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ISLAM (14)

 

Shari’a Law (2)

Victor M. Eskew

 

            In our last article, we noted that Shari’a Law is the law that establishes and maintains the political and religious system of Islam.  Let’s look into this is law more in this article.  Remember, this law will be the law that will govern any nation that allows Islam to become the dominate force of the nation.

            The word “Shari’a” means “the path to the watering hole.”  In the days of Muhammad, watering holes were essential for the life of the herdsmen and caravan drivers.  The shari’a was the path to the watering hole.  This word was lifted from its physical application and was applied spiritually to the law of Islam.  It is the pathway to be followed.  It the path the believer is to tread.  If it is followed, it will lead one to the source of life.  In the English translation of the Qur’an, the word is translated as “the Way.”  In Surah 45:18, we read:  “Then we put thee on the (right) Way of religion so follow then that (Way), and follow not the desires of those who know not.”  In the Qur’an, there are several derivatives of the word “Shari’a” that are used:  Shara’a (He ordained), Shara’u (They decreed), Shar’atun (Spiritual law), and Sharaun (System of divine law, the way of belief and practice). 

Shari’a law involves the Qur’an, but it involves much more than that single volume.  Hunt Janin and Adred Kahimeyer reveal that it is “a long, diverse, complicated intellectual tradition, rather than a well-defined set of specific rules and regulations that can easily be applied to life situations” (Wikipedia.com, “Shari’a”).  The Qur’an, the Hadith, and the Sunnah are the primary sources of Shari’a law.  Then, there are secondary sources.  Fiqh (knowledge about Islamic legal rulings) jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of Shari’a law to questions not directly addressed in the primary sources.  There are four schools of thought of fiqh within the Sunni Muslims.  There are two schools of thought of fiqh within the Shi’a Muslims.  The scholars with the Muslim religion are also part of Shari’a law.  The consensus of these scholars is embodied in the ijma.  The imams or leaders of the mosques also impact the development of Shari’a law.  Lastly, Muslim rulers can impact the content of Shari’a law within a nation.  A classic Shari’a law text is the Reliance of the Traveller by N. Keller.  The text is a 1,200 page law book written in the fourteenth century that covers numerous topics. 

            Shari’a law is not confined to religious matters.  The following is a list of some of the things addressed by Shari’a law:  purification, prayer, funeral prayer, alms, fasting, pilgrimage, trade, inheritance, marriage, polygamy, divorce, child custody, legal and court proceedings, penalties, apostasy, dietary, liquor and gambling, customs, hygiene, rituals, and dress.  This law gets into very intimate aspects of a person’s life.  It seeks total and complete control of almost every aspect of a person’s life.  In an article about Shari’a law at www.billionbibles.org, we are told:  “As a legal system, Sharia law is exceptionally broad.  While legal codes regulate public behavior, Sharia law regulates public behavior, private behavior, and even private beliefs.” 

            On the same website, numerous laws within the Shari’a law system are listed.  Here is the list that is presented.

 

-          Theft is punishable by amputation of the hands (Quran 5:28)

-          Criticizing or denying any part of the Quran is punishable by death.

-          Criticizing Muhammad or denying that he is a prophet is punishable by death.

-          Criticizing or denying Allah is punishable by death.

-          A Muslim who becomes a non-Muslim is punishable by death.

-          A non-Muslim who leads a Muslim away from Islam is punishable by death.

-          A non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman is punishable by death.

-          A woman or girl who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist.

-          Testimonies of 4 male witnesses are required to prove rape of a female (Quran 24:13).

-          A woman or girl who alleges rape without producing 4 male witnesses is guilty of adultery.

-          A male convicted of rape can have his conviction dismissed by marrying his victim.

-          Muslim men have sexual rights to any woman/girl not wearing the Hijab.

-          A woman can have 1 husband, who can have up to 4 wives.

-          A man can marry an infant girl and consummate the marriage when she is 9 years old.

-          A man can beat his wife for insubordination (Quran (4:34).

-          A man can unilaterally divorce his wife; a wife needs her husband’s consent to divorce.

-          A divorced wife loses custody of all children over 6 years of age or when they exceed it.

-          A woman’s testimony in court, allowed in property cases, carries half the weight of a man’s.

-          A female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits.

-          A woman cannot drive a car, as it leads to fitnah (upheaval).

-          A woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative.

-          Meat to eat must come from animals that have been sacrificed to Allah – i.e., be “Halal.”

-          Muslims are to subjugate the world under Islam (Quran 9:29).

-          Muslims should engage in Tagiyya and lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam.

 

It is difficult for some to understand the control Shari’a law exerts upon the people who are under its jurisdiction.  Sadly, this causes many to fail to take an honest look at the realities of Shari’a law.  Dear reader, once it is enforced, it is too late.  The leaders of the Muslim religion take Shari’a law very seriously.  They are determined to carry it out to the letter.