Shari’ah is a word that can single-handedly create a media storm. It is one of a set of terms (also including fatwa, burka, …) that have made their way into mainstream discourse in the English language without a proper understanding of their meanings.

The term “sharia courts” conjures quite a terrifying image in many people’s minds, combining all the “barbarity” that is assumed of Islamic law with the notion of a “separate law” for Muslims operating in secret enclaves, allowing Muslims to circumvent British law and eventually impose their own way across the British isles!

The simple point that is often missed is that, rather than being a specific legislative code that takes one form only, Shari’ah is understood by Muslims as the law based upon divine revelation, and aspects of this legislation will vary according to place and time, due to the inherent flexibility of Islam. So Muslim scholars obviously have ways of reconciling their place within a society like the UK that is majority non-Muslim and has a basically secular legal system.

While the focus may be on matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, let’s not forget that Muslims also eat, pray and sleep according to the Shari’ah, which is the path through which we seek God’s pleasure in obedience to His guidance, which in turn is for our own benefit.

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