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sharia

Syllabification: (sha·ri·a)
Pronunciation: /SHäˈrēə/

(also shariah or shariat /-ät/)
Definition of sharia

noun

  • Islamic canonical law based on the teachings of the Koran and the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunna), prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes retributive penalties for lawbreaking. It has generally been supplemented by legislation adapted to the conditions of the day, though the manner in which it should be applied in modern states is a subject of dispute between Islamic fundamentalists and modernists.

Origin:

from Arabic šarīʿa; the variant shariat from Urdu and Persian

sharia in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of sharia in the British & World English dictionary
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