An honest question on Shariah

I realise this is hugely open to individual interpretation but I'd like to know the intricacies of how shariah works instead of constantly seeing one group of nutters shouting about it and another group of nutters shouting it down as a knee jerk response. I've realised in all of this I have no idea what it would actually look like or what it entails so to dismiss in its entirety would be foolish.

Pretty sure that for an idea to be embraced by so many it must have merit in some areas and offer things that our current systems don't, so I'd be keen to hear from anybody in the know as to what we can take from it in the west that would benefit us as a society.

This isn't meant to be argumentative or confrontational and I'd appreciate it massively if we could just have a rational discussion on it although I realise this may not be the best place to do it.

I don't have any awnsers for you but a comment, in my experience any idea can be forced to you, it just depends on the extremes the ones in power are willing to go to endoctrinate you, if that idea is all you know why would you even question it.

I hope someone says something on the topic, sorry

a reply to: Indigent

I hope so too but I can understand why people might not want to get involved on either side.

Wikipedia has a good general definition sharia law and what it means in Islam:

[sharia] is the basic Islamic legal system derived from the religious precepts of Islam, particularly the Quran and the Hadith. The term sharia comes from the Arabic language term sharīʿah, which means a body of moral and religious law derived from religious prophecy, as opposed to human legislation.

Sharia deals with many topics, including crime, politics, marriage contracts, trade regulations, religious prescriptions, and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, everyday etiquette and fasting.

I wish I could post more but I'm not very knowledgeable about Islam. Hopefully this basically explains the general definition of sharia.

Wikipedia link

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015

I am annoyed by the constant numbers of nutters who post silly questions on ats instead of researching the answer for themselves

Seriously those types will believe whatever the mainstream view teaches them, that or what those they are inclined to trust due to popularity
Imagine if people were smart enough to search google for the pros and cons of sharia and then make a balanced decision based on what they have learned

a reply to: Raggedyman

Its interesting, if all the people that ask goes to google instead of asking somewhere, google wouldnt have any awnser, new content have to be generated somewhere, why not in ATS, what if someone comes with a unique awnser not found anywhere else?

After all, it's not like is a useless topic about other people's avatars...

What is Bad

answering-islam.org...

Whats is good

islamicsupremecouncil.org...

But what you will find is some muslims will say its good and other religions will say its bad so if you have half a brain you will study it for yourself instead of letting faceless internet who knows what persuade you to believe they have probably been told by other faceless internet nobodys with no intelligence to search out a reasonable answer for themselves

Its tragic I need to explain the obvious

a reply to: Raggedyman

Ive tried Google and Wikipedia, I'm looking for specific instances of where it would progress the legislative framework of western democracy, not generalities.

The rest of your input is not really what I was looking for but have a nice day anyway.

a reply to: Raggedyman

your so annoyed u must comment on the very thing that annoys you? sounds you got the troll virus

originally posted by: MagnaCarta2015
I have no idea what it would actually look like or what it entails

It looks like a pile of severed limbs, mashed heads from being stoned to death, blood and insanity.
If a woman is raped, it's her fault and she is killed/punished!
Gays are murdered. Atheists are murdered.
Shariah law is barbarism at it's most insane!
Easy to recognize!
Xtians seem to want their version!

originally posted by: namelesss

originally posted by: MagnaCarta2015
I have no idea what it would actually look like or what it entails

It looks like a pile of severed limbs, mashed heads from being stoned to death, blood and insanity.
If a woman is raped, it's her fault and she is killed/punished!
Gays are murdered. Atheists are murdered.
Shariah law is barbarism at it's most insane!
Easy to recognize!
Xtians seem to want their version!

Somehow, I don't think that is completely accurate.

a reply to: namelesss

So what's the Christian version?

The reality is I didn't like the patronizing tone considering the op doesn't know anything

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: namelesss

So what's the Christian version?

Seriously?
You know nothing of what is going on in Amerikkkan politics and 'Xtianity'?
Seriously?

The reality is I didn't like the patronizing tone considering the op doesn't know anything

If you have a problem with the OP, take it up with her.
If you don't like 'my' tone (or her's), don't stress, it will pass...

a reply to: namelesss

That's not an answer
Though seriously I don't see anything going on in your system, just see a progression of leaders or wanna be leaders calling themselves Christian to get the top job
I see very little Christianity in your country, mine as well

So the answer goes begging

Just so you know, I did take it up with the op, did you miss that?

a reply to: Raggedyman

I'm not sure whether you're qualified to assess what I do and don't know or why you feel patronised by asking a question that requires nuanced, subjective and varied answers given the extent and degree of implementation of Shariah across different Islamic nations and sects differs massively.

It's a theme of contention amongst Islamic scholars themselves, so while you apparently feel like you're spoon feeding me answers that I'm not intelligent enough to grasp you are yet to provide anything tangible in regards to the original question.

a reply to: namelesss

I'm a guy lol I dunno where I gave off the impression that I'm not, its all good though.

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015it's pretty much what fundie christians would do if they could... a theocracy. It varies from country to country, Iran probably the worst. It's probably not the way we would choose to live but it could be worse.

a reply to: namelesssgot proof?

a reply to: MagnaCarta2015

I'll answer you.


1. "Shariah" is simply Islamic law. All Islamic law must be compliant with the Qur'an, though it can also come from Hadith, Sunna, and different interpretations & rulings over time. There are many different forms of Shariah law, and you'll see why once you've finished reading the other points.

2. To understand the basis of Islamic law, I'd suggest you read the Qur'an FIRST. Believe it or not, many Muslims have never read the Qur'an in its entirety, just as many Christians have never the Bible in its entirety. Either way, this will help you understand what Islam is supposed to be about because nothing can override the Qur'an. And if something overrides the Qur'an, it's against Islam.

In my sig, I have a link to an online version of the Qur'an, Pickthall translation. I recommend the Pickthall translation for English speakers because it flows very well & is easy to understand. Note: The Qur'an is divided into 114 revelations called Surahs, and they vary drastically in length. Starting with the 2nd Surah, the Qur'an is basically organized from longest revelation to shortest revelation (meaning you can finish reading the last 10 Surahs in a matter of minutes, as they're about a paragraph long each).

3. Sunna & Hadith are supposed to be the teachings & traditions of the Prophet Muhammad & his Companions. There are several collections of Sunna and Hadith that are nearly universally accepted as "authentic". But there are also various other collections that are only accepted by specific denominations & schools of thought ("schools of thought" are basically sub-denominations).

Differences in interpretations of Hadith & Sunna are some of the biggest causes of the rifts in Islamic communities. For example, one denomination may interpret a Hadith one way, then find quotes in the Qur'an that justify that interpretation. But if another denomination or school of thought rejects that Hadith or interprets that verse in the Qur'an differently, they'll reach a different conclusion.

4. Rulings & interpretations over time. Just like with any other religion, different Islamic sects & denominations can change their interpretations over time. Sometimes older rulings are used as precedence for newer rulings, though there are always going to be "purists" that reject these rulings and refer only to the basic scriptures. In many ways, I'm a "purist" like this.


An important thing to note here is that the Qur'an is pretty short compared to the Bible. And there are a lot of things that simply aren't mentioned in the Qur'an, such as circumcision & the Antichrist/Dajjal/Armilus. My belief is that the things not mentioned in the Qur'an simply don't matter or aren't true. But other denominations clearly don't believe that. So this is also a point of difference between many Islamic sects, because they use Hadith & Sunna to "fill in" or "rationalize" other practices that aren't mentioned in the Qur'an. And remember, as long as it doesn't override the Qur'an, those denominations can accept it as fair game.

As an example: Football. Is it against the Qur'an? If ruled yes, it's forbidden to Muslims. If ruled not, is it against Sunna &/or Hadith? If ruled yes, it's forbidden to Muslims that accept the Sunna & Hadith used to justify that ruling. If ruled not, is it against other traditions & previous rulings? If ruled yes, it's forbidden to the Muslims who accept those traditions and rulings. If not, you get the point. The other catch with this example is "who is qualified to make such a ruling?", which opens up another can of worms because different denominations & schools of thought have different answers to this, too.

Once you've taken everything I've said into account, you can probably see why there are many different versions of Shariah law. Just as there many different rulings & interpretations among different Christian, Jewish, and Hindu communities. Either way, I'd recommend you start with the entire Qur'an and then go from there. And remember, if something overrules the Qur'an, it isn't Islam. We believe the Qur'an is God's literal teachings, so how can the words of humans override the words of God?

a reply to: enlightenedservantI have read about a quarter of the Qur'an and it is very interesting, it's more centered on morality and simplifying, or re simplifying Jesus message which had become pagan by Catholicism and Mohammeds Prophethood seems acceptable and apparent to me personally. Evidently the Catholic church gave specific praise of Islam at one time, for their veneration of the virgin Mary so I don't quite know what to make of that. They see her more as Isis so it's confusing.