The Way (Al-Sharia)

Abstract

The Sharia is not only the expression of the universal principles of Islam but the framework and the thinking that makes for their actualization in human history. There can be no Sharia without a corpus of fundamental principles that set, beyond contingencies of time, a point of reference for faithfulness to the divine will. In Europe and in North America, as soon as one pronounces the shahada, one is already in the process of applying the Sharia, not in any peripheral way but in its most essential aspects. This practice and moral awareness are the source and heart of the Sharia, which is personal, faithful commitment. Beyond that, the Way itself exerts its own influence more comprehensively, with regard to the guidance that marks the elements or the actions.