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”

Example Sentences

Sharia, often called “sharia law” by those on the right, refers to a set of Islamic religious laws, with multiple interpretations that have been invoked in a variety of political strains, ranging from pro-democracy to fundamentalist movements.

From Salon

In the hearings, which even featured some Republicans questioning whether such a law was needed, supporters of the ban cited claims brought by an Arizona resident, who said that he heard from a real estate agent that the hypothetical Qatar City would be a community governed by sharia.

From Salon

It is blamed on a group referred to as "Al-Shabaab" by locals and authorities -- despite no known link to the Somali jihadist group -- that seeks to impose Sharia law in Cabo Delgado, a neglected outpost that has become fertile ground for radical ideology.

From Barron's

A client he had been travelling with to a sharia court hearing was among the 18 dead, Sajili said.

From Barron's

Meanwhile, another insider told the BBC that Akhundzada, who had started out as a judge in the Taliban's Sharia courts of the 1990s, was becoming "even more rigid" in his religious beliefs.

From BBC