Sources of Isalamic Law

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(i) Primary Source of Law: Quran According to classical theory, the Quran is the first source of law. Its importance is religious a spiritual, no less than the law, A verse (Ayat) of the Quran is always held of paramount authority. The Quran although resembles a code, in that it derives all its authority from itself, yet it does not in any portion of it, profess to be a code complete in itself. The Quran was revealed to Prophet through Gabriel in fragments, during the period of 22 years (609 A.D. to 632 A.D. after Christ). Either God would send message or Prophet would put his queries and would in turn get a reply in the form of message. All these messages (Verses - Ayats) were memorised by the Prophet (he was illiterate and did not know reading and writing) and then by his followers. His followers also had put down the memorised verses (messages) on Date-tree or palm tree leaves, white stones and even on their breasts. Abu Bakr who succeeded Prophet sought for the Quran and collected it for the first time. The compilation work was finally completed by Usman, the Third Caliph and he put them in book form, the Quran. All the transcripts now existing are from Usman's edition and since then there has been no alteration. Probably no other work in the world has remained for centuries so pure a text. There are 6000 verses (Ayats) set out in the Quran in order of revelations. 200 of them deal with law and only 80 of them deal with personal law. It is alleged by Shias that Usman has suppressed the revelations about Ali. (ii) Primary source of Law: Sunna (Traditions of Prophet) According to classical theory of Fiqh, the second source of law is Sunna or the traditions of practice of the Prophet. The principles laid down in Quran found their way in the hands of the Prophet. The Prophet lived strictly in accordance with the injunctions of the Quran and his was the Model
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