Maqasid al-Shari'a literally translates to "the objectives of the Shari'a" refers to a philosophical concept developed by some of the classical jurists to understand the goals and purposes of the Shari'a.
The aim was to develop some insights that would assist on matters where the shari'a was silent or left decision making to Muslims. Some of the early jurists reflecting on this issue included Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyyah and Shatibi.
Controversy has arisen following the colonisation of the Muslim world with foreign political systems and ideologies and Muslim scholars attempting to bypass the shari'a and adopt these broad maqasid principles to justify and maintain the status quo.
This is done by arguing the aims and goals are known, we can formulate our own means of achieving the goals - the shari'a as a means becoming redundent in the process.
A clear explanation of the topic of Maqasid Al-Shari'a in Islam and its role in our perception of Islamic laws:
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