مقاصدِ شریعت کی روشنی میں تفسیری منہج: اصولی بنیادیں، تاریخی ارتقا اور معاصر اطلاقات کا تحقیقی مطالعہ

A Principled Study of Qur’anic Exegesis in the Light of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah: Foundations, Historical Development, and Contemporary Applications

Abstract

This study explores the methodological foundations of Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr) in light of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (the higher objectives of Islamic law). While the theory of maqāṣid was formally systematized within the discipline of uṣūl al-fiqh, its conceptual roots are deeply embedded in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The research argues that maqāṣid-oriented interpretation is neither a modern innovation nor an external imposition upon the exegetical tradition; rather, it represents a principled extension of classical juristic reasoning into the field of tafsīr. Drawing upon the contributions of scholars such as امام الحرمین جوینی, امام غزالی, and especially امام شاطبی, the study demonstrates how the identification of overarching objectives—such as the preservation of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property—emerged through inductive analysis (istiqrāʾ) of scriptural sources. The paper further examines how elements of maqāṣid-conscious reasoning can be traced in classical exegetical works, even where no explicit theoretical framework was articulated. Particular attention is given to the methodological transition in modern scholarship, notably in the works of محمد الطاهر ابن عاشور, who integrated maqāṣid theory directly into Qur’anic exegesis and emphasized the necessity of understanding the Qur’an’s universal aims—justice, mercy, wisdom, and removal of hardship—when interpreting particular legal and ethical verses. Methodologically, the study argues that maqāṣid-based tafsīr must operate within strict scholarly parameters: the objectives must be established through comprehensive textual induction; they must not contradict explicit scriptural evidence; and they must remain subordinate to the linguistic, contextual, and juristic principles governing interpretation. The research concludes that a maqāṣid-oriented exegetical approach offers a coherent and principled framework capable of addressing contemporary intellectual and legal challenges, provided it remains firmly rooted in the authoritative sources and methodological safeguards of the Islamic scholarly tradition.