Islam: Working for God

The Quran clearly establishes a model of the marriage relationship, ideally a partnership between equals, devoted to one another, their families, and to the cause of God. However in some circumstances, marriage to more than one woman may be more effective in establishing social well-being than strict monogamy. We also saw that divorce is highly discouraged in Islam, but in some cases, it may be in the best interests of all concerned. In order to determine adequately how best to implement the will of God, therefore, it’s necessary that man understand the circumstance for which the guidance is needed. By analogy, it is necessary to know the properties of thee medicine, but it is also essential to understand illness before prescribing the cure.
As a result, scholarship of all kinds is highly regarded in Islam. The earliest specialists who developed in Islam were those who memorize the Quran as it is delivered, so that it would bi available for future generations. After the Quran was committed to writing, memorization was still respected, as it is today, but other level of important scholarship also developed. It became clear that careful understanding of the actual language of the Quran- Arabic, in the dialect used by Prophet Muhammad- was also necessary for understanding the message.
An even more specialized kind of religious knowledge with the spread of Islam: that concerned with application of revelation to specific circumstances, or codification of revealed guidance for implementation on a daily basis. This kind of knowledge is called Fiqh, often called the “queen” of religious sciences; its practitioner are called fuqaha (sing: faqih), legal specialists. Judges and other legal authorities are generally chosen from among the fuqaha. In the earliest days of Islam, judges (qadis) were originally political appointees of the caliph. They were assigned to the various cities of the empire and instructed to arbitrate disputes, allowing local custom to prevail except in cases in which it conflicted with Islamic teaching. The appointee was to use his own judgment to determine whether or not this case. But within the two centuries of the Prophet’s death, Islamic scholarship had developed to the extent that only properly trained legal scholars were authorized to make such judgments

(Quoted from: Sonn, Tamara, Islam, in Neusner, Jacob. Comparing Religious Tradition: Making an Honest living. 2001: 80-91)