10. Preserved

One important attribute of Shariah is that it is the last Shariah to humanity. It will continue to remain and reach generation after generation. For that, Allah preserved and protected its sources.

The Quran was sent down to a community known for its ability to memorize. The whole Book was kept in the memory of people.

The Quran reaches us through a long, yet strong, chain of narrators who memorized the Quran as it was revealed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

It was also written at the time it was revealed and was compiled in one book a few months after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The enemies of Islam failed to introduce into the Quran even a single letter. Allah said, {We have sent down the Dhikr (the Quran) and We will preserve it.}(Al-Hijr 15:9)

The tradition of the Prophet was also preserved even after the deliberate attempts to corrupt it and introduce new things to it. Allah enabled Muslim scholars of the past and present to develop one of the most honorable sciences, that is, the science of Hadith, a science that is concerned with authenticating the tradition of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The effort that was spent to distinguish the authentic traditions of the Prophet from those which are weak or fabricated is unprecedented in the history of humanity. One should feel the comfort and the pride that the Shariah is being protected by the One who sent it, Allah the Almighty.

More qualities

Shariah is independent of all other laws and systems. It was never influenced by humans or their experience. The similarity that we see between the teachings of Shariah and other teachings is due to those other teachings being influenced by Shariah, either before or after Islam.

Shariah is respected and glorified in the hearts and the minds of Muslims, who choose to follow it, since it is from their Creator.

Muslims follow the guidance of Allah willingly and excitedly as they believe that it will get them closer to Him and help them attain happiness and success in this life and the hereafter. They respond to the commands of their Lord and they expect His reward immediately and in the hereafter.

Shariah is eloquent and very effective in the way it is articulated. The Quran is the most eloquent book – it challenged and is still challenging people to come up with something similar to it. The Prophet’s teachings and guidance were conveyed through a set of few eloquent words. His words were concise and effective.

^[1] He used to allow a group of people called al-habashah” to play with their spears in the masjid and allowed his wife Aisha to watch them.