Why Do Sharia, Hadith and the Sunnah Cause Stability in the Middle East - Research Paper Example

Why does the sharia, hadith, and sunnah, and interpretations couse stability in the Middle East? But, how can it be flexible? Sharia, Hadith and the Sunnah originate from the same source; Islam. The religion of Islam is based on guidance provided by Allah (the Muslim name for God), which was revealed through his prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the form of holy book Al-Qur’an. An important aspect that should be addressed in the start of this discussion is the fact that nearly all the countries of Middle East are Arabic speaking countries; the same language is the medium of conversation in the Qur’an and the Hadith.

The Qur’an is there easily understandable by the majority population in the region. The word Islam equates to the English word ‘peace’ or ‘submission’. The core of teachings in the Qur’an largely focuses on good manners, worship and promotion of peace. The notions of forgiving others and sustaining healthy relationships with relatives and other members of the society are regarded in the highest esteem. Islam advises the followers to respect the laws of the country and avoid unlawful conduct in matters of daily life (Alavi, 205).

Keeping in view the above mentioned teachings of Islam and by knowing that the vast majority of population in the Middle East follows the religion of Islam, one can safely infer that stability in the Middle East is largely due to a better understanding of Islam. As compared to rest of the Muslim world, the ability of Arabic population to better understand the word of Allah (God) makes them able to understand the significance of peace and obedience; the ultimate consequence of which is stability at the regional level.

Flexibility is already a feature of sharia. Decisions about the various disputes are decided in accordance to the holistic conditions of both the parties. It is therefore apparent that although Islamic law is very strict about certain crimes, the overall purpose of punitive measures is an improved survival of the society as a whole. It should also be kept in mind that ‘flexibility’ and ‘discrimination’ are two distinct concepts and Islam does not allow discrimination due to flexibility in law procedures.

Work Cited Alavi, Hamid Reza. "Religious Foundations of Education: Perspectives of Muslim Scholars." International Handbook of Inter-religious Education. Springer Netherlands, 2010. 205-220.