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Islamic Sharia Law And Sufism

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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

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