A brief timeline is given in this introduction on the history of the shari‘a, from the earliest times of Islam and predication by the Prophet Muhammad to the modern day. The meanings of basic concepts are clarified, including sacred law (shari‘a), jurisprudence (fiqh), good governance (siyasa shar‘iyya), governmental law and codified law (qanun), legal school (madhhab), qadi, mufti, fatwa, etc. Similarly, various eras in intellectual thought and other developments will be identified; without representing a drastic break with the past, they have been decisive in the evolution of the concept and role of shari‘a throughout the history of Islamic societies.
Shari‘a (sacred law), Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), siyasa shar‘iyya (shari‘a compliant governance), madhhab (legal school), qadi, mufti, fatwa.