Women, Muslim Laws and Human Rights in Nigeria Professor Osirim:
What is the meaning of Shari'a law? How can we understand its
implementation in different contexts, given the diversity in the
practice of Islam in Africa and around the globe? What are the
elements of Shari'a that are particularly relevant to the
position of women and gender relations in the African nation(s)
under consideration? Dr. Imam: The word Sharia simply means law
in Arabic. The root word means ‘ the way'. These laws are
commonly held to be divine laws. However, they are not divine
but merely religious, being based on human—mostly
male—interpretations of divine revelation. For the most part the
laws themselves are not directly outlined in the Qu'ran. For
example the prescription of stoning as a punishment for
adultery, is not mentioned in the Qu'ran. It is important to
note that even the oldest schools of Sharia (Muslim
jurisprudence and laws) did not exist until many decades after
the Qu'ranic revelations and the Prophet's death. This