The Intellectual Foundations and Evolutionary Stages of the Objectives of Sharia (Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah): From Imām al-Juwaynī to Imām al-Shāṭibī

Abstract

The theory of the Objectives of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah) represents one of the most sophisticated intellectual achievements within Islamic legal thought. This article traces the critical evolutionary journey of this theory between two of its most foundational scholars: Imām al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (d. 478/1085) and Imām Abū Isḥāq al-Shāṭibī (d. 790/1388). It argues that this period witnessed a systematic transition from a nascent, principle-based conception to a fully developed, independent, and holistic legal methodology. Al-Juwaynī’s contribution, particularly in his work al-Burhān, was seminal; he moved beyond the juristic discussions of his predecessors by explicitly formulating the core triad of necessities the preservation of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth providing a structured yet initial framework for understanding Sharia’s higher intents. His student, al-Ghazālī, further refined and popularized these categories. However, it was al-Shāṭibī, in his monumental work al-Muwāfaqāt, who executed a paradigmatic shift. He elevated the Maqāṣid from being auxiliary considerations within legal analogy (qiyās) to the central, overarching principle for all Islamic jurisprudence. Al-Shāṭibī constructed a coherent hierarchy of the objectives (necessities, needs, and embellishments), integrated them with the sources of law, and established them as the definitive lens for deriving rulings, ensuring both legal consistency and adaptability. This study concludes that the intellectual lineage from al-Juwaynī to al-Shāṭibī marks the complete maturation of the Maqāṣid into an indispensable epistemological tool for ijtihād and addressing contemporary challenges through the ethical and purposive spirit of Islamic law.

Keywords: Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah, al-Juwaynī, al-Shāṭibī, Islamic Legal Theory (Uṣūl al-Fiqh), Legal Methodology