Regrounding maqāṣid al-sharīʿa, the quranic semantics and foundation of human common good, written by Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi

Abstract

Each year, a vast amount of literature is published on maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa. However, only a few of these works stand out as serious and thoughtprovoking. One such work is the book we are reviewing: Regrounding Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa, the Quranic Semantics and Foundation of Human Common Good, authored by Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi with Waleed Fekry Faris and Dawood A. Yahya al-Hidabi. The book’s main body spans 208 pages and is divided into three main chapters preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion. The first chapter examines the preservation of religion (ḥifẓ al-dīn) and progeny (ḥifẓ al-nasl), the second focuses on the preservation of life (ḥifẓ al-nafs), and the third explores the preservation of the mind (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql) and wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl). This book can be situated within the ongoing debate on the ambiguity surrounding the interpretation of maqāṣid in modern times and its occasional (mis)use to justify contradictory positions within the framework of Sharīʿa. It takes an important step toward re-establishing a connection between maqāṣid and Qurʾānic terminology by conducting a semantic analysis of the Qurʾān to (re)define maqāṣid. The authors argue that early scholars have largely overlooked this critical link, making their efforts both timely and essential. The central question posed by the book is: What might the five maqāṣid mean if interpreted through the conceptual framework of the Qurʾān?