شريعة
Sharīʿa
The path of God: the ethical and legal way set out in the Quran and the Prophet’s example.
What it means
The word first meant a path to water, and the Quran uses it for “a clear way” (45:18). Most of it concerns worship, honesty, family and contracts. Scholars also describe its aims: protecting faith, life, reason, family and property.
It is not a single written code. Rulings are worked out by jurists (see fiqh), and the schools differ on many points.
Often misunderstood as
That sharia means a fixed list of harsh punishments imposed on everyone.
What the sources say
The fixed punishments (ḥudūd) are a small part of the whole and are hedged by strict proof. For adultery the Quran demands four eye-witnesses (24:4, 24:13), and false accusation is itself punished. Jurists held that such penalties are to be avoided where there is doubt. Muslims also differ widely on whether and how a modern state should apply any of it.