There are few different branches of Islam but the two most prominent branches are Sharia law and Sufism. Sharia law and Sufism both seem to contradict each other. Sharia laws are the Qur’anic rules for the tangible world. The law includes predetermined punishment and rewards for actions, clearly defined by the Qur’an. It also has a spectrum of the lawfulness of actions, ranging from required to forbidden. Sufism, however, takes a more mystical approach to the practice of Islam. Sufism focuses on rejecting the material world and becoming one with God through self-annihilation. Despite the difference, I argue Sharia law and Sufism can be reconciled because although one person cannot practice both at the same time, but both versions of Islam …show more content…
For example, if one is accused of drinking alcohol, there has to be a witness to the act--just a smell in one’s breath wouldn’t be enough to prosecute (Rushad, 534). However, skeptical Muslims question if drinking alcohol is completely forbidden or only drinking to the point of intoxication. Some also brought up cases such as someone dying of thirst taking a sip of alcohol. Would this still be punishable? Problems like these are where Islamic scholars known as Muftis come and try to give a solution based on their Qur’anic knowledge (Hallaq, 9).
Islamic laws can controversial at a times due to ambiguity of Qur’an. When Muslims are not sure about Sharia law they usually ask a Mufti. Mufti, after considering the issue, then issue a Fatwa, “a legal answer to a question a Mufti was asked to address” (Hallaq, 9). For example, theft is committed when something is taken from its appropriate safe place. One might ask what is considered a “safe place” and Muftis will issue a Fatwa identifying what qualifies as a safe place. Muftis determines punishment for Hudud based on the Qur’an (citation). For example, the punishment for theft is the cutting off of one’s hand, which raises the question of what is considered a hand. Is it up to one’s wrist, up to one’s elbow, or up to one’s shoulder? Given the vagueness of the Qur’an, Muftis will study it thoroughly before issuing a Fatwa. While Muftis place much emphasis on textual analysis of the
Lesley Stowe, the founder of Lesley Stowe Fine Foods, and her management team are faced with a critical decision of selecting an Enterprise Resource Planning system. In the early stages of her business, Lesley created a cracker that she named “Raincoast Crisps”, which was one of the reasons why her business grew across Western Canada. In 2012, she created six new flavours of the “Raincoast Crisps” and further expanded her business to “Power Cookies”, allowing her company to compete in industries such as the meal replacements. This rapid expansion has developed into a considerable headache in terms of collecting and processing data information at a larger scale. The current state of her SaaS ERP platform is unable to support the volume in that the LSFF is distributing, which is draining resources indefinitely. Employees are operating the
Since Ahmad Baba points out that Islamic law permitted a Muslim to raid and enslave non-Muslims, do you think that the non-Mulsim Mandinka (Mandingos) would have considered it justifiable to enslave Ayuba, since he was a Muslim?
The unmentioned aspects are the parts that are open for interpretation, while the mentioned have definite meanings and are accepted by all. It is universally agreed upon by all Muslims, from many generations, that some Laws are apparent thus anyone who disputes those Laws is clearly wrong. All people seem to be united by the concept that certain Laws are indispensable and forever applicable, while others can be extended beyond just what is stated. The extensions of these Laws are also subject to criticism. Although interpretations are an option, the original idea of the Law must not be lost in the process of thought.
A rule making body issues authorative shari’a auditing standards for all Islamic banks and other Islamic businesses and it will be the most effective way to eliminate problems within the Islamic economy. The most effort to develop a body of consistent standards for shari’a audits has been undertaken by
Lecture seven illustrated Islamic Sufism; provided a variety of manifestation regarding the terminology of Sufi-Islam. The word Sufism may be manifested from a negative perspective, which therefore perceived as a hocus pocus tradition or a fictional Islam. This portation on Sufism came from various polemics and negatived perspectives on Islam. Some claimants upon Sufism is that Sufi sheiks or practitioners function the principles of Islam differently than other Muslim sects. These perceptions attempted some people to manifest it in a derogative way; to accuse it of plagiarism. However, Professor Asani stated that these manifestations were perceived differently, because of the initial illustration of Sufism, which emerged from Western Scholarships
This law called, “Sharia” was known to “cover all aspects of practical and spiritual life, providing legal principles for marriage contracts, trade regulations, and religious prescriptions such as prayer, pilgrimage rites, and ritual fasting,” (Worlds Together Worlds Apart, 326). While these “aspects of practical and spiritual life” didn’t cover all legal questions, they provided a set customs for the Muslim world to follow. These customs gave Muslim people an idea of how they could live a life pleasing God and adapt a lifestyle that could be successful given that God was pleased. This idea of following the guidelines God has for his followers has been carried out since the beginning of the foundation of Islam and other faiths.
Furthermore, many radical Islamic groups believe that man-made laws are shirk and they are not too be bound by them (Quintan Wiktorowicz, 2006). Moreover, the only laws that have a sense of legitimacy in the eyes of radical Islamist is Sharia law (Quintan Wiktorowicz, 2006). Which is believed to be law directly passed down from Allah. In addition, radical groups such as Al-Muhajiroun believe that all actions, decisions and deeds are an act of praise and worship as long as it follows sharia. Conversely, any deviation from the fundamentalist teachings of Islam is considered sin against God (Quintan Wiktorowicz, 2006). Therefore, according to radical Islamist those who do not follow the strict interpretations of Islam are doomed to burn in the fiery pits of hell, while those of follow such teaching will see paradise (Quintan Wiktorowicz, 2006). Radical Islamist groups use this basic principle to keep their members in check. It is also important to note that each Radical Islamist group believes only it can offer its members the True path to salvations and all other groups are false (Quintan Wiktorowicz, 2006). This ideology is based upon a passage in the Hadiths that states “And this Ummah will divide into 73 sects all of which will go to hell and they are those who are upon what I and my
It may be mentioned here that Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim-majority country in the world. Most scholars believe that the majority of the population of this country embraced Islam through the influence of the Sufis (mystics, holy men), and also through the influence of the non-Sufi preachers. Bengal officially came under Muslim rule in 1204 by the conquest of the Turkish general Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji. Available historical artifacts show that the people of Bengal, especially those in the coastal areas of the region, were introduced to Islamic traditions centuries before the Turkish invasion. Historical evidence also shows that some Sufis visited and settled in other parts of Bengal too. Among the pioneering Sufis was
The Muslim faith is required to obey God and his messenger which is the highest authority in Islam. Sufism is a little different in a sense that it focuses on more the binding orders of free thought and personal discretion. Sufis hold a number belief in relation to God and those in Al-Hulool, Al-Ittihad, Wahdatul-Wujood (TCN). Al-Hulool which believe in God and dwells in creation, Al-Ittihad this belief which incorporates the creation as one, united in one presence. And Wahdatul-Wujood is the belief that denotes one should not differentiate between the creator and its creation (TCN). These beliefs strongly and often controduct the Muslims belief of one God and only one God. These Sufi doctrines are not that far from other belief systems like Hinduism or Christianity in the idea of recreation. After the fall of the muslim orthodoxy from the power in the center of india due to the invasion of Timur (TCN). This was when Sufism became free from the grasps of Muslim orthodoxy and started to include Hindu saints that were often influential. The Sufis adopted Monism and the
Islam handles the legal, ethical, and social aspects of mankind. The Shari’ah is the way, the God wants human-being to live the life to earn the paradise. “The Shari’ah divides all acts into five categories: those that are obligatory (wājib); those that are recommended (mandūb); acts toward which the Divine Law is indifferent (mubā); acts that are reprehensible or abominable (makrūh); and those that are forbidden (harām).”(Islam 77) The Shari’ah can be found in Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah. The second section, “The Spiritual Path: The Sufi Orders and the Doctrinal and Practical Teachings of Sufism”, he discussed Sufism. Sufism is about the remembrance and mentioning of Allah. The life of Sufi is based on the life of prophet. Sufis try to live life like prophet did. After that he talked about the history of Sufism. The third section,” Islam, Iman, Isān”, he defined Islam, Iman, and Isan. “The first means “surrender,” the second, “faith,” and the third, “virtue” or “beauty.”(Islam 87) he described this as hierarchical structure. Those who have strong faith in Allah, are called mu’min. Nasr gave an example of Gabriel. Once Gabriel came Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and asked him. What is Islam, Iman, and Isan? Nasr concluded by pointing out the importance of these special
Islam is not just a religion or system of theological thought, but it is the primary source for creating legal norms, guidelines, and demands in order to adhere and devote one’s life to Islam. Islamic doctrine delineates between acts of martyrdom and what the Western world describes as terrorism. Islamic jus in bello, or the laws of waging war, clearly outlines actions that can and cannot be justified according to Islam when engaged in war. Historical Islamic definitions of jihad in modern society have been redefined and interpreted in order to justify suicide attacks despite Islamic texts indicating otherwise.
The Muslim religion had originated from the prophet Muhammad who claimed to have been visited by Gabriel, one of God’s angles, who supposedly exposed the words of God to Muhammad. Because of these events with the interaction between the angel preaching the words of God to Muhammad, it later fashioned the Qur’an which is known today as the Islam Bible. The word Islam and Muslim refers to surrendering to the almighty God and his laws. Soon after, the development of the Sharia was underway. The Sharia, known as Islamic law, sparked the development after the nomadic tribes in the Arabian Peninsula worshiped and adored many gods. Each Arabian tribe has their own system of laws focusing mainly on matrimony, hospitableness, and retribution. The Qur’an, which was fashioned from the angel’s preaching’s to Muhammad, had morals of human behavior which thus began the Islamic law known as Sharia. The Sharia essentially contains laws that benefit men and cripples the almost all
Sufism has influenced many Muslims, and is, especially in the West, portrayed and regarded as a valuable and legitimate part of the Islamic faith. Fazlur Rahman, in his work Islam, says that “considerable ink has been spent by modern scholarship on the ‘origins’ of Sufism in Islam, as to how far it is ‘genuinely’ Islamic and how far a product, in the face of Islam, of outside influences, particularly Christian and Gnostic.”4 Rahman seems to hint that some of this ink has been wasted, as he concludes that “outside influences must have played an accessory role and these no one may deny, but they must have supervened upon an initial native tendency.” However, aside from a vague
As Sufism had become more and more public to the masses, many Sufis themselves became nervous of the degradation of their spiritual discipline and its embodiment by charlatans posing as Sufis. In the introduction of his Epistle on Sufism, al-Qushayri presents these developments as the reason why preservation of previous Sufi figures and a codification of the states and stations became necessary. He wrote, “Know...that the majority of those true Sufis have become extinct and, in our age, nothing is left of them but their traces...This [Sufi] path has been overcome by weakness, nay the path has in fact completely disappeared” (al-Qushayri 2). Furthermore, one of the groups that appeared to be appropriating and corrupting Sufism was the antinomians and libertines. In his critique, The Idiocy of Antinomians, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) blasted the “false Sufis,” who claim to be Sufis but completely disregarded Islamic law, for “they freely
The Quran tenets encompass various life aspects that include God’s teachings, the way of harmonious living in the community, moral virtues, the regulations on financial matters, and specific obligations among Muslims males and females. In general, the sharia law is an extended platform that provides guidance on family affairs, criminal judgment, political perception, and economic factors. The law thrives on the precepts of religious attributions to God. Since the emergence of sharia law, various Islamic nations have endorsed most or parts of the