مقاصد شریعہ بطور فن علم عہد بہ عہد ارتقاء اور دور حاضر کی صورت حال

MAQASID AL-SHARI‘AH AS A DISCIPLINE: ITS EVOLUTION THROUGH THE AGES AND ITS CONTEMPORARY STATUS

Abstract

Islamic Shari‘ah is a comprehensive system of life that regulates all aspects of individual and collective human existence. Its ultimate aim is to ensure justice, welfare, and prosperity for humanity. Every injunction of Shari‘ah has been revealed to achieve certain fundamental interests and objectives, collectively known as the Maqasid al-Shari‘ah (Objectives of Islamic Law).In the early Islamic period, this concept existed in an unrecorded form, as the Companions (Ṣaḥābah) and their successors (Tābi‘īn) based their juristic reasoning (ijtihād) on the spirit and underlying wisdom of the Shari‘ah. Later, the great jurists incorporated the notions of maṣlaḥah (public interest), ‘illah (effective cause), and ḥikmah (wisdom) into the principles of Islamic jurisprudence, which helped to define the theoretical contours of Maqasid al-Shari‘ah.

Imam al-Ghazālī provided a solid intellectual foundation for this science by identifying five essential objectives of Shari‘ah: the preservation of religion (dīn), life (nafs), intellect (‘aql), lineage (nasl), and property (māl). Subsequently, Imam al-Shāṭibī systematized and formalized this discipline in his seminal work al-Muwāfaqāt, transforming it into a distinct and coherent branch of knowledge.

After the medieval era, intellectual stagnation in Islamic jurisprudence led to the practical decline of ‘Ilm al-Maqāṣid. However, in the modern age, it witnessed a significant revival. In the twentieth century, reformist scholars such as Allāmah Ṭāhir ibn ‘Āshūr, Yusuf al-Qaradāwī, and Ahmad al-Raysūnī reinterpreted the Maqasid approach in light of contemporary realities, opening new horizons for ijtihād and Islamic legislation.Today, Maqasid al-Shari‘ah has emerged as a central theme in Islamic thought, serving as a framework for understanding and applying Shari‘ah principles in fields such as economics, politics, justice, and human rights. Nonetheless, maintaining a delicate balance remains essential neither deviating from the divine texts (nuṣūṣ shar‘iyyah) nor losing the spirit of Shari‘ah in mere literalism. Ultimately, Maqasid al-Shari‘ah represents the intellectual foundation that liberates Islamic law from rigidity, presenting it as a dynamic, comprehensive, and humane system that addresses the evolving needs of humanity.