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**Kokomoxcv** · 03-24-2011, 01:07 AM

I know that Sharīʿah literally means 'road', and it's often translated as 'Islamic Law' in English.

I believe the translation 'Islamic law' can be misleading to many non-Muslims, who immediately think of law 1 below, i.e. Sharīʿah is inseparable from political theocracy. To my understanding, Sharīʿah is used more often in the sense of law 2 below, i.e. the set of divine rules and guidelines for the religious Muslim community.

path: a course of action or conduct
law 1: the whole system or set of rules made by the government of a town, state or country
law 2: a rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement or authority; a code of principles based on morality, conscience or nature
protocol: a code of correct conduct
code: a systematically arranged and comprehensive collection of laws, a systematic collection of regulations and rules of procedure or conduct

Does Sharīʿah refer primarily to external actions or to an internal path, or to both?

In this light, when explaining to non-Muslims living in non-theocratic countries, do you think it might be more useful to translate Sharīʿah as:

the Muslim code
the path to the Divine
the Muslim code of conduct
the Muslim code of practice

Or am I misunderstanding any fundamental principles?

03-24-2011, 01:07 AM	#1
Kokomoxcv Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 380 Senior Member	Sharīʿah = divine path? I know that Sharīʿah literally means 'road', and it's often translated as 'Islamic Law' in English. I believe the translation 'Islamic law' can be misleading to many non-Muslims, who immediately think of law 1 below, i.e. Sharīʿah is inseparable from political theocracy. To my understanding, Sharīʿah is used more often in the sense of law 2 below, i.e. the set of divine rules and guidelines for the religious Muslim community. path: a course of action or conduct law 1: the whole system or set of rules made by the government of a town, state or country law 2: a rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement or authority; a code of principles based on morality, conscience or nature protocol: a code of correct conduct code: a systematically arranged and comprehensive collection of laws, a systematic collection of regulations and rules of procedure or conduct Does Sharīʿah refer primarily to external actions or to an internal path, or to both? In this light, when explaining to non-Muslims living in non-theocratic countries, do you think it might be more useful to translate Sharīʿah as: the Muslim code the path to the Divine the Muslim code of conduct the Muslim code of practice Or am I misunderstanding any fundamental principles?
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