The Role of Maqashid al-Shariah in Shaping a Civilizational Ethic: Reflections from Tunisia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71402/sk2gr744Keywords:
Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, Islamic Ethics, Civilizational Framework, Public Policy, TunisiaAbstract
This study examines Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah as an ethical framework for shaping Muslim civilization. Islamic legal discourse has often been confined to a binary halal-haram approach, overlooking maqāṣid as a transformative ethical vision. The maqāṣid approach opens space to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, misinformation, environmental degradation, and authoritarianism—various forms of nir-maslahat that contradict the core objectives of the Sharia. This research uses Tunisia as a case study—a country that does not adopt Islam as its state ideology but still bases its policies, especially in family and marriage law, on maqāṣid values. Using qualitative-descriptive methods and policy text analysis, the study finds that maqāṣid functions not merely as a legal-formal framework but also as an ethical-philosophical foundation guiding civilization towards the well-being of the soul, intellect, wealth, progeny, and human dignity. In conclusion, maqāṣid al-sharīʿah can serve as an ethical foundation for addressing modern socio-political issues in a more holistic and civilized manner
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