including matters relating to prayer, fasting, alms, pilgrimage, permitted food, marriage, divorce, inheritance, slavery, and trade. This represents roughly one-thirteenth of the sacred text. The chapter covers the law in the books; the source of the law; the two institutions that contributed to making the law central to Islamic societies and creating continuity over space and time: the madhhab, or the legal school and the madrasa, or college of law; legal education and careers; caliphs; judges and muftis; the impact of modernity; and political Islam.
Keywords: Islamic law, Islam, Muslims, shari'a, Islamic political thought, sacred law, divine law
Princeton Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.