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• Sharia
  Sharia

  noun

  law, seen as deriving from the Quran, hadith, ijmaʿ, and qiyas.
• sharia
  sharia

  noun

  the body of canonical law based on the Koran that lays down certain duties and penalties for Muslims

Sharia

American  

[shuh-ree-uh, shah-ree-ah] / ʃəˈri ə, ʃɑˈri ɑ /

Or Shariah,

noun

Islam.

1. law, seen as deriving from the Quran, hadith, ijmaʿ, and qiyas.

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sharia British  

/ ʃəˈriːə /

noun

1. the body of canonical law based on the Koran that lays down certain duties and penalties for Muslims

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Etymology

Origin of Sharia

First recorded in 1855–60; from Arabic sharīʿah “law,” from sharaʿa “to prescribe”

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Explanation

In Islam, sharia is religious law that's based on the Quran. Observant Muslims turn to sharia to help them live morally good lives. The Arabic root of sharia is shari'ah, "revealed law," or more poetically, "the clear, well-trodden path to water." These rules are understood to be revelations from God, and observant Muslims use them as instructions for things like prayer and fasting, but also in areas such as business and legal decisions. In majority-Muslim countries, there are entire sharia legal systems, complete with Islamic jurists who interpret texts and issue guidance and punishment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sharia sharia

Kano has a majority Muslim population and Sharia operates in the state alongside the secular legal system.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Before them stood 112 coffins containing bones and fragments of victims from the Abu Sharia and al-Hasayna families, two branches of the same Bedouin clan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Ahmed Abu Sharia, a member of the extended family of those being buried, told AFP the funeral would at last provide closure for relatives.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Singling out Sharia law feels like it’s just an attempt to kind of fearmonger against Muslims and Islamic religious practices,” Sinnar said.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026

Tradition has it that modern Sharia Nabi Danyal corresponds to the Street of the Soma, ancient Alexandria’s primary north—south byway.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

"JNIM pursues a political-religious agenda, centred on the establishment of sharia law and the rejection of foreign forces, whilst the FLA champions a territorial and autonomist agenda, centred on Azawad," he said.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

Minister Khalid Hanafi said it was the government's "responsibility to guide the nation to have an appearance according to sharia", or Islamic law.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

Under Iran's Islamic sharia law, imposed after the 1979 revolution, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures.

From Reuters ● Apr. 8, 2023

But in Pakistan, leaders including the Islamic-law expert Muhammad Taqi Usmani said lab-grown meat could be permissible if the cells used to create it came from animals slaughtered in compliance with sharia standards.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023

After the imposition of sharia, the Taliban became even bolder.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

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