English Reference

Word

sharia

US/ˈʃɑɹiə/

UK/ʃˈeəɹiɐ/

Definition

n. the system of religious laws that Muslims follow, based on the Quran and other holy writings.

n. the canonical law of Islam based on the Quran and the Sunnah and traditional interpretations of these sources.

Examples

“The local community follows sharia for matters of marriage and inheritance.”

“Legal scholars often debate the interpretation of sharia in the context of modern civil law systems.”

“The application of sharia varies significantly across different nations, ranging from a purely personal moral guide to a comprehensive framework for a country's judicial system.”

Examples

simple

“The local community follows sharia for matters of marriage and inheritance.”

contextual

“Legal scholars often debate the interpretation of sharia in the context of modern civil law systems.”

complex

“The application of sharia varies significantly across different nations, ranging from a purely personal moral guide to a comprehensive framework for a country's judicial system.”

Usage

Often used with a capital letter (Sharia), though lowercase is also common in general writing.

Teaching tip

In English, this is almost always used to refer to religious law; the sense of 'a street' is extremely rare and usually only found in direct translations of Arabic addresses.

Real-World Examples

“In reality, sharia is a broad set of religious and ethical principles , not a fixed legal code.”
The Conversation · 31 Aug 2026
“The Taliban came into power saying they had changed, but many of their policies are similar to the hard-line interpretation of Sharia - Islamic religious law - they imposed in the 1990s.”
BBC News · 24 Aug 2026

Synonyms

Islamic law

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
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English Reference