The historical development of maqasid al-shari'ah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah's approach to maqasid

The primary objective of Islamic law is to ensure the worldly and otherworldly well-being (masalih) of human beings and to protect them from harm (mafasid). Therefore, the rulings established by the Lawgiver (al-Shari') are based on wisdom and benefit, and the universe has been structured upon these principles. The Shari', who places humans at the center of the divine purpose, has created nothing in the universe without reason and has assigned a purpose to everything. The correct understanding and interpretation of the primary sources of Islamic law, namely the Qur'an and Sunnah, the derivation of rulings from these sources, and the criteria for resolving conflicts between evidences have necessitated certain ijtihadi efforts. In cases where there is no explicit ruling in the texts, ijtihadi methods such as qiyas (analogical reasoning), istislah (consideration of public interest), istishab (presumption of continuity), and istihsan (juridical preference) have been employed to fill the legal gaps. The fundamental aim of these methods is to comprehend the underlying objectives of the Lawgiver. Within this framework, the importance of maqasid al-shari'ah (objectives of Islamic law), which forms the focal point of ijtihad, becomes evident. The primary goals of Islamic law have been classified into a three-tier hierarchy based on their level of importance. This classification, initially laid out by al-Juwayni, was later systematized by his student al-Ghazali. In subsequent periods, this categorization, which became widely adopted by scholars of usul al-fiqh (Islamic legal theory), was named daruriyyat (necessities), hajiyyat (needs), and tahsiniyyat (enhancements). In this study, the historical development of the concept of maqasid and the views of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah regarding maqasid have been examined. Therefore, the primary aim of this research is to identify and analyze the progression of maqasid over time and to explore Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah's contributions to the understanding of this concept.