Understanding Shari'ah -2

Assalaamu alaikum [peace be to you],

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UNDERSTANDING SHARI'AH:
Man's relationship to God is expressed by the very word Islam-submitting to Him by following His will and guidance as brought by His prophets. A Muslim submits his entire person to his Creator as his only Lord and Master. No part of his life can be exempt from the need of divine guidance or from the writ of divine sovereignty. God and His lordship and sovereignty are indivisible; and so is man's life in its submission to Him.

In its fullest sense, the Shari`ah is virtually synonymous, and can be used interchangeably, with the word deen, which can only inadequately be translated as "religion." Deen literally means "way of life," "submission," "following," or the "way." Though the word Shari`ah in its various derivative forms is found in five places in the Qur'an, its extensive use only came into vogue much later, for the words Islam and deen were more commonly employed to express the same meaning in the early days of Islam.

The Shari`ah includes both faith and practice. It embraces worship, individual attitude and conduct, as well as social norms and laws, whether political, economic, familial, criminal, or civil.

It may also sometimes be used to imply, in a more restricted sense, do's and don'ts-the rules and regulations for conduct and behavior. Lastly, it is also used as the equivalent of the Islamic laws.

The Shari`ah is thus nothing less than the divinely ordained way of life for man. To realize the divine will, man must follow the Shari`ah. To live in Islam is to live according to the Shari`ah. To give up the Shari`ah or any part of it knowingly, willfully, or deliberately is to give up Islam. A Muslim must therefore do his utmost to observe and to implement the whole of it, wherever and in whatever situation he finds himself. Hence the Muslim insistence, persistence, commitment, and passion for it.


WHAT ABOUT HUMAN FREEDOM AND DIGNITY?
The act of total submission to God in accordance with the Shari`ah given by Him in no way diminishes human dignity, freedom, and responsibility. The act of submission is the highest act of human volition and freedom, for it implies freedom to disobey God. Indeed, in submitting to God, all the chains and shackles of every form of serfdom, servility, and bondage are broken, whether they be to other men, to ideas, to nature, to man-made objects, or to institutions. For before the affirmation of One God must come the forsaking of every false god.

More importantly, total submission to God elevates man to the state of khilafah, (viceregency), whereby he is accorded the highest place on earth by being endowed with reason, articulation, volition, freedom, and responsibility. The responsibility to follow the Shari`ah according to the Qur'an, is the fulfillment of amanah, the trust which even the heavens, the earth, and the mountains dare not bear.

To be continued...

In the next article, in sha'Allah, I am going to explain the sources of Shari'ah.


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I hope this was beneficial


for more about Shari'ah, please read my other article:




If I am right, it's from the God. if I am wrong, it's from myself.