islamic law
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"Islamic law is the epitome of Islamic thought, the most typical manifestation of the Islamic way of life and the core and kernel of Islam itself" . It contains guidelines and rules for all aspects of a Muslim's lifepublic and private, communal and personal alike. During the formation of Islam and the life and times of the Prophet Muhammad, these laws were generally based upon the Qur'an, which was the most important source of guidance in Islam because it contained the true word of God. Yet, problems arose after Muhammad's death and the realization that these laws and revelations from God contained within the Qur'an were too general and insufficient to govern the lives of all Muslims. With this realization, the Islamic community would modify, develop, and facilitate change within Islamic Law over the course of the next few centuries, which would ensure its future survival and lasting application in all secular and religious matters.
According to the traditional account, the Qur'an was revealed to the last Prophet Muhammad gradually over a period of years until his death in 632 C.E. It is not clear how much of the Qur'an had been written down by the time of Muhammad's death, but it seems probable that there was no single manuscript in which the Prophet himself had collected all the revelations. Nonetheless, there are traditions that describe how the Prophet dictated portions of the Qur'an to his secretaries. There are many disputes over the exact time when the Qur'an was written down in one single compilation...