IIUM Scholarly Discussion on ‘The Higher Objectives of Islam: A Thematic Guide to Maqāṣid, Halal, and Haram’

By, Belayet Hossen

A scholarly, interactive and fruitful discussion was accomplished with Sheikh Dr. Haitham Al-Hadad, (Chair, Fatwa Committee, Islamic Council of Europe) on “The Higher Objectives of Islam: A Thematic Guide to Maqāṣid, Halal and Haram,” which was held on 25 July 2025, at al-Tabari Conference Room, Human Sciences Building, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM.

The Program was honoured and officiated by Professor Dr. Hafiz Zakariya, respected Dean, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM, moderated by Associate Professor Dr. Abdulhamid Mohamed Ali Zaroum, and the emcee of the program was Associate Professor Dr. Shaheed Abdullahi Busari with the closing remarks delivered by Associate Professor Dr. Sayyed Mohamed Muhsin, respected Head, Department of Fiqh and Usūl al-Fiqh. 

In his welcoming speech, Professor Dr. Hafiz Zakariya said that the issue of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʽah is crucial in the intellectual arena of this contemporary world. It is not only a burning issue among the scholars of Islamic world, but it also creates an intellectual discourse and renaissance among the scholars of western world. It has become now a global issue when discussing on the philosophy of Islamic law. Muslim scholars should pay more attention to the exploration of the objectives of Islam and to integrate them with all branches of contemporary knowledge.

However, Sheikh Dr. Haitham Al-Hadad in his lecture said that the scholars of Muslim Ummah should think that today when they are teaching their students in the name of Islamic Studies and Sharīʽah Studies at schools, madrasahs and universities; are these teachings helping to rebuild the Ummah? What is the role of scholars of the Ummah today, when people of Palestine are starving with the lack of food and basic needs witnessed by the entire Islamic world?

Dr. Haitham Al-Hadad added that we should not remain in the context of the fourth century or fifth century of Islam to solve the current crises and problems of our Ummah. Rather, we have to study the texts written by our classical scholars from the perspective of current era. The understanding of context is heavily significant to comprehend Islam and its practice. If we always remain stuck in the context of those classical scholars, we will never be able to solve the problems that our Ummah faces today.

On top of that, he further said that in this case, the IIUM has to come forward and take the challenges to resolve the crises that the Ummah is collectively facing everywhere around the world. It is crucial to know that the problems that we experience today, the scholars of classical period did not experience. They practiced the mutūn of their period, but we have to practice the mutūn based on our current global context.

He posed some questions to the audience regarding Islamic Studies: Do we teach them management sciences? Do we teach them social sciences? Don’t they need these kinds of knowledge? Do our fuqaha know Islamic banking and finance properly? Do they have enough knowledge on this vital issue? If they do not know then how they will solve the problems of our Ummah?” 

Additionally, Dr. Haitham al-Hadad mentioned that Islam is not a mere religion like what we see today. Rather, once upon a time, it was one of the superpowers of the world. Islam built the greatest civilization on earth. Nevertheless, he opined that we should rethink about the notion of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʽah. The scholars of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʽah, did they truly comprehend the entire concept? What are the objectives of Islam that Allah (SWT) expressed in His Quran? If we survey the Quran, we find numerous objectives of Sharīʽah for instance: worshipping Allah alone, establishing justice on earth, testing human beings (ibtilā) and making Islam victorious over other all religions of the world etc. Did our scholars of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʽah mention these in their Maqāṣidic discourse? If the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʽah is confined only to five or more than this specific kulliyyāt then where is the Maqāṣid of justice (ʽadl)? Where is the Maqāṣid of makārim al-Akhlāq, where the Prophet (SAW) said that he was sent to perfect the morality of human beings? And where is the discourse of Maqāṣid al-ʼAmān and Maqāṣid al-Ṭahārah?

After his lecture, there was an interactive and engaging discussion among the participants. He also answered numerous questions coming from the participants, where faculty members, master’s and PhD students were included. The active participation of audience in discussion with Dr. Haitham proves that the program was truly fruitful, mind-blowing and full of enlightenment. Many more scholars like Dr. Haitham al-Hadad from across the world should be invited to IIUM so that teachers and students at the university can share their gained knowledge and experiences with them and that is how they can produce new knowledge, insights and wisdom, which may benefit not only Islam and Muslims of Malaysia but also it may benefit the entire humankind.

The session was jointly organized by AHAS KIRKHS’s Coordinator of the Islamization of Human Knowledge (IOHK) Office and Nadwat al-Jumuʽah Committee of Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh.***