This article in the New York Times Magazine by Noah Feldman, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, examines the oft-misunderstood concept of Shariah from his perspective as a historian and scholar of law. A brilliant and concise primer on the topic, this piece examines questions such as, “Is Shariah the Rule of Law?,” what the relationship between the rights of God and the rights of humans is, why we see despotism in many of the so-called manifestations of Shariah, and whether or not Shariah can be compatible with notions of democracy. It is an essential read for anyone seeking to better understand the concept of Shariah as understood and discussed, not by pundits, but by Muslims themselves.