FIRST REMINDER. Thursday. 26th day of Shawwaal. UNDERSTANDING THE TERM SHARI'AH IS OUR TOPIC TODAY IN SHAA ALLAH. Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem. The buzzword these days is Shariah As several countries scramble to pass legislation to outlaw Shariah, a hyped fear and persistent confusion surrounds this loaded term. Most people who speak passionately against Shariah do not, in reality, understand it and often reduce it to merely a penal code. Shariah is an integral part of Islam. It is often defined as ‘Islamic law,’ causing one to assume that it consists mostly of criminal rulings and penalties. However, Shariah encompasses much more than the conventional understanding of law. While Shariah provides the legal framework for the foundation and functioning of a society, it also details moral, ethical, social and political codes of conduct for Muslims at an individual and collective level. Islam is a faith that every prophet sent by Allah (Mighty God) preached to his people, culminating in the message brought by the final prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the 7th century through the Arabian Peninsula to mankind worldwide. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam called people towards the belief in one God and encouraged them to be just and compassionate to one another. In the holy Quran, Allaah explains that HE sent Muhammad as a source of mercy for humanity: “And your Lord ALLAH have not sent you, [O Muhammad, except as a mercy to the worlds.” (21: 107). His mandate for mercy is symbolic of the overall message of Islam. The Quran states, “O mankind! There hath come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your hearts, and for those who believe, a guidance and a Mercy.” (10:57). In the same spirit, the essence of Shariah is also characterized by mercy and compassion. The very purpose of Shariah is to facilitate the individual and the community to establish a relationship with God and one another. Its rules and regulations are designed to benefit and protect all members of the society. God declares in the Quran, “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin…” (4:135). According to Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 1350), one of the great scholars, “The Shariah in its entirety is justice, mercy and benefit. So any issue that leads from justice to injustice, or mercy to its opposite, or benefit to harm, then it is not from the Shariah, even if someone thought that it is. To be continued in shaa Allah (God Willing). May Allah keep guiding us all and protect us from any satanic influences. Aameen.