Explaining Sharia as a Systematic and Integrated Order

Abstract

The present study aims to explain Sharia as a systematic and integrated order. The central issue is whether Sharia should be regarded merely as a collection of separate legal rulings and obligations or as a coherent, purposive structure characterized by internal relations among doctrinal foundations, ethical values, and practical rules. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the study examines the anthropological, epistemological, and methodological foundations of the systemic character of Sharia. The findings indicate that this systemic character rests on several interrelated foundations: human nature as the stable basis of the addressee of Sharia, guidance as its unifying purpose, the harmony between creation and legislation, the hierarchical relationship among principles, values, general rules, and particular rulings, and the reciprocal connection among belief, morality, and conduct. Accordingly, individual legal rulings cannot be fully understood in isolation from the broader purposes and foundations of religion; rather, each ruling acquires its complete significance through its position within the comprehensive structure of guidance. This perspective also provides a framework for reconciling stability and change in Sharia, since the stability of foundational principles, purposes, and values can coexist with changes in subjects, social circumstances, and forms of implementation. Methodologically, recognizing Sharia as a system requires expanding the horizon of ijtihad beyond the derivation of isolated rulings toward the analysis of relationships among rulings, general principles, purposes, and their systemic consequences. Systematic jurisprudence should therefore not be regarded as a substitute for conventional ijtihad, but as a complementary level of inquiry aimed at uncovering the internal logic of Sharia and reconstructing the relationships among its constituent elements. This approach ultimately presents Sharia as a unified system of guidance in which knowledge, morality, and practice are integrated within a coherent normative structure.