ABSTRACT
The primary sources for Sharia are the Quran and the Sunna. The Quran is believed to be the speech of God revealed to Muḥammad, so to obey God, as the Quran itself commands, is to follow the precepts provided in the Quran. Its status as a “divine source” for the Sharia seems obvious. The Quran also repeatedly commands Muslims to obey God’s Messenger. As God’s chosen messenger, Muḥammad understood the Quran the best and most perfectly exemplified its teachings through his activities and words. Thus, his example, Sunna, is also an obvious source for Sharia, and a divine one in that it is prescribed by God in the Quran. It also seems natural that Muḥammad’s followers would have preserved reports of his activities in what would eventually become known as hadith. What may seem so “obvious” and “natural,” however, turns out to be far more complex and contentious.
