The Objectives of Islamic Law
The Promises and Challenges of the Maqasid al-Shari'a
Epilogue by Anver Emon Contributions by Cefli Ademi, Habib Ahmed, Rumee Ahmed University of British Columbia, Jasser Auda, Ayesha S. Chaudhry, Adis Duderija, Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Mouez Khalfaoui, Muhammad Khalid Masud scholar of Islam, author, Idris Nassery, Mohammed Nekroumi, Felicitas Opwis, Younes Soualhi, Muna Tatari Edited by Idris Nassery, Rumee Ahmed University of British Columbia, Muna Tatari
Publication date:
23 February 2018Length of book:
312 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
240x156mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781498549936
Scholars, thinkers, and activists around the world are paying increasing attention to a legal reform method that promises to revolutionize the way people think about Islamic law. Known as “The Objectives of the Sharī‘a” (maqāṣid al-sharī‘a), the theory offers a way to derive and apply new Islamic laws using an ancient methodology. The theory identifies core objectives that underlie Islamic law, and then looks at inherited Islamic laws to see whether they meet those objectives. According to the maqāṣid theory, historical Islamic laws that meet their objectives should be retained, and those that do not—no matter how entrenched in practice or embedded in texts—should be discarded or reformed.
Recently, several scholars have questioned the maqāṣid theory, arguing that it is designed not to reform laws, but to support existing power structures. They warn that adopting the maqāṣid wholesale would set the reform project back, ensuring that inherited Islamic laws are never fully reformed to agree with contemporary values like gender-egalitarianism and universal human rights.
The Objectives of Islamic Law: The Promises and Challenges of the Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘acaptures the ongoing debate between proponents and skeptics of the maqāṣid theory. It raises some of the most important issues in Islamic legal debates today, and lays out visions for the future of Islamic law.
Recently, several scholars have questioned the maqāṣid theory, arguing that it is designed not to reform laws, but to support existing power structures. They warn that adopting the maqāṣid wholesale would set the reform project back, ensuring that inherited Islamic laws are never fully reformed to agree with contemporary values like gender-egalitarianism and universal human rights.
The Objectives of Islamic Law: The Promises and Challenges of the Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘acaptures the ongoing debate between proponents and skeptics of the maqāṣid theory. It raises some of the most important issues in Islamic legal debates today, and lays out visions for the future of Islamic law.
The Objectives of Islamic Law is an excellent collection of essays on the increasingly popular subject of maqasid al-shari’ah, including several that are written by world-renowned experts in the field. With its multi-perspectival and fresh treatments of many maqasid-related themes, this book is highly recommended reading, especially for those interested in deepening their understanding of an alternative view—the maqasid approach—of the meaning, place, and role of the Sharia in contemporary Islam that now has growing appeal among its intellectual circles.