REL 137g 1st Edition Lecture 10 Current LectureIslamic LawArabicThe major languageNo one could be a scholar or an authority without mastering ArabicThe Koran and haddith is in Arabic; Sunna in ArabicInsistence on Arabic is a part of the refusal to play telephoneAn obsession in Islam Part of the Classical SynthesisAll debates and differences of opinion happen in Arabic Shari’ah“Islamic Law”Much broader than what westerners generally think of “law”Law - rules backed by earthly sanctions, punishments Court and judges that make decisions Distinct limits to the law Areas in which the law must stay out of Personal rights Does not recognize difference between secular and religiousTherefore, it has no limits Regulates every aspect of human life Even things that have no earthly sanctionEating porkThere is another worldly sanction but no earthly sanction ShirkAssociating divine power, quality with something other than God The only unforgivable sin in IslamAll others are redeemableKufr“Unbelief”Not atheist Rejecting message of the prophetJust as unforgivable People cannot be persecuted for actions as long as they have faith in God and nothing elseThe legal, moral, spiritual, liturgical and inspirational dictates and exhortations of God, as they exist in the divine mind and are communicated through divine revelation.Main bodies of revelationKoran and the SunnaAll this revelation must be interpreted by human beings who do not have divine protection from error like Muhammed didThey are fallible, A human understandingFiqhShari’ah and Fiqh make up Islamic lawFiqh is dealt with on a daily basisCharacteristicsPluralistic (Not unanimous consent)Development of orthodox schools of lawHariafMalikiShaf’i’HaribaliEqually orthodox and authoritativeNot a relationship of mutual exclusivityOverlapping ideals They agree on certain things but disagree on other issues Must distinguish between the view and a
View Full Document
Unlocking...