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''Maqasid'' ( ar, مقاصد, lit. goals, purposes) or ''maqāṣid al-sharīʿa'' (goals or objectives of ''
sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
'') is an Islamic legal doctrine. Together with another related classical doctrine, '' maṣlaḥa'' (welfare or public interest), it has come to play an increasingly prominent role in modern times. The notion of ''maqasid'' was first clearly articulated by
al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian poly ...
(d. 1111), who argued that ''maslaha'' was
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
's general purpose in revealing the divine law, and that its specific aim was preservation of five essentials of human well-being: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property. Although most classical-era jurists recognized ''maslaha'' and ''maqasid'' as important legal principles, they held different views regarding the role they should play in Islamic law. Some jurists viewed them as auxiliary rationales constrained by scriptural sources (
Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...
and
hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...
) and ''
qiyas In Islamic jurisprudence, qiyas ( ar, قياس , " analogy") is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Quran, in order to apply a known injunction ('' nass'') to a ...
'' (analogical reasoning). Others regarded them as an independent source of law, whose general principles could override specific inferences based on the letter of scripture. While the latter view was held by a minority of classical jurists, in modern times it came to be championed in different forms by prominent scholars who sought to adapt Islamic law to changing social conditions by drawing on the intellectual heritage of traditional jurisprudence. These scholars expanded the inventory of ''maqasid'' to include such aims of sharia as reform and women's rights (
Rashid Rida Muḥammad Rashīd ibn ʿAlī Riḍā ibn Muḥammad Shams al-Dīn ibn Muḥammad Bahāʾ al-Dīn ibn Munlā ʿAlī Khalīfa (23 September 1865 or 18 October 1865 – 22 August 1935 CE/ 1282 - 1354 AH), widely known as Sayyid Rashid Rida ( ar, � ...
); justice and freedom ( Mohammed al-Ghazali); and human dignity and rights (
Yusuf al-Qaradawi Yusuf al-Qaradawi ( ar, يوسف القرضاوي, translit=Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī; or ''Yusuf al-Qardawi''; 9 September 1926 – 26 September 2022) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar based in Doha, Qatar, and chairman of the International Union of ...
).


History

The jurist Imam Abu Ishaq
al-Shatibi Al-Shatibi is an Arabic name indicating an origin in Xàtiva (Spain). It may refer to: *Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Mūsā al-Shāṭibī (720 – 790 A.H./1320 – 1388 C.E.) was an Andalusí Sunni Islamic legal schola ...
(d.1388) also wrote on Maqasid Al-Sharia in his work ''Al-Muwafaqaat fi Usool al-Sharia''. He defined ''maqasid al-shariah'' as "the attainment of good, welfare, advantage, benefits and warding off evil, injury, loss of the creatures".Khan, M.F. and Ghifari, N.M. (1985), ''Shatibi's Objectives of Shariah and some Implications for Consumer Theory''. Islamabad: International Institute of Islamic Economics and International Islamic University. According to al-Shatibi, the legal ends of Islamic law "are the benefits intended by the law. Thus, one who keeps legal form while squandering its substance does not follow the law". However, it was not until modern times that Islamic scholars have shown a renewed interest in the ''maqasid''. The scholarship began with the work of the Tunisian scholar Muhammad Al-Tahir Ibn Ashur (d. 1973 CE). Since the turn of the century, a number of Islamic scholars, including
Mohammad Hashim Kamali Mohammad Hashim Kamali (Pashto/Dari: ; born 7 February 1944) is an Afghan Islamic scholar and former professor of law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He taught Islamic law and jurisprudence between 1985 and 2004. One author ...
, Professor Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee,
Ahmad Raysuni Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Raïssouni (, born 1953) is a Moroccan Islamic scholar and jurist. He served as president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) until his retirement in 2022. He was the former head of the (MUR), an organization c ...
,
Halim Rane Halim Rane is an Australian academic and associate professor at Griffith University who specializes in Islamic Studies. In 2015 he was named "Australian University Teacher of the Year" by the Australian Department of Education and Training. Ran ...
, Jasser Auda, and Tariq Ramadan, have advocated the ''maqasid'' approach and contributed to its development. Sheikh
Muhammad Abu Zahra Muhammad Abu Zahra (Arabic: محمد أبو زهرة), (1898–1974) was an Egyptian public intellectual and an influential Hanafi jurist. He occupied a number of positions; he was a lecturer of Islamic law at Al-Azhar University and a professor ...
believed that Shariah was a "mercy to humanity" with three major goals: "nurturing the righteous individual", "establishing justice", and "realization of benefits". ()


In politics

On 10 July 2014, Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib Razak Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malay ...
gave a speech calling for an end to conflict between Shia and Sunni. He stated that Malaysia can be an "example for other Muslim nations on what it means to be a progressive and developed nation based on the five objectives of Shariah - to uphold the faith, life, intellect, progeny and property." "Our government's policies have always been based on these five principles of ''maqasid shariah''... let us be an example of a Muslim country that is developed and progressive based on ''maqasid shariah''".


In Islamic finance

Islamic scholars working in
Islamic finance Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ar, مصرفية إسلامية), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic econom ...
have attempted to elaborate on the objective of wealth (''mal'') or financial transaction. A contemporary scholar (Laidin) postulates five objectives: # continuity of the circulation of the wealth # continuity of the investment of wealth # achieving comprehensive communal prosperity # financial transparency # validation of financial ownership.Laidin, M.A. (2012). "The shariah objectives in contemporary sciences." http://www.amanieiconnect.com/library/featured-articles/item/32-the-shari%E2%80%99ah-objectives-Maqasid incontemporary-sciences


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * Kamali, Hashim, "Shari'a, Goals and Objectives of", in ''Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God'' (2 vols.), edited by Coeli Fitzpatrick and Adam Hani Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol. II, pp. 552–557. * *


See also

*'' Al-Maqasid'', an introductory book on Islamic principles {{Authority control Arabic words and phrases Islamic terminology