Sharia – The Arabic term for Islamic law, which though religious in its inherent nature like Jewish Halakha law or Christian Canon law, is still a centuries-old complex system of law which can be contrasted with civil Roman law and common law. Hence, its use should be in relation to those laws, and not as has historically happened, be a short-hand for certain capital punishments mentioned in the Quran for which specific and limited circumstances are required. Moreover, it is not a standard set of rules, as widely perceived, but rather an unwritten text that is interpreted by qualified Islamic legal scholars in specific instances, drawing on the Quran and other reliable legal sources as applicable. Use of the term should be limited to where it would be accurately representative of Muslims i.e. in Islamic finance, banking and economics, Sharia-compliance and Sharia-based finance are common terms used. It means in Arabic ‘the way to the source or spring’. Most common spelling is Sharia, not Shariah. The term can also be contrasted with the word Sunnah, which refers to the Way of Prophet Muhammad in terms of approved words, actions and behaviour.
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Reuters: Islamic religious law (note lowercase ‘s’).
