The Ontology and Epistemology of Maqāṣidī-based Knowledge and Its Educational Implications

Abstract

Maqasid al-Shariah herein denotes the higher objectives of the Islamic Revelation that guide Muslim worldly and spiritual life. This article aims to extract these Maqasid from the Holy Qur’an and investigate their philosophical, theoretical and practical implications. Ontologically, Maqasid entails a systematic view of the universe that governs the relationship between the Creator and His creation, which in turn governs the natural, psychological and social environments. In this regard, Maqasid proposes an integrated network of relations between these environments, incorporating ʻibādah, ʻimārah, tazkiyah, khilāfah, and istikhdām maqaṣidī. Epistemologically, Maqasid implies a fact-based, systematic, developmental and purified base for the ontological theses suggested. Moreover, this research seeks to apply the Maqāṣidī-based thought educationally and methodically through the standards of competencies and content that are defined from its multifaceted paradigm based on its ontological and epistemological perspectives. The Maqāṣidī-based approach provides an alternative to the limitations found within the current educational systems and policies that hinder the application of the Maqasid revelation. Thus, this study proposes a multidimensional rationalization of the Maqāṣidī-based thought in education to achieve development and true success.