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Freeing Maqāṣid and Maṣlaḥa from Surreptitious Utilitarianism

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​Current discourse on maqāṣid and maṣlaḥa has been structurally cooptated into the Western utilitarian framework, in which the two Islamic ethical and legal terms have been largely conflated with secular utility. The original epistemological and axioteleological parameters of what really counts as maṣlaḥa are disregarded so that it can be identified with core Western values such as progress, science and development. This paper overviews the nature of, and the reasons for, this cooptation and conflation, and provides general proposals for recovering the true vision and operation of maṣlaḥa. Three specific case studies, including on Islamic Finance and the Halal Industry, are presented to further clarify the discussion.
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Keywords: al-Būṭī, change, development, Halal industry, Islamic Finance, maqāṣid, maṣlaḥa, Mufti Usmani, progress, secularization, usūl al-fiqh, utilitarianism.

Journal of Islamic Sciences, Vol. 14 (Winter 2016) No. 2​

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Adi Setia

Adi Setia is the founding director of IGE Advisory, which is dedicated to consulting, teaching and researching in the Islamic Gift Economy framework. He is also the co-founder of the Program for Ethical, Appropriate & Regenerative Livelihoods (PEARL).

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