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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Marriage and Morals in Islam Appendix I: Sources of the Shari'ah In Islamic system, the issue of sexual morality comes under the shari'ah , the laws of Islam. Therefore it seems appropriate to explain the sources of the shari'ah from our point of view. The primary sources of the Islamic laws are two things: the Qur'an and the sunnah. By the sunnah, we mean the sayings, actions and silent approval of the Prophet and the Ahlu'l-bayt.

The Qur'an describes only the basic rules of the shari'ah , and the sunnah elaborates upon them. The Qur'an introduces the Prophet of Islam as follows: "He (Allah) raised up among the common people a Messenger from among themselves to recite to them His revelations, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and wisdom;"(62:2) "And We have revealed to you (O Muhammad) the Reminder (i.e., the Qur'an) so that you may clarify to the people what has been revealed to them, and so that they may reflect." (16: 44) These two verses definitely prove that (peace be upon him) was not just a 'mail-man' whose only job was to deliver the Book to us.

He was a teacher and a commentator of the Qur'an. Even his actions are a source of guidance for us: " You have a good example in Allah 's Messenger for whosoever hopes for God and the last day, and remembers God oft." (33:21) The obedience to the Prophet has been considers as the proof of loving Allah: "Say (O Muhammad): 'If you love Allah, then follow me; (if you do so,) Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.'" (3:31) To show the importance of obeying the Prophet, the Qur'an further says, "Whoever obeys the Messenger has surely obeyed Allah." (4:80) The Muslims who lived during the Prophet's time had easy access to his sunnah .

What about use who were born hundreds of years after the Prophet's death? Well, the Muslims of the early days realized the importance of the Prophet's sunnah and started preserving his sayings in books of hadith . Even the actions of the Prophet, observed by the companions, were preserved in writing. But this process of preserving the sunnah of the Prophet was not immune from mistakes and even forgery.

Many sayings were invented and wrongfully attributed to the Prophet during the early period of the Islamic history. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to find an authentic and, at the same time, informed source for the sunnah of the Prophet.