# Syariah — Islamic law as a State matter in Malaysia's legal system

> In the context of Malaysian law, 'Syariah' refers to Islamic law and Syarak law which, under the Federal Constitution, falls within State jurisdiction. Each State enacts its own enactment and constitutes its own Syariah Court; its jurisdiction is limited to persons professing the religion of Islam and to matters listed in the State List. This article explains the term and its position descriptively, drawing solely from the text of the constitution and statutes.

- Category: glossary
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/glossary/syariah

---

**Bahasa Malaysia:** Syariah / Syarak · **English:** Syariah (Islamic law) · **中文:** 伊斯兰教法

"Syariah" is a term, not a single court, and not a single Act. In everyday
conversation it refers to the religious law of Islam. In Malaysia's legal
system, the term has a more precise standing: Islamic law and Syarak law are
a **State matter**, and each State administers it through its own enactment
and its own Syariah Court.

This article explains the term and that standing descriptively, drawing
solely from the text of the constitution and statutes. It does not comment
on any case.

## A State matter, not a federal matter

The Federal Constitution divides law-making power between Parliament and the
State Legislature through the lists in the **Ninth Schedule**. Islamic law
falls within **Item 1 of List II (the State List)**.

That item places within State power, among other things, Islamic law and the
personal and family law of persons professing the religion of Islam —
including succession, betrothal, marriage, divorce, maintenance, guardianship,
gifts (hibah), wakaf, zakat, fitrah and baitulmal — as well as "the
constitution, organization and procedure of Syariah Courts".

Under **Article 74(2)**, the State Legislature may make laws on any matter in
the State List. So each State passes its own [enactment](/en/glossary/akta),
and each State's Syariah Court exists under that enactment.

The Federal List draws the same line from the opposite direction. Item 4 of
List I gives Parliament power over "the constitution and organization of all
courts **other than Syariah Courts**". In other words, the text of the
Constitution itself separates the Syariah Courts from the federal court
structure.

## Three limits on the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts

Item 1 does not merely confer power; it also sets boundaries. It provides
that the Syariah Courts

> have jurisdiction only over persons professing the religion of Islam

and only in respect of matters listed in that item, and have no jurisdiction
over offences except so far as conferred by federal law.

Three limits — all of them enshrined in the Constitution:

| Limit | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Who** | Only persons professing the religion of Islam |
| **What** | Only matters listed in Item 1 |
| **Offences** | Only so far as conferred by federal law |

The first two limits are cumulative: a matter must involve a Muslim **and**
be included in that item's list.

## The criminal limit set by Parliament

Because Item 1 states that the Syariah Courts have no jurisdiction over
offences "except so far as conferred by federal law", the criminal part of
the Syariah Courts' jurisdiction depends on one Act of Parliament: **Akta
Mahkamah Syariah (Bidang Kuasa Jenayah) 1965 (Akta 355)**.

Section 2 of Akta 355 confers jurisdiction over offences against the
precepts of Islam by persons professing that religion, subject to the
following limits:

| Punishment | Limit under Akta 355, section 2 |
| --- | --- |
| Imprisonment | Not exceeding 3 years |
| Fine | Not exceeding RM5,000 |
| Whipping | Not exceeding 6 strokes |
| Combination | Any combination of the above punishments, within those limits |

A State enactment may set a lower limit, but may not set a higher limit,
because that power derives from federal law.

## Article 121(1A)

Clause (1A) of Article 121 was inserted into the Constitution and came into
force on **10 June 1988**. It provides that the courts referred to in Clause
(1) — namely the High Court (the civil courts) — have no jurisdiction in
respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts.

That clause is a **jurisdiction exclusion** directed at the civil courts. It
does not itself define what the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts is — that
definition sits in Item 1 and in the State enactment (or, for the Federal
Territories, in federal law). Nor does it create an appeal route between the
two systems.

## Three tiers of courts, in every State

Each State builds the same three-tier shape, under its own enactment:

| Tier | Name |
| --- | --- |
| Lower | Mahkamah Rendah Syariah |
| High | Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah |
| Appeal | Mahkamah Rayuan Syariah |

Because each State enacts its own enactment, **the value limit for mal
claims and the details of procedure differ from one State to another** —
which is why "the Syariah Court limit" is never a single national figure.
The only thing uniform across the country is the criminal limit in Akta 355.

At the national level, **Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM)**, an
agency under the Prime Minister's Department, coordinates and standardises
the administration of Syariah law and judiciary. It coordinates; it is not a
court sitting above the State courts.

## The Federal Territories exception

Item 1 begins with an exception: it does not apply to the Federal
Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya. There, because there is
no State Legislature, the Syariah Courts are constituted through **federal**
law — the **Akta Pentadbiran Undang-Undang Islam (Wilayah-Wilayah
Persekutuan) 1993 (Akta 505)**.

## Common misconceptions

**"Syariah means a single court for the whole country."** No. Each State
constitutes its own Syariah Court under its own enactment; JKSM coordinates
administration, and is not the country's highest court.

**"The Syariah Courts may hear any dispute involving a Muslim."** Item 1
imposes two cumulative limits — a person professing the religion of Islam
**and** only matters within that item. Matters outside that list fall
outside its jurisdiction.

**"Article 121(1A) makes the Syariah Courts superior to the civil courts."**
That clause is a jurisdiction exclusion directed at the civil courts. It does
not speak of rank, and it does not add anything to the list of matters in
Item 1.

**"Every State has the same sentencing limit."** The criminal limit in Akta
355 is national; the mal value limit, section references and procedure are
set State by State.

## What's next

For the full picture of how Malaysia's two court systems are separated, read
[civil courts and Syariah Courts](/en/law/civil-and-syariah-courts). For the
position of Islam within the Federation, see [Article
3](/en/law/article-3-religion); and for how the Ninth Schedule divides
federal and State power generally, see [the Federal
Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution).

## Sources

- Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Cetakan Semula sehingga 15 Oktober 2020 — Perkara 74(2), Perkara 121(1A), Jadual Kesembilan Senarai I butiran 4 dan Senarai II butiran 1 — https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/LOM/EN/Federal%20Constitution%20(Reprint%202020).pdf (Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia)
- Akta 355 — Akta Mahkamah Syariah (Bidang Kuasa Jenayah) 1965, rekod akta induk dan garis masa pindaan — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=355&lang=BI (Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia)
- Bayan Linnas Siri ke-67: Cadangan Pindaan Akta 355 — memuatkan semula teks seksyen 2 Akta 355 — https://www.muftiwp.gov.my/images/pdf/artikel/bayan-linnas/BL67eng.pdf (Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan)
- Akta 505 — Akta Pentadbiran Undang-Undang Islam (Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan) 1993, rekod akta induk — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=505&lang=BI (Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia)
- Bidang Kuasa Mahkamah Syariah Di Malaysia: Satu Pengenalan Ringkas — https://www.ikim.gov.my/bidang-kuasa-mahkamah-syariah-di-malaysia-satu-pengenalan-ringkas/ (Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM))
- Laman Utama — Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia — https://www.jksm.gov.my/ (Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia)

---
Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0