Both the sharia (Islamic law) and canon law provide norms for the performance of religious rituals, family relations, and some aspects of personal behavior based on the precepts of Islam and certain Christian churches, respectively. But the sharia and canon law are fundamentally different in several ways. The sharia extends to all Muslim individuals and provides a comprehensive framework for an ethical lifestyle, including grooming and dress, financial transactions, and personal etiquette. By contrast, canon law is a set of regulations that the Church (whether Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, the Anglican Communion, and other churches of Eastern Christianity) uses to govern itself, applying primarily to clergy and ecclesiastical institutions. Canon law can also impose obligations on lay members, particularly in aspects of communal worship or sacramental practice, but it generally does not advise on everyday conduct in a comprehensive way.
In some regions, including several Middle Eastern countries, the state assigns certain matters of personal status, such as family law, to recognized religious communities. In this way, public law puts the sharia and canon law on equal legal footing on matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.