Read Journeys, chapter 12

Read Dialogue, chapters 11, 23

Shari’a is Muslim law

1. Shari'a means the path to the watering hole.

1.1 The law explains the sunna (way) of the Prophet Muhammad for every area of life. The Shari’a is based on four sources.

• The Quran is the primary source of authority. The ‘ulama (theologians) have the responsibility to explain and apply the Quran.
• The Hadith that describe the sunna of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The Hadith are an important source of authority because Muslims believe that Muhammad lived according to the teachings of the Quran. There are several respected systems of hadith, but the most comprehensive system is that of Bukhari (died 870 A.D.) that contains 9,082 hadiths in 97 books.
• The art of qiyas (analogy). When the Quran or the Hadith do not give specific instructions about a matter, then the ‘ulama use analogies to interpret and apply the Quran. For example, the Quran prohibits charging interest when loaning money; the theologians might make an analogy in another area of human relations by prohibiting exploitation of a poor person in any way.
• All decisions are made through the process of ijma (consensus). It is the community of the ‘ulama, not just one person who has the ultimate authority, to interpret and apply the laws of God. These decisions should be made in consensus.

1.2 Fiqh is the gift of wisdom and insight based upon knowledge of the Quran and Hadith. It is through fiqh that the Muslim community discerns how to apply the Shari’a.

1.3 The process of interpretation and consensus that went into developing the Islamic systems of law is known as ijtihad (interpretation of Muslim belief and practice based on insight and consensus).

1.4 Through ijtihad the Sunni Muslims have developed four schools of Shari‘a (law) which carefully define Muslim belief and practice. These systems of law were developed within three centuries of the life of Muhammad. The four Sunni schools of Shari‘a are: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, and Hanbali. (The Shi’a have developed alternative systems of law.)

1.5 After the Shari‘a systems were developed, the Sunni Muslims concluded that the door of ijtihad is closed. This means that further development of Islamic law within the Sunni community is not possible. So the role of the ‘ulama has changed; they do not develop new systems of law, but rather seek to apply the systems of law that were developed some thousand years ago.

1.6 The Sunni insistence that the door of ijtihad is closed is based upon the doctrine of bid’ah, no innovation or change. This can bring deep tensions into Muslim communities. How does a community insist on bid’ah in a changing world?

1.7 Among the Shi’a Muslims, the door for ijtihad has remained open; this is because the imam is viewed as having special authority to give new interpretations to Islamic law.

2. The Holy Spirit empowers the Christian to live according to the Law of Christ

2.1 The Messiah and the Holy Spirit

2.2 The Holy Spirit in Christian experience

2.3 The Holy Spirit and cultural questions

2.4 The Holy Spirit and proselytizing or conversion