The Sharia Objectives of Family Law and its Role in Building Society

Abstract

This study examines the higher objectives (Maqāṣid) of the family in Islam as a purposive legal framework that establishes family stability and ensures its educational, social, and civilizational functions. The research aims to clarify the fundamental objectives considered by Islamic law in regulating family relations through an analytical examination of the objectives of lineage preservation and the protection of genealogy as foundations for social continuity. It also explores the objective of achieving psychological tranquility based on affection and mercy between spouses, ensuring emotional balance and social stability, as well as the objective of marriage as a legitimate institution for promoting chastity and cooperation in achieving both worldly and spiritual interests. Furthermore, the study highlights the maqāṣid-based dimension of family rulings by linking them to the higher objectives of Islamic law (al-ḍarūriyyāt al-khams) and demonstrating their role in strengthening social cohesion and preventing family disintegration. The research argues that Islamic family legislation is not merely a collection of isolated legal rulings, but rather part of an integrated maqāṣid-based system aimed at achieving benefits and preventing harm, thereby contributing to the development of a stable family capable of fulfilling its moral and educational mission within society. The study concludes that incorporating maqāṣid-based reasoning into the understanding of family rulings provides an important methodological approach for addressing contemporary challenges facing the family, and that the success of family life is closely linked to the extent to which these objectives are realized in practice.