Sharī`a << shuh REE uh >> is the legal and moral code of Islam. Muslims believe that the Sharī`a (also spelled Sharīah, Sharī`ah, or Sharīa) is divinely inspired. It is the law of the land in the Islamic countries of Saudi Arabia and Iran, and it exerts great influence in other Islamic countries and cultures. Sharī`a is an Arabic word that originally meant a path to a source of water, which suggests purity and nourishment. It has come to be understood as The way that leads to God.
The Sharī`a is a system of morals, religious observance, ethics, and politics. It covers both religious and nonreligious aspects of life. For example, the Sharī`a includes guidelines on how Muslims wash, eat, pray, maintain friendships, conduct business, and govern. In religious matters, the interpretation of the Sharī`a has remained largely unchanged over the years. But in social, political, and cultural affairs, it has undergone considerable interpretation by generations of Islamic scholars.
The Sharī`a is based on several sources. The most important are the Islamic holy book called the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, which is the example demonstrated by the sayings and acts of the prophet Muhammad. The Sunnah is preserved in written collections called the Hadīth. For the majority of Muslims, the nature of the Sharī`a is determined by ijmā`, which is a general agreement of views among religious scholars. However, among followers of the Shī`ah division of Islam, the guidance and example of certain leaders called imams is considered more important.
The formal method for determining points of practice and procedure according to the Sharī`a is the discipline of fiqh (law). This discipline and the basic interpretations of the Sharī`a developed during the second and third centuries of Islamic history. That period corresponds to the A.D. 700’s and 800’s.
See also Islam (Teachings and practices) ; Qur’ān .
