How do quran and sharia differ?

Answer 1

This is not my (Prioktan918's) answer, which can be seen in the above Expert Answer. This is the view of an unnamed Sunni Muslim contributor with whose opinions on the subject of Sufism I respectfully disagree. Unfortunately, the Answer-system is improperly giving me credit for his views.

If the Sufis are sincere, then let them obey Allaah and his Messenger and adhere to His Sharee'ah - as commanded in this aayah - so that they will be among the victorious. As for their claims that the awliyaa' ("saints") have knowledge of the Unseen (al-ghayb), which no one knows but Allaah, and their doing Tawaaf around graves and praying to the dead as a means of worship and drawing closer to Allaah - all of this in fact means that they are seeking the help of someone other than Allaah and this is kufr and shirk. They say, "Allaah inspires us with things which He casts into our hearts in addition to what is in the Qur'aan and Sunnah"; and they say that the "elite" do not have to adhere to the Sharee'ah of Islam which is obligatory for the "masses"; and they invent adhkaar (phrases remembering Allaah) which they repeat regularly, which are not in the Qur'aan or in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him... and after all this, they want to be among the victorious, with the Prophets and Siddeeqoon. On the contrary, they will be with the shayaateen (devils) and mushrikeen. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. May Allaah bless us and you with the love for His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him and love for his noble companions, and gather us with them in the place of honour with Him, for He is the Sovereign, the One Who is able to do all things.

Answer 2

Shariah is Law and Rules for a successful here and hereafter. It comprises injuctions from Allah (s.w.t) along with Sunnah. Where as Sunnah are the utterences and practices of thd Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).

Answer 3

The question is asking to compare apples and Oranges. Shari'a is the Legal Code of Islam whose jurisprudence is binding on all Muslims. Sufism is branch of Islam that is more concerned with an emotional connection to God than an emphasis on legal doctrines. The opposite of Shari'a is complete freedom (i.e. no restraint). The opposite of Sufism is Materialistic Legalism, like what was promulgated in China under Qin Shi Huangdi. Shari'a and Sufism are not in conflict.

The conflict that many Muslims who align more closely with the Faqihs and the Islamic Scholars, who form the majority, have with the minority who follow the Sufis is that the Sufis do not emphasize the law. The Faqihs and Islamic Scholars take it as an insult that the particular minutiae that define their profession are not seen as valuable by the Sufis. In turn the Sufis are much more interested in loving God and devoting themselves to seeing higher-meanings in sacred texts. They also seek to replicate the relationships that other now-dead Sufi Scholars had with the Divine, which is why they pray near the physicality of the dead Saint (i.e. at his tomb).

Sufism is just as much a part of Islam as is traditional Islamic Jurisprudence and uses this jurisprudence in a looser and more emotional way. Similar parallels can be drawn between Kabbalah (the real thing - not Madonna stuff) and Judaism.