Sharia Essay

905 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The islamic empire chapter 9 world history

Across the world there are countless religions, new and old, each having their own unique traditions and laws that believers abide by. As defined by World History, Sharia, the Arabic word meaning “the path” or “the way”, alludes to traditional Islamic law. (Ellis, Esler, and Beers, 255) Sharia originates within the Koran, the holy book of Islam, which Muslims consider the unaltered word of God. Along with the Koran, Sharia is derived from the teachings and examples set by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, who Muslims view as the perfect man of faith. Muslims believe that God revealed his true conviction to Muhammad, who in turn was to spread the commands of God through the Koran. Between Muhammad’s death in the seventh century and leading up to the tenth century, many Islamic scholars worked to understand Sharia in its entirety, and apply it to the rapidly expanding Muslim Empire of the time (Dunn, 57). Sharia played a key role in uniting the Islamic Empire by serving as the precedent which dictated laws concerning both private and public behavior. Prior to Islam, it was common for the nomadic tribes that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula to worship an extensive number of idols. Also, of these tribes had their own laws concerning marriage, hospitality, revenge etc. As tribes clashed, crimes were not always settled with the same punishments being the final outcome, as laws varied for each tribe (Dunn, 63). This uneven and inconsistent approach to justice caused tension to rise between the tribes, and more conflicts arose. In the early 6th century, Muhammad introduced Islam into the Arab world, and asserted that there was only one true God. Islam demanded that believers obey God’s will and laws (Islamic Law, web). By introducing Isla... ... middle of paper ... ... a key role in uniting the Islamic Empire by serving as the precedent which dictated laws concerning both private and public behavior. As the Muslim empire grew in size and influence, Sharia became more focal, and nearly all Arabs, and certainly all Muslims, looked to the laws for instruction. Plus, due to the large number of conversions to Islam, Sharia essentially became the law of the land. Also, because of the nearly complete allegiance to Islam and the laws which it abided by, fewer conflicts based on morals arose, since Muslims respected the same power and accepted the same laws and beliefs. It was the common recognition of Islam and Sharia that helped Muslims feel unified as a religious front, more so than they did in various tribes with various beliefs. Sharia produced a communal sense of order and aided in establishing a peaceful, productive Islamic Empire.

Show More
Related

  • Usama, The Middle East, and The Crusades

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.

    Read More

  • A History of Tolerance: A Critique of Eurocentrism

    2861 Words  | 6 Pages

    Sixth century Arabia, the home of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was a place of rich cultural diversity. Prior to the rise of Islam, the majority of those living in Arabia were polytheists (Donner, 29). They worshipped various deities, such as astral gods or their own ancestors, with settled societies developing more complex religious practices that involved a single creator god with many intermediary gods (Aslan, 6). The Ka’ba, a site of religious pilgrimage in the city of Mecca that would become central to the Islamic faith, contained three hundred sixty idols representing the many gods recognized throughout the peninsula (Aslan, 3-4). The belief of most sedentary Arabs in one higher god with possible lesser gods existing as well is known as henotheism (Aslan, 8). By the time of Muhammad’s birth, henotheism was widespread in Arabian towns and cities (Aslan, 8)...

    Read More

  • Impact and Significance of Arab Conquests in World History

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the death of Islam was very possible. The Arab conquests were remembered merely as one of the history’s more improbable “might-have-beens”. It may easily have been the end, if not for the decisive action taken by the early Muslim leadership, notably by the first two caliphs (or successors of the Prophet). Like Muhammad

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Religion: Islamic Religion And Islam

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Furthermore, Sharia is not only an arrangement of laws but also the proper way of life, and guidance of Allah. For example, in Sharia there are differences between the various schools of law as to the level of what a woman may wear and reveal in public. (Friedland) The Qur 'an is the key source of the Sharia, both the Qur 'an and Hadith push the thought of modesty in the way women of the Islamic faith dress when in public. In essence Sharia is simply endeavors by Muslims to make an arrangement of common society and administration with equity and

    Read More

  • Prophetic Authority in Early Islamic Civilization: A Comparative Examination

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated

    Read More

  • Islamic Law Case Study

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Islamic law may be hard to understand from a western perspective. There are many similarities, such as the way trials convene, but also many differences. The structure of Islamic Law and what they base their law on is vastly different than our own. In this essay, I am going to cover some of the major topics of Islamic Law. This includes Sharia, and how laws are derived from it. What is Fatwa, and why it is needed. How family practice law works and how it pertains to women. I will then finish with Islamic jurisprudence. Let us begin with Sharia.

    Read More

  • The Fiscal Rescript Of Umar II

    2489 Words  | 5 Pages

    Verily God sent Muhammad "with the Guidance and the Religion of Truth that He should make it supreme over every form of religion, rage the associators of gods with God as they may." [Koran, 9:34] And verily the religion of God wherewith He sent Muhammad is His Book which He sent down upon him, that God should be obeyed therein and that His command should be followed and what He has forbidden be avoided, and that His limits should be upheld and His ordinances observed, that what He has made unlawful should be prohibited, and that His right should be confessed and that men should be ruled by what He has revealed therein. Wherefore whoso follows the guidance of God is guided aright, and whoso turns away from it "he hath erred from the even way." [Koran 2:108] And verity of obedience to God, as He has revealed in His Book, is that all men everywhere should be summoned to Islam and that the gate of emigration should be opened to all the people of Islam, that the alms and fifths should be applied according to the decree of God and His ordinances, and that men should seek their livelihood with their own possessions on land and sea, being neither hindered nor withheld.

    Read More

  • Conflicts in the novel Segu

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    The culture of Islam has its positive aspects, as well as its negative aspects. Islam bestowed many unfortunate people the opportunity to gain more knowledge about their surroundings, and the adversities that they may face on a daily basis. Islam also created alliances, and trade contracts with other surrounding countries, allowing them to receive resources that other religions and groups could not envisage. However, to gain these privileges, Islam had to first fester the lives of many civilians that dared step in its path. Islam not only ruined the lives of people, but it ruined whole kingdoms. Many people felt an...

    Read More

  • Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.

    Read More

  • The Spreadiung of Belief and Religion: Judaism

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    The spreading of belief allows the prophet to gain followers and eventually establish traditions which surround religion, whether it be holidays, ceremonies, or even the manner of death in some extreme cases. Based off the traditions established by these religions, societies soon formed and grew while strictly following the word of god, which, in modern days, has been collected into a single collective book. Three books exist between the religions. The Torah for Judaism, the Bible for Christianity, and the Qur’an for Islam. These books detail a certain creed or code through the use of anecdotes and parables, but are generally boiled down to a list which can vary in size from Christianity’s Ten Commandments to Judaism’s 613 laws, regardless of the rhetoric displayed in the enormous amount of pages written throughout the three texts. These laws are generally simplistic and followable without much thought, unless of course if one is a philosopher, in which case there is always room for questioning. However, Judaism in particular, having 613 separate laws, becomes very specific in their laws which range from what to eat when all the way up to what kind of punishment a man should receive if he has been caught committing a crime. Some of the harsher laws have been repealed or amended, but ascetic courts still exist in closed Jewish society, with some places still following Jewish law to a T (however this practice is rare outside of middle eastern communities where Judaism rules.) And since the topic of Judaism is fresh on the mind, it shall be the first detailed separately from the others.

    Read More

  • Interview With A Muslim

    2097 Words  | 5 Pages

    The two largest religions in the world, Christianity and Islam, were implemented by two of religions most powerful leaders, Jesus and Muhammad. Without question, both Jesus and Muhammad have affected humanity powerfully. As religious leaders both men laid down the principles upon which Christianity and Islam are founded yet today. However, while Jesus performed miracles and arose from the dead, thus proving to his followers he was God, Muhammad performed no such feats, and made no such claims. In fact, Muhammad’s only claim was that he was the last prophet sent from God.

    Read More

  • The Misconceptions About Women in Islam

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.

    Read More

  • Sharia Essay

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sharia’s history can be dated back to 570 CE, in Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad. Muhammad is Islam’s prophet, who unified Arabia into one religious state, by claiming to spread the revelations and word of God. The word of God was then created into the Quran, Islam’s most holy book; Muhammad’s sayings were put into the Hiddath, and his way of life and daily practices, were put into the Sunnah, also both holy Islamic scriptures. These holy books were created after Muhammad’s death, when the tribes of Arabia began to come together underneath one religion, and that was the beginning of Islam, and the birth of Sharia. The Sharia is taken from the Quran, the Sunna, and the Hadith, which are all religious texts.

    Read More

  • Importance Of The Sharia

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sharia law in the life of a Muslim is very important as well. Sharia is the waterway that leads to a main stream for Muslims. Basically, it’s a certain path or passage that ultimately leads to greater things in life. Sharia is based on regulations, values, and teachings. According to sources, “Shariah embraces worship, morals and conduct, as well as it embraces the political, social and economic, as well as other spheres. The Shariah, therefore, is a path - set by Allah for those who accept Him - to follow, in order to attain success both in the worldly life and in the hereafter.” This basically explains in short detail the significance of

    Read More

  • Islam Essay

    1417 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...etween Islam and western civilization. The differences in the belief, rituals, and the culture. Islam has some common features with western civilization. Throughout this paper, the most surprising fact that I found out was the contribution of Islam to the modern world, which were geometry, algebra, geography, physics, science, trigonometry, sine, tangent, and co-tangent. The lesson that I learned from this paper would be about the five pillars. Even though, every single pillar doesn’t apply to me the second pillar which represents prayer was a great lesson to be learned. It also revealed to me how important is the role of prayer in Islam society. Overall, it was a great experience learning about the Muhammad life, Quran, Hijrah, core beliefs of Muslim, contributions of Islam to the modern world, and this research helped me to understand more in depth about islam.

    Read More

More about Sharia Essay

Open Document