The Religions Book

272

GOD GUIDES

US WITH

SHARI‘A

THE PATHWAY TO HARMONIOUS LIVING

I

n Islamic thought, to submit

oneself to God’s guidance

(islam means submission)

is the mark of a true Muslim. To

help followers navigate life in ways

that are pleasing to him, God has

offered a pathway known as shari‘a,

meaning literally “the road to the

watering hole.” In the context of

Arabia’s deserts, a road to water

is a great treasure and, similarly,

shari‘a is the pathway, by God’s law,

to harmonious living. It is a system

of ethics and a science of law (fiqh)

that is meant to govern humankind

and guide everything people do.

This system required sources to

refer to, and, early on, Muslims relied

on Muhammad’s revelations (the

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Abu ‘Abdallah Muhammad

ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i

WHEN AND WHERE

767–820 CE, Arabia

BEFORE

1500 BCE The Torah records

the Ten Commandments:

religious and ethical laws

given to Moses by God.

7th century CE The Prophet

Muhammad receives the

revelation of the Qur’an;

his sayings and actions are

passed down by his followers.

AFTER

c.14th century Ibn Taymiyyah,

an Islamic scholar, issues a

fatwa against the Mongols for

not basing their laws on shari‘a.

1997 The European Council for

Fatwa and Research is founded

to assist European Muslims in

interpreting shari‘a.