The following paragraph is copied from Wikipedia:
There is no strictly static codified set of laws of sharia. Sharia is
more of a system of how law ought to serve humanity, a consensus of
the unified spirit, based on the Qur'an (the religious text of Islam),
hadith (sayings and doings of Muhammad and his companions), Ijma
(consensus), Qiyas (reasoning by analogy) and centuries of debate,
interpretation and precedent.
My own experience, especially my attempts to discover what a Shariah
Law Code might really contain, confirms this statement. Yet many
Muslim-dominated countries (or, in the case of Nigeria, states) claim,
in so many words, that their law code is the Shariah. Many Muslims
have claimed the right to refuse to do anything contrary to the
Shariah. Such claims, it seems to me, are meaningless if not sup****ted
by clear definition of what they mean by the Shariah.
Is there any possibility of the Muslim world - in so far as it can be
recognized - agreeing on a definition of Shariah Law, or on a finite
number of definitions one of which a Muslim can use to define Shariah
Law?
It seems to be possible, even probable, that the answer to this
question is No.
If the answer is No then I believe that that fact needs to be
emphasized in public debate. If the answer is Yes then I believe that
it is imperative for the definition, or definitions, of the Shariah be
publicly agreed on so that questions about it can be meaningfully
debated.
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