Journal of Islamic Studies > Volume 27, No. 2, 2015

A Critical Study of Ijtihad Methodologies: Jurisprudential Approaches to Al-Massaalih Al-Murssalah / Abdullah AbdulQader Quwaider,Muhammad AbdulMannanan Al-Najjar

This research is concerned with the study of the issue of al-massaalih al-mursalah (public interests,. It explores how ijtihad scholars dealt with the issue, showing their ijtihad attempts, as based on masslahah, and showing their underlying foundations and rules. The research approach inVol.ves the identification of the methodological rules, foundations and branches that were adopted by the jurisprudential schools and that manifest scholars' ijtihad approaches to dealing with the issue of al-masslahah al-mursalah. It is an inductive approach, analytical of jurisprudential scholars' masslahah-oriented ijtihad and of their intended outcome-related views. Each scholar's ijtihad methodology in approaching al-masslahah al-mursalah is examined separately. One of the important conclusions is that almasslahah al-mursalah is based on Shari'ah's general foundations and universal rules due to its association with religion and Shari'ah purposes regarding the realization of public interests. Therefore, recognized Muslim religious leaders and scholars from credible Muslim schools of thought agree on taking public interests into consideration in related ijtihad issues. Apparently, differences in that regard are a matter of terminology rather than reality or substance. As for recommendations, the research calls for giving more attention to ijtihad legislation sources in general, and al-massalih al-mursalah in particular, at the colleges of Shari'ah foundations. It also calls for the teaching of practical examples in methodological foundations as applied by ijtihad scholars, rather than concentration on terminology matters.