MAQASID AL SHARIAH STRATEGY TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM TOTAL CATASTROPHE

MAQASID AL SHARIAH STRATEGY 

FOR

ORGANIZATION & NATION

( Preventing Company and Nation from Catastrophes )

By

Shaya'a Othman

Maqasid Al Sharia means ultimate objectives of Islam, consisting of the following:

1. Protection of Religion ( Islam - al-din)

2. Protection of Life

3. Protection of Offspring

4. Protection of Intellect

5. Protection of Wealth

Maqasid is an Arabic word which means "objectives" and the word Shariah was used to refer to a path or a passage that leads to an intended place, or to a certain goal, or it means “the road to take or the line to follow" Although the word Shariah and its different derivative forms are mentioned in five places in the Qur’an, its extensive use only came into vogue much later, for the words Islam and din (religion) were more commonly used to express the same meaning in the early days of Islam.

Shariah which is defined as "Commandments of Allah [God], derived from (1) the primary sources of Holy Quran, and Sunnah, and (2) the secondary sources of decision of Islamic Scholars :  for all human activities,  which include  (i) Belief (Aqidah ), (ii)  Human Behaviours ( Aqalk)  and  (iii) Laws (Fiqh)  - Rules of Worshipping (Ibadat); -Family Laws (Munakahat) Trade and Commercial laws; ( Muamaalat ) and Criminal Laws (Jinayat)),-  towards achieving the ultimate objectives of Islam ( Maqasid-Al Shariah) - which include protection of religion, protection of life, protection of intellect, protection of offspring and protection of wealth.". Chart 1 further illustrates the definition of Shariah in a map form to enable us to understand Shariah in totality.

Maqasid Al Shariah is a set of objective of Islam.  Strategy is commonly defined by academicians and scholars and understood by many as "set of long terms objectives". Thus based on this definition, Maqasid Al Shariah, can be considered as a strategy beyond  "long term" to "infinity" in this world and to hereafter. 

The propose Maqasid Al Shariah Strategy as an overriding strategy to be adopted by Muslim companies and nations is dynamically explained in the following  Chart 2

Maqasid Al Shariah Strategy should be adopted by Muslim organizations and nations. It is derived from Shariah which sources are from Quran and Sunnah [practicing of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]. It is wisdom from Allah (God the only one God) not a postulation, philosophy, theory or idea from  man derived from empirical research. 

Since Islamic System is for the good of all mankind and it is universal in nature, Maqasid Al Shariah Strategy may be adopted not only by Muslims but non-Muslims alike. This have been proven in the case of Islamic Finance being accepted by all and now growing into a multi-trillion dollars financial industry. The same for Islamic Halal Industry which created  multi-trillion dollars in Islamic Economy (Halal Foods, Halal Cosmetic, Halal products -leather goods, etac). Islamic Hospitality Industry is another growing area.

The performances could be much better in terms not only in areas of financial-benefits but also to social-benefits and environmental benefits, if only if Maqasid Al Shariah Strategy being adopted as Overriding Strategy above the Corporate Strategies they may have adopted, such as Blue Ocean Strategy  advocated by Kim & Mauborgne (2005) [1] or  Competitive Advantage Strategies  by Porter (1979) [2]

As shawn in Cart 3, the Muslims nations as well as the world today are  facing with various problems in all aspect of human activities - financial, economy, environment, social,  and technology, and the trend is that the world is going towards grave catastrophe. Everything is going for commercial or financial-benefits at the expands of human degeneration and world catastrophe. What is the solution? 

The only solution is Islam. Islam has a complete system for all mankind, which include specially, commercial laws, criminal laws, family laws, and these Islamic Systems bring justice to all mankind and universally applicable and acceptable as the case of Islamic Financial System and Islamic Halal Standards. In short application of Maqasid Al Shariah Strategy is the only solution. 

Certainly we thanks Allah and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace upon him) who provide guidelines to all of us in the forms of authentic written Quran and volumes of recorded of the practices and saying of  Prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him) known as Sunnah .  Also we have to acknowledge the works of past Islamic scholars who  concretized  Maqasid Al Shariah as it is known today. The first attempt to formulate idea of maqasid include Al-Tirmidhi al-Hakim ( 296H/908CE ), Abu Zard al-Balkhi ( 322H/933CE ), Al-Qaffal al-Kabir (365H/975CE), Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi (381/991CE) and Al-Amiri al-Faylasuf (381/991CE).  In the fifth of Islamic century witnessed the emergence of comprehensive principles of Islamic law and also gave birth to the  term  maqasid in the Islamic law. 

The most significant contributors to maqasid between fifth and eight Islamic centuries include, Abu al-Maali al-Jawaybi (478H/1085CE), Abu Hamid al-Gazali (505H/1111CE), Al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam (660H/1209CE), Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi (684H/1287CE). Shams al-Dinibn al-Qayyim ( 748H/1347CE),  and lastly the most significantly contributor and also considered as father of Maqasid Al-Shariah was Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (790H/ 1388CE). Al-Shatibi book became the standard text book Abu on Maqasid Al Shariah in Islamic scholarship until the twentieth century.[3]

Wal-Allah -hu -a'lam ( Allah knows better)

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[1]See; Kim and Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, Blue Ocean Strategy How to Create Uncontested Make Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2005.

[2]See; Porter, Michael E. Porter, Competitive Strategy, Free Press, New York,  (1980)

[3] See; Auda, Jasser Auda, Maqasid Al-Shariah as Philosophy of Islamic Law, A System Approach, International Institute of  Islamic Thought, Islamic Book Trust, 1411H/2010CE, Chapter 1, pp.1-25