Scope of Islamic Law
Nov 02
Question – What is Islamic Law composed of?
- Shariah:
- Quran
- Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad
- Sunnah, literally means path.
- The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad consists of his sayings, actions, approval and disapprovals.
- Fiqh:
- Collection of juridical opinions given by various jurists as they pondered over the day-to-day application of Shariah
- Fatwa:
- Legal opinions (typically non-binding) issued by qualified jurists.
- Usually provided as an answer to a specific question.
One Islamic Scholar (Ibn al Qayyim (d. 1347) said, “Shariah is based on wisdom and achieving people’s welfare in this life and the afterlife. Shariah is all about justice, mercy, wisdom, and good. Thus, any ruling that replaces justice with injustice, mercy with its opposite, common good with mischief, or wisdom with nonsense is a ruling that does not belong to the Shariah even it is claimed to be so according to some interpretations.”