ISLAM IS… ISBN 0-9719158-0-6 Copyright ... - Islam Tomorrow

Islamic LawIslamic law is derived only from the Qur'an and the Sunnah ofthe Prophet Muhammad (). Like the Qur'an, the Sunnah is aninspired revelation from God. Islamic law covers all aspects oflife. It deals with how to worship God and how to deal with others.God commands the believers to do certain things and bansthem from doing others. God alone, The All-Knowing, TheJust, has the right to make some things lawful and other thingssinful and forbidden. An Islamic society can legislate any laws forthe improvement of life (e.g., traffic laws) as long as they are notin contradiction to Islamic law. God, The Guide and The Director,encourages some things without commanding them anddiscourages some behaviors without prohibiting them outright.All of these injunctions, taken together, form the law of Islam.When we add the fact that there are issues that Islamic law considerssimply permissible, this results in five basic rulings underwhich every human action can be classified:1. Obligatory2. Encouraged3. Permitted4. Discouraged5. ForbiddenIslamic law is of divine origin. The reason we obey these laws isbecause God commands us to do so. We are encouraged to understandthe wisdom behind the law, yet we are expected to obeyeven when we do not fully understand the reasons why. Understandingis an added gift. For example, eating pork is forbiddenbecause God made it so. We refrain from eating it for that reason,and not because we also happen to know scientifically that itcontains unique diseases and is the least healthy meat. Even if45