Collection of Maqasid

The following list of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah—overarching objectives and purposes of Islam[ic Legislation]—was extracted from Ibn ‘Āshūr’s Maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah. For more information, please consult the Arabic original or its English translation. This list is by no means exhaustive, though it does include the main ones mentioned in the book.

The maqāṣid include:

  • preservation of the order of the world & regulating human conduct
  • preventing our inflicting harm and destruction upon the world
  • preservation of religion, life, the intellect, property, lineage, & dignity
  • removing decadence and declaring it corrupt
  • affirming the sound practices people already follow
  • its implementation and adherence within the Ummah
  • equality amongst members of the Ummah in their personal affairs
  • clarifying the categories of rights and the categories of people who deserve them
  • removing rights from those proven to be ineligible
  • clarifying the formation and proper functioning of the family
  • limiting marriage to particular heterosexual unions
  • restricting lineage to that where parentage is not open to doubt
  • clarifying means to dissolve unions and contracts which prove to be detrimental
  • circulation of wealth through the largest number of individuals possible
  • increasing the use of gold and silver as the basis for transactions
  • transparency and clarity of ownership
  • preservation of wealth and property both for individuals and the Ummah as a whole
  • establishing individual and joint ownership ~ private & valid, not open to dispute
  • establishing means of earning which are valid and not open to dispute
  • transactions which are just and fair
  • facilitating labor contracts that are fair and equitable
  • facilitating and increasing acts of charity and generosity within proper limits
  • establishing bodies responsible for looking after the public affairs of the Ummah
  • administering justice & ensuring that Islamic legislation is implemented within the Ummah
  • its being conveyed; its knowledge preserved and spread, and increasing its scholars
  • establishing judges to assist in making manifest the right, & removing wrong & injustice
  • returning rights to their genuine claimants, without delay
  • acknowledging witnesses and documentary evidence to clarify and establish rights
  • preserving social order
  • assuaging personal grievances of the victim
  • its spread (one of the highest objectives)
  • being implemented, preserved, and applied within the Ummah
  • disseminating Islamic knowledge, and increasing its scholars and teachers

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