Wasaṭiyyah (Moderation)‎ as the principle and objective of the shariah as a solution for preventing violence and extremism

الملخص EN

The Shariah, the foundation of the scheme of life, seems to be the most misunderstood concept of our time.

The Shariah is confined to the domain of law in a rigid way and used out of context in an exclusivist manner.

This has generated numerous implications to thought and life.

It is generally assumed that the violent extremism that we witness in many parts of the world is the result of this misrepresentation of the Shariah.

The situation demands a textual and contextual reading of the Shariah’s principles scientifically, especially, the principle of the wasatiyyah as an objective of the Shariah [Maqasid Shariah].

A correct view of the Shariah and the principle of wasatiyyah will help to remove the misunderstandings.

It will also help to prevent the violent extremist and terrorist tendencies.

This paper, therefore, aims at examining the principle of wasatiyyah based on the textual study of the Principle Sources – the Quran and Sunnah - and determines its scope to counter violence, extremism and terrorism.

The socio-ethical dimensions and the principle of wasatiyyah as principles and objectives of the Shariah in relation to extremist trends will be explored and analyzed in this paper.

This paper will present the principle of wasaṭiyyah as a solution for preventing the current extremist tendencies among some Muslims.

The descriptive and analytical approaches will be employed in this study.

Based on the textual study in a changing context, this paper concludes that the principle of wasaṭiyyah, owing its significance in the Sharī‘ah, needs to be highlighted and acknowledged as a major principle and objective of the Sharī‘ah which would be helpful to solve the societal problems besides its significance in private life.