Maqasid al-Shari’ah, Ijtihad and Civilisational Renewal

Maqasid al-Shari’ah Ijtihad and Civilisational Renewal

The paper develops the idea of a maqasid-based framework for ijtihad and civilisational renewal (tajdid hadari), a broad and engaging prospect that also involves a review and reappraisal of the methodology of Islamic jurisprudence relating to both the maqasid and ijtihad. The author argues that this would enable Muslims to widen the scope and horizon of the maqasid or objectives of Islamic law from their currently legalistic leanings towards the wider perspective of civilisational renaissance. The nexus that needs to be developed between the maqasid and ijtihad aslo needs to be supported by a credible methodology, which is what the author has attempted in this paper.