sacred law
God's binding rules
Sacred law is religious law believed to originate from divine authority rather than human legislation—the Torah in Judaism, Sharia in Islam, canon law in Christianity.
Unlike secular law, sacred law derives its legitimacy from scripture or divine revelation and typically governs moral conduct, ritual practice, and community life: The monastery operated under sacred law.
- commandmentsAuthoritative rules demanding compliance
- scriptureSacred religious writings
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- divine commandDirective from a god
- obedienceCompliance with authority
haram · Bible · dharma · morality · mitzvot · moral code · oral tradition · exegesis · sharia · Torah · holy writ · divine will · divine right · doctrine · jurisprudence · covenant · hermeneutics · temple
- Islamic Lawsharia, Sharia, Shariah, fatwa, fatwas
- commandmentsTen Commandments, no other gods, honor thy parents, honor parents, no stealing
- religious ethicsChristian ethics, divine command, love thy neighbor, religious morality, human dignity
- religious issueschurch and state, religious freedoms, religious tolerance, religious exemptions, interfaith
- scriptureBible, New Testament, Old Testament, verses, passages
- Dharmadharma, religious duty, righteousness, cosmic order, moral order
source of authority
sacred lawsecular law
Legal code without religious basis
civil law · human law · state law · statutory law · common law