HUMA 1845 Lecture Notes - Lecture 55: Muamalat, Fard, Mubah
6 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
The arabic noun shari"a means threaded way and a path towards water. Shari"a is most commonly translated as islamic law. While this translation is correct, one must keep in mind that shari"a is much more than law, in the traditional sense of that word. Because shari"a includes rules and regulations as well as moral recommendations and principles, it is much wider in scope than law, which only deals with the former. Shari"a provides rulings on the basic moral values and practical duties of muslims. Shari"a encompasses two broad sets of regulations: a) regulations dealing with muslims" duties toward god (ar. ibadat), and b) regulations governing human relations (ar. mu"amalat). Human acts in both areas of ibadat and mu"amalat are classified into five categories: obligatory duties (ar. fard and/or wajib): these are obligatory duties and acts which are required of all muslims (prayer, fasting, etc. )
