NAJCIĘŻSZE PRZESTĘPSTWA SZARIATU (‘HUDUD’) W ŚWIETLE UWAG ZAWARTYCH W KLASYCZNYM PODRĘCZNIKU ‘UMDAT AL-SALIK’ AL-MISRIEGO

Abstract

Islamic jurisprudence is one of the sources of information on Sharia law, alongside the Quran and the Sunnah. The Umdat al-Salik is a manual of this sacred law composed in the 14th century by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, and it is one of the most trustworthy works of the Shaf’i school of law. Its English translation by N.H.M. Keller has been acknowledged by as Islamic authorities invaluable and reliable, and it has also earned the recognition of the governments of several Muslim countries. Al-Misri’s manual contains regulations concerning the hudud, the most serious offences under Islamic law. Hudud crimes directly offend Islam and the Muslim community as a whole, and are punishable on the grounds of Allah’s will. Hence the source of their penalization must always be the Quran or the Sunnah. A judge has no discretion in selecting a penalty for a hudud crime, because it is prescribed in the sources and is immutable. Te hudud crimes are adultery (zina), the bringing of an accusation of adultery without producing the required statements from witnesses (qadhf), theft (sariqa), armed robbery (hirabah or tariq), drinking alcohol (khamr), rebellion against the caliph (baghy) and apostasy (riddah).