A Call for Renewal: Reframing the Maqāṣid System as a Moral Framework for Reviving Civilization
At the heart of every divine directive lies tawḥīd — not merely as a doctrinal belief, but as an organizing principle for human thought, ethics, and civilization. Tawḥīd is the unifying truth that binds revelation to reason, science to purpose, and sharīʿah to mercy. For the Muslim scholar, tawḥīd is not just a matter of affirmation but a cosmological vision that demands coherence, integration, and systematic creativity.
Throughout history, sharīʿah has illuminated a path for humanity — one grounded in persuasion, not coercion; in wisdom, not domination. Today, in the face of unprecedented challenges confronting our Ummah, the time has come to return to the Qur’anic foundations of moral guidance — not merely as legal rulings, but as a comprehensive system capable of reviving thought, spirit, and society.
This initiative is not a rupture with tradition but a renewal that draws inspiration from the insights of early scholars while responding, with intellectual rigor, to the complexity of the modern world.
Here, we present an expanded vision of what may be called the moral architecture of justice — a values-based and epistemological framework built upon eight irreducible principles that express the higher objectives (maqāṣid) of sharīʿah. These principles are not alien to our tradition but arise from within it, refined over generations of engagement by luminaries such as al-Ghazālī, al-Shāṭibī, Ibn ʿĀshūr, and others who devoted their lives to reviving Islam’s universal message.
These principles form a bridge between foundational sources and political realities, between theology and application — without reducing religion to politics or separating it from the needs of the Ummah. They are designed not only to guide jurisprudence, but to serve as a foundation for building a renewed Islamic society — cohesive internally and capable externally of engaging and contributing to global civilization.
What follows is not a departure from the classical maqāṣid, but a philosophical extension that elevates the discourse beyond legal rules to a comprehensive model of justice, rooted in divine purpose and human dignity. This model reflects years of shared work and contemplation with a number of scholars, most notably Dr. Robert D. Crane, whose pioneering work in Islamic legal ethics and global justice played a vital role in shaping this framework.
The Eight Foundational Principles:
Respect for Divine Revelation (The Right to Religion): Affirming freedom of belief and the universal pursuit of truth as the first duty and right.
Respect for Life and Human Dignity (The Right to Life): Upholding the sanctity of life and the ethical self at the core of all law.
Respect for Family and Community (The Right to Family and Society): Re- centering society around the family and local, divinely-endowed communities.
Respect for the Environment (The Right to Surroundings): Restoring
balance in creation as a reflection of God’s unity (tawḥīd).
Respect for Economic Justice (The Right to Wealth): Ensuring fair ownership and equitable distribution of resources.
Respect for Political Justice (The Right to Self-Determination): Defending the right to political participation and collective agency.
Respect for Human Dignity (The Right to Honor): Securing gender justice and equal opportunity as God-given values.
Respect for Knowledge (The Right to Truth): Enabling intellectual freedom and the perpetual search for truth.
Toward an Expanded Horizon of Maqāṣid: From Values to Objectives
While the classical maqāṣid framework has proven a powerful tool in understanding the higher objectives of sharīʿah and securing human welfare, the evolution of societies and the complexity of contemporary challenges demand a broader moral vision — one deeply rooted in revelation and tradition.
In this light, we propose a set of core values that, through holistic istiqrāʾ (inductive reasoning) and engagement with Qur’anic and prophetic principles, may rise to the level of independent objectives (maqāṣid), or enrich the broader system as derived sub-maqāṣid. These are not foreign constructs but deeply embedded in our sacred sources and prophetic legacy:
Comprehensive Justice, Beyond the courtroom, this includes social, economic, environmental, and gender-based justice.“Indeed, Allah commands justice…” (Qur’an 16:90)
Human Freedom, Encompassing freedom of conscience, thought, expression, and participation — prerequisites for dignity and stewardship.
“Let there be no compulsion in religion” (2:256); “Let him who wills, believe; and let him who wills, disbelieve” (18:29)
Peace and Societal Security, Peace is a central Qur’anic aim; security is a necessary precondition for flourishing. “And Allah calls to the Home of Peace…” (10:25); “He gave them security from fear” (106:4)
Social Cohesion and Unity, An essential maqṣad that preserves the Ummah from fragmentation. “And hold fast to the rope of Allah, all together, and do not be divided” (3:103)
Effectiveness and Stewardship of Time, A Qur’anic value highlighting productivity and purposeful action. “By time, surely man is in loss…” (103:1–2); “So when you are finished, then strive [again]” (94:7)
Mercy as a Governing Ethic, Not just a virtue, but a core objective of
revelation.“We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds” (21:107)
Sustainability and Ecological Balance, Environmental harmony as a moral imperative. “And He established the balance…” (55:7)
Good Governance and Accountability, Sharīʿah enshrines trust, transparency, and responsibility. “Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due…” (4:58)
These values are not merely candidates for expanding the maqāṣid framework — they are essential to the renewal of Islamic thought and the development of policies and institutions that serve humanity and creation. Contemporary scholars must engage rigorously to ground these values as part of the evolving structure of maqāṣid, in the same spirit of methodological clarity and ethical vision that guided al-Shāṭibī and others.
We call upon scholars, educators, and leaders across the Muslim world: let us reorient our research and initiatives toward the most urgent challenges of our time — poverty, environmental degradation, intellectual stagnation, and societal fragmentation — drawing solutions from the moral clarity of the Qur’an and the potential of contemporary disciplines, including the STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). The maqāṣid framework is not confined to legal reasoning; it is a flexible roadmap for confronting the complexities of modern civilization. It invites us to pair revelation with reason, traditional wisdom with global progress — so that the Ummah may reclaim its role in guiding, innovating, and offering ethical leadership.
This model is not a departure from our rich heritage but its continuation. As al-Shāṭibī taught, the purpose of the sharīʿah is to realize benefit and prevent harm. We cannot rebuild our civilization without reviving its moral aims and translating them into action — with the wisdom of tradition and the insight of our time.