Introduction
The first series of articles on Bitesize Islam will look exclusively at the science of Maqasid al-Shari’ah. We begin with this subject rather than any of the others as it the foundation upon which the Shari’ah is built. It gives us a broad understanding of Islam together with its aims and objectives and presents us with the ‘big picture,’ a holistic and consistent framework in which to plug in all the remaining sciences as and when we come to them.

This ‘top down’ view of Islam is helpful for a number of reasons. It gives us confidence that the religion of Islam and its rules and regulations are not random, rather there is a comprehensive structure behind which there is an amazing level of wisdom at work. Having this overall understanding is also very important for those engaged in Islamic work and presenting Islam to others.

Maqasid al-Shari’ah can be translated as the “Objectives of Islamic Law.” We will look at the meaning of the Arabic title in detail later but this should suffice us for now. It is important to note that in many Shari’ah curriculums, the science of Maqasid is not generally taught as an introductory course. Reasons for this include the fact that it is quite an advanced subject and without a firm grounding in fiqh (jurisprudence), taking such a high level approach can have the negative effect of causing one to potentially disregard the rules and look at things too liberally.

I think this danger can be avoided by properly understanding the principle that we don’t accept anything that contradicts clear texts, i.e. from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This principle will be expanded on when we look at the Conditions of the Maqasid in due course.

What to Expect
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will look at the different components of the science which will Insha Allah allow us to build up a good understanding of the Maqasid. The topics to be covered are outlined below to give you some expectation of what is to come:

MS01: Introduction to Maqasid al-Shari’ah
MS02: Definitions of Terms and Important Terminologies
MS03: Origins of the Science
MS04: Foundations of the Science
MS05: Conditions of Maqasid al-Shari’ah
MS06: Degrees of Maqasid and Scholarly Opinions
MS07: Summary of Hukm and Maqsad
MS08: General Principles of the Maqasid
MS09: al-Darooriyaat (Essentials)
MS10: al-Haajiyaat (Supporting Needs)
MS11: al-Tahseeniyaat (Embellisments)
MS12: Resolution of Potential Conflict between the Darooriyaat
MS13: Examples of the General Principles

My posts will be based on my lessons which my teacher based on the book Maqasid al-Shari’ah by the 20th century Tunisian scholar, Tahir ibn ‘Ashur.

As a final note, don’t worry if anything of what I’ve said is unclear. It’s just an introduction to give you a taste of what is to come and how I propose to present it. The next post will Insha Allah start by defining the meaning of the word Maqasid as well as offering explanations for some key terms used.