The Concept of the Objectives of Islamic Law in Imam al-Shatibi and its Applications to Contemporary Issues

Abstract

This study examines the theory of the higher objectives of Islamic law (maqāṣid alsharīʿa) in the thought of Imām alShāṭibī (d. 790/1388), treating it as a coherent method of legal reasoning rather than a mere catalogue of universals, and tests its capacity to address contemporary novel cases (nawāzil) generated by the technological and biological revolutions. The central problem is whether alShāṭibī's framework possesses the epistemic controls needed to function as a disciplined instrument of ijtihād, or whether it remains vulnerable to selective use that suspends explicit texts in the name of benefit (maṣlaḥa). Using inductive, criticalanalytical, and applied methods, the study traces the theory in alMuwāfaqāt and applies it to seven cases: artificial intelligence, digital currencies, genetic engineering, organ donation, modern medical technologies, cybersecurity, and electronic transactions. It concludes that the strength of alShāṭibī's method rests on three pillarsthe certainty of objectives established by thematic induction, the ordering of necessities/needs/enhancements, and the distinction between ends and meansand that neglect of any pillar is the principal source of disorder in much contemporary maqāṣidī reasoning.