Arabic (شريعة) for the divine guidance and precepts which are given and outlined by the Holy Qur’an, sent down by Allah, and the Sunnah of His Messenger and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Shari’ah (or also Islamic jurisprudence) encompasses all aspects of the Islamic faith (religion), whether related to beliefs, actions, or practices.

In general, the rules of shari’a belong to two main categories: (1) ibadat (i.e., devotional practices and actions related to worship); (2) mua’amalat (civil acts and commercial transactions). It is the latter category that Islamic finance and banking initiates from. Mua’amalat deals with the relationships between individuals between individuals and the society and state. More specifically, it corresponds to the civil and penal codes, administrative and financial law, and private and public international law.