Praise be to Allah Who deserves all praise and thanks, Peace and the blessings of Allah be upon the master of humankind, Prophet Muhammad, his infallible household, the righteous among his companions and those who follow the right path till the Day of Judgement.
Certainly, Allah the Most High, is the main source for Islamic laws which are distinguished from man-made laws, whether made by a single man or drafted by a body of men and approved through public vote.
Indeed, Public vote or referendum on man made laws does not grant them legality as long as these laws contradict the Divine Laws revealed through heavenly Scriptures.
Therefore, what the Islamic Shari'ah decrees as 'lawful' or 'unlawful' is not according to people's whims and fantasies but according to the commandments of Allah, the All Knowing and All-Wise, Who created man from sperm, and knows what is in the interests of His creatures, and what harms their body and soul.
The laws of Allah were revealed to all Divine Messengers in different eras and geographical places, in accordance with the intellectual progress of a society, and reached their perfection through the Glorious Qur'an and its universal message.
Therefore, the Shari'ah as the legal code of Islam is called, is not bound by time and place and is designed to cater to the different needs of the human race till eternity. The Holy Qur'an which contains the fixed sanctions is to be supplemented by the genuine traditions of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) for the practical implementation of the Shari'ah. Thus the dynamism of the Shari'ah, on one hand, declares clear and fixed 'Particular laws' and on the other, presents 'General Laws' through which qualified juriconsult experts known as mujtahids in Islamic terminology, arrive at a decision.
In the light of this 'Legislative Reality', the Shari'ah accompanies and follows not only the development stages of 'Life Reality' for an individual or a society, but also anticipates and ably resolves all future developments through its simple, deep and fairly wide mechanism by giving judgements in all fields of life.
Another merit is that Islamic law gives the mukalaf (one who is of age responsible for Islamic obligations) a proper perspective of the right to talk, listen, or abstain. In other words, it acquaints him with the Almighty's judgements and laws, and makes him practically mould his acts and behaviour accordingly.
Al-Balagh Foundation presents 'Islamic Laws' to its dear readers, humbly imploring Allah the Most High, to make it a step towards the spreading of Islamic culture and ideology.
Al-Balagh Foundation