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Divine and Human Laws
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there is the tension between the good and the evil tendencies of the soul, between what Simone Weil called gravity and grace. The drama of human existence and the tremendous responsibility that having free will entails for the human being are not in any way diminished by any Sacred Law, but are enacted and lived in each religious universe according to the principles and norms dominating that universe. But the drama within the soul is nevertheless there for all religious beings whether they are Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Confucians, or followers of one of the primal religions. The Sharı¯‘ah for Muslims neither destroys that drama nor removes human responsibility before God and one’s own conscience. Rather, it provides the framework for the religious life of the individual and the community and sanctifies daily life.
THE CONTENT OF THE SHARI¯‘AH: ACTS OF WORSHIP AND TRANSACTIONS Traditionally the Sharı¯‘ah has been divided into two parts: the ‘iba ¯da ¯t, or acts of worship, and the mu‘a ¯mala ¯t, or transactions. The heart of the Sharı¯‘ah may be said to be the part dealing with the ‘iba ¯da ¯t. Even in modern times, when in many lands governments have replaced much of the Sharı¯‘ah with European laws, the part dealing with worship continues to be practiced and could not but continue to be the foundation of the religion, or what Muslims themselves call arka ¯n al-dı¯n, the “pillars of the religion.” These “pillars” include (besides bearing witness to the two shaha ¯dahs) the daily prayers (s.ala ¯h), fasting (s.awm), almsgiving (zaka ¯h), and pilgrimage (h.ajj). As for jiha ¯d, meaning