Maqāsid Al-Sharīah : are we measuring the immeasurable ?

Abstract EN

Islam takes a broad and encompassing view of human development and asserts the centrality of achieving the Maqāṣid al-Sharīah in all human activities.

The existing development indices do not completely conform to the normative judgments of Islam regarding the concept of development especially because of their disproportionate emphasis on the material aspect of the development and their disregard for the dimensions which are crucial for the world hereafter.

This highlights the need for an index which accommodates the dimensions which are consistent with Maqāṣid al-Sharīah.

This paper seeks to explore the conception of Maqāṣid al-Sharīah as a measureable concept, identifies the indicators relevant to these Maqāṣid, and develops a tentative multidimensional index which makes a cross-country comparison within the OIC region.