Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa in Contemporary Shīʿī Jurisprudence

Abstract

In recent times, there has been a growing awareness of the need to apply the concept of maqāṣid al-sharī ʿa (aims or objectives of Islamic law) in the derivation of juridical rulings. This need has been felt most acutely among those who advocate revisiting or reinterpreting the sharīʿa (Islamic moral-legal law). Interest in the concept of maqāṣid al-sharī ʿa seems to have been ignited because many Muslim thinkers see it as a hermeneutical tool that can be deployed to resolve some of the major social and political challenges facing the contemporary Muslim world. This chapter explores the role and the significance of the concept of maqāṣid al-sharī ʿa as a legal-cumhermeneutical tool in modern Shīʿī legal thought. It also explores the current discourse on reformation in Shīʿī circles.