Maqasid

Maqasid is an Arabic word for goals or purposes. In an Islamic context, the term can refer to the purposes of Islamic faith, zakat (charity tax), pilgrimage, or of the Qur'an's and Sunnah's text.

In terms of Shariah, there are five foundational goals (maqasid al-Shariah). These are the preservation of:

Historical context

The above represents the commonly understood conception of maqasid developed by the 12th century Islamic scholar Al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE). The most significant development of the maqasid occurred in the 14th century through the writings of Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328 CE) and Abu Ishaq Al-Shatibi (d. 1388 CE, who discussed it in his work Muwafaqaat fi Usuul al Shariat). However, it was not until modern times that Islamic scholars have shown a renewed interest in the maqasid. This 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, Professor Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee, Ahmad Raysuni, Halim Rane, Jasser Auda, and Tariq Ramadan have all advocated the maqasid approach and contributed to its development.

Modern era

On 10 July 2014, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak 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".[2]

References

  1. ↑ Malik, Maszlee; Nordin, Musa Mohd (29 September 2012). "Whistleblowing: A Shariah imperative". The Malaysian Insider (Edge Insider Sdn Bhd.). Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Sipalan, Joseph (10 July 2014). "Najib calls for Muslim unity, months after Shia witch hunt". Malay Mail Online. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

See also