Definition: Sharia is the most fundamental body of Islamic canonical laws derived from four sources:
- The Koran
- The Sunnah, or the customs, everyday habits and religious practices of the Prophet Muhammad as recorded by his companions and family.
- The Hadith, or Ahadith, the recorded actions and teachings of the Prophet not found in the Koran).
- The ijma, or “universal agreement” within the Muslim community that defines what the Koran and the Sunnah mean, although the principle of ijma has come to mean both an opposition to traditional authority and a principle of toleration. It is the principle and source least applied, if applied at all, in modern Islam’s derivation of Sharia.
Sharia was codified in the 8th and 9th centuries. The term originally meant “the path to the watering hole,” meaning the path to God.
Pronunciation: SHA-riYa
Also Known As: The law, "the path to the watering hole," or the "road to a watering place," or "the way to the water source," the water source, in each case, symbolizing God.
Alternate Spellings: shariah, shari'ah, sari'ah, shariat (the latter from Urdu and Peresian spelling).
Examples: In the mid-1980s, the Sudan and Saudi Arabia were the only nations that adhered to Sharia law. Many localities and states within countries (such as Indonesia and Nigeria) have since adopted Sharia, with various degrees of rigidity. In Nigeria, for instance, an austere version of Sharia gave way to a gentler form in 2007.
