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Im not a Muslim and I haven't read the Quran. But I've heard Sharia is not present in the Quran. Ok here's my understanding of Islam-
Islam had a founder/prophet called Mohammed who received revelations from God and whatever revelations he received is recorded in the Quran. So islam is confined to Quran. Now since I've herd Sharia is not present in the Quran it wasn't taught by Mohammed and since Mohammad did not teach Sharia, he must have never received any revelations that contained Sharia law. So on that token Sharia isn't Islamic. But why do most muslims including Islamic scholars and imams call Sharia an "Islamic law"?

And moreover the Quran asks muslims to follow the law of the land. Even Australian imam Tawhidi and other Islamic reformers ask muslims not to follow Sharia.

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  • Why is this question downvoted?
    – Xlam
    Jan 3, 2018 at 9:00
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    Could be because its all hearsay, and you've not made any effort to verify your assumptions or researched into the topic. Almost all assumptions on which the question rests are false. Several verses of the Quran detail personal and private law, including legal punishments e.g fornication, theft, retaliation, banditry etc. and personal laws such as inheritance, marriage, divorce etc.
    – UmH
    Jan 3, 2018 at 9:43
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    Your generalization that the Quran tells Muslims to follow "the law of the land" and ignore Islamic law is incorrect, there is no exact verse which says that, rather it says that follow shariah and do not follow people's desires e.g. 45:18 and 5:49.
    – UmH
    Jan 3, 2018 at 9:43

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Islam is not wholly confined to the Qur'an. Other major influences include:

  • The behaviors, sayings, etc., of the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., hadith.

    This is the most influential source outside of the Qur'an, and there are commonly accepted sharia regulations which are not mentioned in the Qur'an (e.g., a women not praying when she has her menses).

  • The behaviors, sayings, etc., of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the sahabah.

  • History and culture during the advent of Islam.

  • How early scholars have made rulings.

  • Common sense.

Islamic laws (sharia) is generally derived from the Qur'an and ahadith, and we use other evidence to ensure it's been interpreted accurately. Consequently, it's misleading to say "sharia is not present in the Qur'an". E.g., the sharia prohibition on the consumption of alcohol (and other intoxicants) is in e.g. Qur'an 2:219.

Sharia ranges from the routine (e.g. pray 5 times per day) to dramatic (e.g., qisas). Most aspects of sharia can be considered routine; it's everyday things such as behaving appropriately when interacting with others. More dramatic aspects should go through a sharia court system.

(See also What is Sharia Law?)


Regarding Tawhidi: he's not an authority in Islam.

Imam Mohammad Tawhidi: The problem with the media's favourite Muslim writes:

In a letter, Al-Mustafa International University said:

"In spite of given warnings and notifications, the above-named person did not take heed of them each time and had not satisfactory academic record in his courses … he was placed on probation and [dropped] out on March 27, 2012 … the aforesaid person has no educational degree (or any given score) in his profile … Al-Mustafa University does not recommend Mohammad Touhidi for lecturing in any way. Accordingly, he has no competency to do religious activities or to preach sermons."

Welcome to the Weird World of Australia's 'Fake Sheikh', Mohammad Tawhidi writes:

Tawhidi is not recognised as an Imam or Sheikh by either the Australian National Imams Council or its South Australian equivalent, nor is he affiliated with any Australian mosque or prayer centre.

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    What about "law of the land"? Does it contradict with Sharia law? And how should the verse containing "law of the land" be interpreted?
    – Xlam
    Jan 3, 2018 at 9:03
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    Indeed, to my knowledge, Sharia requires Muslims to obey the law of the land. I'm not aware of any local laws which requires someone to violate sharia, but if it does occur, Muslims are encouraged to move to somewhere where they can legally practice Islam. (PS. It's best to ask one question per question to avoid this problem.) Jan 3, 2018 at 9:08
  • How can the behaviours of Muhammad be considered as Islamic? As per my understanding, Islam is what Muhammad received as revelations from god. And how does that include his behaviour?? (correct me if im wrong) And doesn't the Quran contain all the revelations received by Muhammad. So that one has to look outside Quran?
    – Xlam
    Jan 3, 2018 at 9:20
  • That's a lot to answer in a comment. In short, Muhammad is highly knowledgeable about Islam. Furthermore, many Muslims consider him free of sin, which would mean anything he is recorded as doing is lawful. (Feel free to ask more questions; this is a question and answer site, after all. It works best if they're specific and focused.) Jan 3, 2018 at 9:21
  • Ok I'll ask them as separate questions. Thanks
    – Xlam
    Jan 3, 2018 at 9:23

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