In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
The word شريعة
(Sharia) is bandied around, all over the world, even without knowing what it
really means. Non-Muslims consider it to be a sinister, medieval code of
harsh laws. Muslims themselves are responsible for this perception! Some of the
Muslim countries have made it obligatory for men to have long beards and for women
to have a complete head to feet covering in public, and such other archaic
laws, as part of شريعة. Such archaic laws
are not part of the Qur’aanic شريعة.
The شريعة as understood by those Muslim countries is
based, on man-written books, published long after the death of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him).
In the Qur'aan, this word is
mentioned in Verse 45:18 whereby Prophet Muhammad was informed that he himself
was created with the divine code of conduct inherent in him. This code of
conduct, inherent in the Prophet, is the Message of the Qur'aan! So, شريعة must be explored
within the Qur'aan itself! Seeking its meaning outside the Qur'aan has led the
Muslims astray.
What then is the Code of Conduct (شريعة) laid down in the Qur’aan?
Summarised, for the sake of this
short article, the essentials of this Code are as under:
1. Belief in Allah.
2. Belief in the Qur'aan
being a Message from Allah.
3. Belief in the Hereafter.
4. Standing firmly for justice
and truth.
I would elaborate on the essentials
above as under:
The Universe and everything therein
are so intricately and intelligently interlinked that the concept of their
coming into being of their own accord, is just nonsense, even from the scientific
point of view! From the same point of view, it would be nonsense to say that
their creators are more than one.
The Unitary Power that created
everything is called Allah in Islam. The Power could be called by any other
appropriate name.
Allah has sent mankind to this earth
for testing their eligibility for an everlastingly happy life in the Hereafter.
There is another life after death, which is the Hereafter. Only those will be
eligible to be happy there who have led شريعة
lives here, at least during the last phase before death. The others go to Hell
there!
The dos and the don'ts in the
Qur’aan constitute the شريعة. The dos are all good
things like truthfulness, honesty, kindness, sympathy, and ways and means to
cultivate these. And the don'ts are all bad things like theft, treachery,
oppression, dishonesty, falsehood, and ways and means employed for their
perpetration.
People are urged to boldly stand for
justice and truth even when it goes against their own selves or their near and
dear ones.
Much ado is raised about the
punishment of cutting a hand for theft (Verse 5:38). In the very next Verse
(5:39), the perpetrator of the crime is pardoned if he/she repents and makes
amends. The provision of a harsh punishment serves only as a deterrent. Only a repeater
of the crime may suffer the harsh punishment. Even then it must be remembered
that this punishment can be awarded only by a State governed strictly under
Qur'aanic شريعة. In such a state, the
judge would be an Allah-fearing person, who would not award the harsh
punishment unless he is sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that the person
concerned has indeed committed the crime. So, this is a case of much ado about
nothing!
Question is also raised as to why a
daughter inherits only half the share of a son, under the شريعة. Those who raise this question do not know that in Islam, the
responsibility of bearing the family expenses is on a male member and not on a
female. Moreover, a wife gets shares in inheritance both from her parents' side
and from the husband's side. A husband gets inheritance only from his parents'
side. And there are other aspects to this issue that are beyond the scope of
this short article.
In Islam, sexual enjoyment is
restricted within the bounds of marriage. Taking this outside these bounds
generate many evils that would be bad for a good human society. The Qur'aanic شريعة has therefore put certain behavioural and
dressing norms to avoid sexual provocation in public. But these norms do not
prevent females from acquiring education or doing any normal Societal work in
public as wrongly professed in some quarters.
The Qur'aanic شريعة, in short, is designed to generate a free and secure society
for all mankind - even for those who do not believe in Allah, in the Qur'aan,
and in the Hereafter. They will be dealt with by Allah Himself in the
Hereafter. No earthly authority has any power to punish them for that unless
they indulge in some crime against their fellow human beings.
It is not very important to have a
high position in the life of this world. What is important is to qualify here
for a place in Paradise. There is no harm in trying to get some important and
fair position on this earth, but that should be done by fair means, not foul.
Mohammad Shafi
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