Abduh held a dual conception of sharia as both rules and moral formation.

Evidence

For Abduh also invokes an older conception of the shari¯‘a. Thus on the one hand Abduh complains that teaching and examining the shari¯‘a in al-Azhar pays far too much attention to ‘iba¯da¯t (rituals of worship) and far too little to mu’a¯mala¯t (rules for social relations). But he also says that the judge’s authority requires more than intellectual competence, that it depends on his developing certain moral aptitudes and predispositions. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 1197

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes ibadat (worship rituals) from muamalat (rules for social relations) as sharia’s two domains.