sharia

noun

sha·​ria shə-ˈrē-ə How to pronounce sharia (audio)
variants or less commonly shari'a or shariah or shari'ah
often capitalized
: Islamic law based on the Quran

Examples of sharia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Under Iran’s sharia, or Islamic law, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Parisa Hafezi, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024 The country also operates a sharia system, Islam’s legal system, in parallel with its secular legal system. Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Aug. 2022 Nigeria is a secular nation but some states in the mostly Muslim north observe Islamic sharia and have courts that punish those accused of deviating from its practices. Washington Post, 4 June 2022 Although those funds are not required to invest only in sharia-compliant assets, large portions of them are. Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for sharia 

Word History

Etymology

Arabic sharīʽa

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sharia was in 1855

Dictionary Entries Near sharia

Cite this Entry

“Sharia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharia. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on sharia

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!