Maqasid Syariah and Our Responsibility

 

                              

Islam is a complete lifestyle. The teachings of Islam do not separate the spiritual and worldly aspects of an individual’s life; it states laws which cover lives from all angles. The beautiful religion of Islam never stresses on hardships or giving up on social life; rather a balanced life is encouraged and taught

“….Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship…..” [Qur’an, 2:185]

We are blessed with a religion that teaches us spirituality in such a beautiful way that helps us stay close to our Creator. Apart from the five prayers a month’s fasting, annual charity, and once in a lifetime hajj, you may offer nafl worships, too. This nafl are dear to Allah and the rewards are huge. But, balance is more important. The balance between worldly and hereafter things are very emphasized by Our prophet Muhammad according to a hadith :

Prophet (P.B.U.H) once asked one of His companion Abdullah ibn ‘Amr” R.A

“Have I heard right that you fast every day and stand in prayer all night?Abdullah replied:“Yes, O Messenger of God (P.B.U.H)” The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: “Do not do that. Fast, as well as, eat and drink. Stand in prayer, as well as, sleep. This is because your body has a right upon you, your eyes have a right upon you, your wife has a right upon you, and your guest has a right upon you.” [Bokhari]

W hat Is Maqasid Syariah ?

The term ‘maqasid’ in Arabic is plural to the word ‘maqsid’ which refers to a purpose, objective, principle, intent or end. Maqasid al-Shariah or Maqasid of Islamic law are the general objectives of Islamic legislation which consist of the deeper meanings and inner aspects of wisdom considered by the Lawgiver (Allah) in areas and circumstances of legislation.They include the general characteristics of the Shariah.The Shariah’s general rules and specific proofs indicate that the all-purpose principle of Islamic legislation is to preserve the social order of communities and ensure their well-being. Explicit textual proofs confirm that the overall objective of the Shariah is to remove corruption in all kinds of human activity.The righteousness intended and praised by the Lawgiver is not confined to just beliefs, and ritual worship acts. Instead, it also includes people’s worldly conditions and social affairs, as Islam addresses both individual and community experiences as well. Islam then addressed purifying the human psyche and uplifting the human soul.

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Tahir Ibn Ashur, a great Islamic Scholar, defined Maqasid of the Islamic law as the objectives or purposes behind the Islamic rulings. He explained the knowledge of Maqasid al-Shari'ah is important for mujtahids to not only understand or interpret the texts of Shariah, but also to derive solutions to contemporary problems faced by Muslims. The concept of Maqasid Shariah provides a clear guidance and framework to the process of ijtihad in solving the issues conforming to the human interest while complying with the will of God. 

What are the principles of Maqasid al-Shariah?

Protection of Faith or religion (din)

Protection of religion (ad-din) means prevent anything that may violate the fundamentals, or something lead to deviation from the path of Islam, Including the defense of the federation as well as the freedom to practice other religions in a peaceful and harmonious manner.It is an obligation of the government to place religion at the highest level.

Protection of Life (nafs)

Protection of life (hifz an-nofs) concerns the protection of dignity, brotherhood and social equality, justice, spiritual and moral betterment safety, property and respect, freedom, education, good government, reduction of poverty and fulfillment of the need for employment and opportunity to be self-employed. equal distribution of income and wealth, marriage and a stable family life, family and social solidarity, reduction in crime rate as well as peace and mental stability

Protection of Lineage (nasl)

This concept involves the protection ad preservation of lineage. It is important in the forming of a society that is healthy, productive and effective. Lineage must be protected to protect the social system within a community.

Protection of Intellect (‘aql)

Protection of mind mean protection against anything that is destructive. The mind must be protected and nurtured with noble values and beneficial knowledge. All elements that lead to loss and destruction of the mind ad reason such as alcohol, drugs as well as harmful film must be eradicated and banned immediately.

Protection of Property (mal)

Protection of property means protecting society's wealth from ruin and from illegal transfer of property to others including prohibition against injustice and denial of rights. It is the obligation of the government to protect against and ban all forms of oppression, fraud, corruption, monopolies copyright piracy violations of intellectual rights, market manipulation and all other forms of misappropriation or other matters that oppress and harm others.

How I see Maqasid Syariah being applied at home ?

After all the explanation above, maqasid syariahting not only involved in the context of governance, state ,and society, but maqasid syariah is the guidelines for us to live as a Muslim in a proper way according to our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), also a blessing from Allah to His servants. Every individual that considers every action in his life related to Maqasid Syariah will get prosperity,huge reward  and balance between Dunya and akhirah. For me, it is important for us to be aware of every action that we do or plan in our life in order to stay in the correct path of Islam and closer to the Creator. In my opinion,  the principle of Maqasid Syariah can be applied in any situation and at any place. Here, I List how an individual can apply the maqasid syariah at home daily. 

1.Protecting the religion. At home, We should perform our five times prayer early which at the beginning of the salat times. It is a sign of our compliance to our Lord and obey to our Prophet's advice. Islam prohibited us to act carelessly in performing our salat. We should practice circumcision practices such as fasting with the family to create a family that is close to the teachings of islam.The learning of the Holy Quran and Hadith in the family also needs to be done together in order to have a precise understanding and reject deviant thoughts.

2.Protecting the life. Home is one of the basic needs to maintain the safety and lives of family members,the head of the family,the father must ensure every inch  of the house surrounding in a safe condition.In addition, safety features at home should be a priority by the whole family such as storing any sharp equipment in a safe place and avoid damaged electrical equipment and flammable materials.We need to always lock the door at night to avoid unwanted incidents such as robbery.

3Protecting the mind. Mental health care is the responsibility of every individual in the home.We must refrain from damaging our mind either physically or mentally.The influence of pornography, violent acts, the influence of drugs are among the main causes of the death of children and adolescents mind . Therefore,parents play a pivotal role in the home to control their children's behaviour both physically and mentally.Regular monitoring of by parents and providing in depth Islamic education is the best way to protect the mind. We also can spend time with family members to deepen knowledge of religion well like listening to a lecture in mosque or surau..

4.Protecting the ancestry. Lineage is the most important component of a family's glory.Islam attches great importance to the care of the offspring for each individual because it involves the dignity of religion and race.Therefore, it is very important for parents to advise family members things that can damage the offspring such as adultery,homosexual,bisexual,sodomy, also reminding children on detrimental effect on self and family

5.Protecting the property. as individual,we can take various steps to ensure our property always preserved.It is because threats to property can take many forms such as robbery, where it could threatens a person's life.Locking the door when not at home is the easiest step can be taken to prevent theft.In addition, property such as money should be kept in a safe place in the house.For people who has capability in financial, installing CCTV around the house is an effective way to prevent strange behavior in surrounding