NORMATIVE ISLAMIC CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF FAMILIES AND KINSHIP THROUGH MAQASID PERSPECTIVES: A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE STUDY

Abstract

The current article represents a comprehensive understanding of the family system and kinship in normative Muslim scholarship. It introduces the perception and definition of family and kinship relations and presents some of its fundamental features and bases in order to restructure critical, yet scattered opinions of scholars from various religious, legal, and historical Islamic sources. This research also aims to investigate numerous normatively formed perspectives related to family forms, the paradigm of values for family and kinship, and the family systems inspired by normative sources of Islam which have been discussed in broader discourse echelons to show the development of Muslim scholarship, provisions, opinions, and analysis, with regard to family and kin, especially under the umbrella of maqāṣid al-shari’ah. The article follows a qualitative methodology with historical, analytical, and descriptive approaches in a comparative manner when investigating normative accounts of the Muslim family and kinship. This study's contribution to international scholars in the field lies in its comprehensive analysis of maqasid framework for family and kinship in Islam and its divergence among normative scholarship. By shedding light on these normative perspectives, it enriches the existing scholarly discourse on maqasid al-shari’ah and opens up new avenues for further research and exploration in contemporary approaches to family and kinship studies. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for researchers, academics, and practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of maqasid al-shari’ah and its practical applications in contemporary contexts. The article found out that the advent of Islam, as mentioned in normative Muslim scholarship, introduced several religious rudiments into the family and kinship life that morally, structurally, and socially altered and regulated the character, structure, and purposes of the Muslim family to ensure stability and advocate social relations and order.