What is Sharia law? What does it mean for women in Afghanistan?

The Taliban claim that Sharia, or Islamic law, will govern Afghanistan.

After the United States and its allies left the country, the militant Islamist group took control.

What have the Taliban said?

A Taliban spokesman said in the first press conference after taking power that women's rights and the media would be protected "within the framework of Islamic law", but the group hasn't said what that means in practice.

The Taliban have earned a reputation for their rigid interpretation of Sharia, which includes public executions of those convicted of murder and adultery

What is Sharia?

Islam's legal system is called Sharia.

It is based on the holy book of Islam, the Quran, as well as the Sunnah and Hadith, which are the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad.

Where a response can't be gotten straightforwardly from these, strict researchers might give decisions as direction on a specific subject or question.

Sharia literally translates to "the clear, well-trodden path to water" in Arabic.

All Muslims should follow Sharia, which includes prayers, fasting, and making donations to the poor.

Its goal is to assist Muslims in comprehending how they ought to conduct every aspect of their lives in accordance with God's will.

What does this actually imply?

A Muslim's daily life can be influenced in every way by Sharia.

For instance, a Muslim considering what to do in the event that their partners welcome them to the bar after work might go to a Sharia researcher for exhortation to guarantee they act inside the legitimate structure of their religion.

Family law, business, and finance are other areas of daily life where Muslims may look to Sharia for guidance.

How do decisions get made?

Sharia, like all legal systems, is complicated, and its application is entirely dependent on the expertise and education of experts.

Guidance and decisions are made by Islamic jurists. A direction that is viewed as a formal lawful decision is known as a fatwa.

Five distinct schools of Islamic law exist. Four Sunni schools exist: S H-A F-I, H-A N-A F-I, Hanbali, M-A L-A K-I, and one Shia school called J-A F-A R-I.

The texts from which Sharia law is derived are interpreted differently by the five schools.

Sharia may look very different in different places because the local culture and customs affect how Islamic law is interpreted.

What harsh punishments are there?

According to Islamic scholars, Sharia is primarily a code of moral behavior that emphasizes worship and charity, but it also deals with crime in part.

Infractions fall into two broad categories under Sharia law: There are two types of serious crimes: "H-A D" offenses, which come with predetermined penalties, and "T-A Z-I R" offenses, in which the judge decides how to punish the offender.

H-A D offenses include theft, which, according to the strictest interpretations of Sharia, may result in the victim's hand being amputated. H-A D penalties have numerous safeguards and a high burden of proof. However, experts claim that this rarely occurs in practice.

Surveys have shown that Muslims' attitudes toward harsh punishments for H-A D offenses vary widely across countries where Islamic law is in effect