Al-Khatib, Motaz. “The Maqāṣidī Approach: Its Legitimacy and Goals,” Year 12, Issue 48 (Spring 1428 AH/ 2007 CE), Pp. 9-34.

Abstract

Motaz al-Khatib’s article addresses maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (the objectives of Shariʿah) and its application in fiqh, and the prospects of reviving it since its premodern inception with Imam al-Juwaynī and since its modern development with Ibn ʿĀshūr. It discusses the essence of maqāṣid thought, its history, legitimacy, the constraints of fiqh, maqāṣid and the science of uṣūl al-fiqh, the shortcomings of qiyās (analogical reasoning), and the means of narrowing disputation. It also discusses the role of maqāṣid in reform, and concludes by discussing the concept of maqāṣid in terms of its inception, discovery and utilization, and its place within contemporary studies.