Ma'anar Shari'ah a harshen Larabci ita ce maɓuɓɓugar ruwa mara ƙarewa da mutane ke kashe ƙishirwarsu da ita. Don haka, ma'anar Shari'ah a harshe ita ce dokokin Musulunci tamkar maɓuɓɓugar shiriya ce. Kamar yadda ruwa shi ne tushen rayuwa, dokokin Musulunci kuma su ne maɓuɓɓuga muhimmiya wajen shiryar da rayuwar ɗan Adam.

The linguistic meaning of the word Shari‟ah is a non-exhaustive source of water with which people satisfy their thirst. Thus, the linguistic significance of Shari‟ah is that the Islamic laws are effectively a source of guidance. As water is the fundamental basis of life, the Islamic laws are an essential source for guiding human life.

Shari‘ah ta ƙunshi dukkan dokokin da aka samo daga tushen dokoki na Musulunci. Waɗannan dokoki ba a iyakance su ga fannoni kawai da suka shafi aure ko saki ba; a maimakon haka, dokokin Musulunci sun ƙunshi kowane aiki da mutum ko al'umma ke yi. Kalmar Shari‘ah kuma tana nufin Fiqh.

Shari‟ah is composed of all the laws derived from the legislative sources of Islam. These laws are not just limited to areas covering marriage or divorce; rather, the Islamic laws cover every action performed by an individual or a society. The term Shari‟ah is also a synonym for Fiqh.