Sharia is a part of Islamic law, derived from the Quran and traditional teachings, and covers a wide range of areas, including religious rituals and social interactions. Modern legal systems are mostly based on secularity and state legal control, and there are significant differences between the two. This article will explore how Shari'a differs from modern law to help readers understand the complexity of this issue and its impact on today's society.
Sharia, which literally means "way to water," is an important concept in Arabic that symbolizes the religious law of the Islamic faith. Sharia law is composed of various classical texts, including the Quran, hadith, and theological opinions. The Islamic legal system is composed of four main sources: Quran, Hadith, Popular Consensus and Analogical Reasoning >.
Sharia also has another dimension, involving religious ethics and personal behavior standards, which makes it applicable not only in the legal field, but also touches all aspects such as ethics, etiquette and lifestyle.
Unlike Sharia, modern legal systems are mostly secular, enacted through legislative bodies based on the will of the people. These laws are designed to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens and are defined and applied based on social consensus. Modern law emphasizes modifiability and is constantly adjusted and evolved with social changes.
The core of the legal system lies in an important principle - no one is above the law, which is in sharp contrast to the sacred and immutable laws emphasized in Sharia.
Although Sharia's scope of application differs significantly from modern law, in some Muslim-majority countries it still retains its place in family law and some criminal laws. The intersection between these two legal systems has triggered much discussion in many aspects, especially how to balance the contradiction between religious beliefs and secular law.
In contemporary society, certain provisions of Sharia law (particularly regarding the rights of women and minorities) have been criticized because they may conflict with modern notions of universal human rights. This has led to reinterpretations of Sharia in some Islamic societies in an attempt to make it compatible with modern values.
The differences between Sharia and modern law reflect differences in ideological, cultural and historical backgrounds, which give each of them its own unique challenges and opportunities in contemporary society. With the accelerated development of globalization, Islamic society is faced with the contradictions and difficulties in how to reconcile tradition and modernity, and this is worth pondering for each of us: How can we better understand the relationship between law and morality amid such changes? What about the balance between?