---
title: "What Does Sharia Mean? | Islam Is Mercy"
description: "Sharia means God's guidance for life in Islam — covering worship, ethics, family, business and justice. It is much more than criminal law."
lang: en
url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/sharia/
---

1.  [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/)
2.  [Glossary](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/)
3.  What Does Sharia Mean?

# What Does Sharia Mean?

Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review

## The short answer

Sharia means "the path" — God's guidance for how to live, drawn from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It covers worship, ethics, family life, business and justice. Most of it concerns everyday personal practice such as prayer, honesty and kindness, not punishments.

## On this page

1.  Meaning
2.  How Muslims use it
3.  Example

**Sharia** (Arabic: الشريعة) is pronounced *sha-REE-ah*.

## Meaning

In classical Arabic, *shari’ah* originally referred to a clear path leading to water — a vivid image in the desert, where water means life. In Islam it is the path of guidance God has given for every part of life. The Qur’an uses this very word:

> ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَٰكَ عَلَىٰ شَرِيعَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ فَٱتَّبِعْهَا وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٨﴾

> Then We put you, \[O Muhammad\], on an ordained way concerning the matter \[of religion\]; so follow it and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know.

[Qur'an, Al-Jaathiya 45:18](https://quran.com/45?startingVerse=18&translations=20)Saheeh International

Sharia comes from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Scholars work to understand and apply it, and that human effort is called *fiqh* (understanding). Because people reason differently, there are several respected schools of thought that differ on details — while agreeing on the essentials. Scholars have long explained that the Sharia aims to protect five things: faith, life, intellect, family and property.

## How Muslims use it

When Muslims say they follow the Sharia, they usually mean praying, fasting, eating halal food, being honest in business and treating their families well. Criminal law is only a small part of it, and its rules come with strict conditions and a strong emphasis on mercy and doubt in favour of the accused. Much of the fear around the word comes from misunderstanding.

## Example

*“Following the Sharia, for her, means praying on time and being fair to everyone she deals with.”*

To learn more, read [Justice in Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/justice-in-islam/) and [Where Muslims Differ, and Why It’s Okay](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/where-muslims-differ/).

## Key takeaways

-   Sharia means the path of guidance God has given.
-   It is drawn from the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
-   Most of it concerns everyday worship and ethics, not criminal law.

## Share this article

[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Does%20Sharia%20Mean%3F%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsharia%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsharia%2F&text=What%20Does%20Sharia%20Mean%3F)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Does%20Sharia%20Mean%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsharia%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsharia%2F)

## Sources

-   [Qur'an, Al-Jaathiya 45:18](https://quran.com/45?startingVerse=18&translations=20)

## Talk to a Muslim

Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement.

[Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/)

## Keep reading

[Islam's View On…

### What Does Islam Say About Justice?

Justice is a command of God in Islam — owed to everyone, rich or poor, friend or enemy, even when it goes against yourself or your own family.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/justice-in-islam/)[What Muslims Agree On

### Where Muslims Differ, and Why It's Okay

Muslims agree on the foundations of Islam but differ on many details. Here is what is fixed, what scholars legitimately debate, and why that is normal.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/where-muslims-differ/)[Glossary

### Sunnah — Meaning and Use

The Sunnah is the way of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — his words, actions and example — and the second source of guidance in Islam.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/sunnah/)