Sharia Essay

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Across the world there are countless religions, new and old, each having their own unique traditions and laws that believers abide by. As defined by World History, Sharia, the Arabic word meaning “the path” or “the way”, alludes to traditional Islamic law. (Ellis, Esler, and Beers, 255) Sharia originates within the Koran, the holy book of Islam, which Muslims consider the unaltered word of God. Along with the Koran, Sharia is derived from the teachings and examples set by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, who Muslims view as the perfect man of faith. Muslims believe that God revealed his true conviction to Muhammad, who in turn was to spread the commands of God through the Koran. Between Muhammad’s death in the seventh century and leading up to the tenth century, many Islamic scholars worked to understand Sharia in its entirety, and apply it to the rapidly expanding Muslim Empire of the time (Dunn, 57). Sharia played a key role in uniting the Islamic Empire by serving as the precedent which dictated laws concerning both private and public behavior. Prior to Islam, it was common for the nomadic tribes that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula to worship an extensive number of idols. Also, of these tribes had their own laws concerning marriage, hospitality, revenge etc. As tribes clashed, crimes were not always settled with the same punishments being the final outcome, as laws varied for each tribe (Dunn, 63). This uneven and inconsistent approach to justice caused tension to rise between the tribes, and more conflicts arose. In the early 6th century, Muhammad introduced Islam into the Arab world, and asserted that there was only one true God. Islam demanded that believers obey God’s will and laws (Islamic Law, web). By introducing Isla... ... middle of paper ... ... a key role in uniting the Islamic Empire by serving as the precedent which dictated laws concerning both private and public behavior. As the Muslim empire grew in size and influence, Sharia became more focal, and nearly all Arabs, and certainly all Muslims, looked to the laws for instruction. Plus, due to the large number of conversions to Islam, Sharia essentially became the law of the land. Also, because of the nearly complete allegiance to Islam and the laws which it abided by, fewer conflicts based on morals arose, since Muslims respected the same power and accepted the same laws and beliefs. It was the common recognition of Islam and Sharia that helped Muslims feel unified as a religious front, more so than they did in various tribes with various beliefs. Sharia produced a communal sense of order and aided in establishing a peaceful, productive Islamic Empire.

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