--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's crucial distinction that has to…" description: "\"There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between the Shari'a, which is this hugely expansive vision of cosmic order that I've been describing, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/sadakat-kadri-20613_arguing_there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to_26928.jpg" --- # There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between… ![“There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between the Shari'a, which is this hugely expansive vision of cosmic order that I've been describing, and principles of Islamic law, known in Arabic as "Fiqh" - a word that means understanding. If you're a devout Muslim, you don't argue against the…” quote by Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/sadakat-kadri-20613_arguing_there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to_26928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/sadakat-kadri-20613_arguing_there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to_26928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/708/sadakat-kadri-20613_arguing_there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to_26928.jpg) > “There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between the Shari'a, which is this hugely expansive vision of cosmic order that I've been describing, and principles of Islamic law, known in Arabic as "Fiqh" - a word that means understanding. If you're a devout Muslim, you don't argue against the Shari'a; the Shari'a is the path that God has laid down. But what you can do, and what people are doing all the time, is arguing over the correct interpretation of the Shari'a, arguing over the Fiqh. That's something that has been going on throughout Islamic history.” [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker differentiates between the divine, all-encompassing moral order of Shari'a and the human-derived jurisprudential practice of Fiqh, emphasizing that disputes arise over interpretation, not the divine source. **In simple terms:** Shari'a is divine law; Fiqh is human interpretation. Key Takeaway Interpretation, not doctrine, fuels debate. Themes Theilosophy Law Interpretation Religion Authority Mood Reflective Analytical Type Explanatory Informative When to use this quote - Theological education - Legal reform discussions - Interfaith dialogue - Academic seminars on Islamic law Key Concepts Divine vs. human authority Legal pluralism Historical continuity Practical Applications - Clarifying misconceptions in public discourse - Guiding policy on religious freedom Questions to Reflect On - How does distinguishing Shari'a from Fiqh affect modern legal systems? - What role should interpretation play in preserving religious authenticity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argue Shari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argue-shari-414659/) [Arguing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/) [Arguing Fiqh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing-fiqh-414656/) [Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fiqh Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiqh-word-414657/) [Interpretation Shari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation-shari-414658/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Principles Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles-islamic-414660/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [We should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men and which we could develop according to our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali-jinnah/we-should-have-a-state-in-which-we-could-live-and-breathe-as-free-men/) [Muhammad Ali Jinnah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali-jinnah/) > [“was a watershed event, establishing a utilitarian morality that runs through Islamic theology: anything that benefits Muslims and Islam is good, and anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spencer/was-a-watershed-event-establishing-a-utilitarian-morality-that-runs/) [Robert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-spencer/) > [“Even though your thinking might not be right for others, just so long as it's right for you then that's all what matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/even-though-your-thinking-might-not-be-right-for-others-just-so-long/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [The energy of the stars becomes us. 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If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/) [Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Sadakat Kadri > [I realized that the ignorance was profound. I don't mean that in a pejorative sense, it's just that people didn't know what the Shari'a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/i-realized-that-the-ignorance-was-profound-i-don-t-mean-that-in-a/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [The Shari'a itself - this is possibly a kind of verbal debate - is understood to be something different from the Fiqh, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/the-shari-a-itself-this-is-possibly-a-kind-of-verbal-debate-is/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [My father's from Pakistan and he has been a secularist all his life. In the Pakistani context, there's no messing with religion. 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The fact that Muslims choose to precede it with a certain formula of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/people-are-coupling-and-decoupling-all-the-time-in-great-britain-the/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [I think it's important to understand Shari'a to be rooted in history - what we know about the history and what we don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/i-think-it-s-important-to-understand-shari-a-to-be-rooted-in-history/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [There's a feminist critique of Muslim Arbitration Tribunals, which I'm certainly not unsympathetic to, because as I keep saying, I come from a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/there-s-a-feminist-critique-of-muslim-arbitration-tribunals-which-i-m/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [I didn't quite know whether I was writing for the non-Muslim or the Muslim, and at the end of the day I'm writing, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/i-didn-t-quite-know-whether-i-was-writing-for-the-non-muslim-or-the/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [In 1979, you had the revolution in Iran. You had the Hudood Ordinances in Pakistan, which are the laws that are notoriously used against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/in-1979-you-had-the-revolution-in-iran-you-had-the-hudood-ordinances/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa to that effect, which was then given effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran, so in the Islamic Republic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/ayatollah-khomeini-issued-a-fatwa-to-that-effect-which-was-then-given/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [Whereas a man is entitled to marry three more times and that fosters great abuse, even scholars accept that. 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Again, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/there-is-an-issue-about-the-discrimination-provisions-because-the-qur/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) [Explore all 30 Sadakat Kadri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) ## More Arguing quotes > [I do wish you wouldn't argue with me when I'm knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/i-do-wish-you-wouldn-t-argue-with-me-when-i-m-knitting/) [Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. 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