Maqāsid Interpretation in Ibn Taymiyyah: Traces within the Context of Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm
Abstract
Efforts concerning the interpretation and understanding of the Qur’an are central to the intellectual endeavor of Islamic scholarship. They aim to uncover the relevance of the divine message to the human condition and the broader cosmological order. Within this framework, the maqāṣid, which seek the higher objectives of Islamic law, have gained significant prominence in recent scholarly discourse. While the formal articulation of maqāṣid al-sharīʿa is often attributed to later scholars such as al-Shāṭibī, its conceptual and methodological underpinnings trace back to earlier debates within classical Islamic thought. This study aims to contribute to the historical reconstruction of maqāṣid hermeneutics, focusing particularly on the contributions of Ibn Taymiyya, a figure whose role in this discourse has been relatively understudied. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the methodological trajectory of maqāṣid-based interpretation by engaging with foundational procedural discussions that shaped its epistemological structure. More specifically, the study seeks to evaluate whether the interpretive strategies employed by Ibn Taymiyya, especially in his seminal work Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm, exhibit a maqāṣidī orientation, even if not articulated through the formal terminology established later. This approach addresses a lacuna in existing scholarship, which has largely overlooked Ibn Taymiyya’s potential contributions to the early development of purposive interpretation. The study's findings reveal that concepts such as maṣlaḥa and maqāṣid were already embedded in the Islamic legal tradition between the 6th and 8th centuries Hijri. Although not yet conceptualized as a formal methodology, these principles were increasingly employed to guide juristic reasoning and reconcile textual interpretations with the overarching goals of the sharīʿa. Within this intellectual context, Ibn Taymiyya emerges as a scholar deeply engaged with these concepts. A terminological analysis conducted in this study underscores that by the 8th century Hijri, al-Shāṭibī had systematically constructed a coherent maqāṣid theory, positioning it as a distinct discipline within uṣūl al-fiqh. His work demarcated the boundaries of maqāṣid reasoning and laid the groundwork for subsequent discussions. However, after al-Shāṭibī, the maqāṣid framework experienced a period of stagnation. From the 9th to the 13th centuries Hijri, socio-political pressures and a general inclination toward taqlīd impeded further theoretical advancement. Despite this dormancy, the maqāṣid approach persisted in latent forms and was later revitalized in response to the epistemological crises posed by modernity. In the contemporary era, maqāṣid has been reinterpreted as a methodological tool capable of addressing the complex ethical and social challenges confronting Muslim societies. Thinkers like Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir Ibn ʿĀshūr reinvigorated the theory, elevating it as a framework for ijtihād and normative reconstruction. Ibn ʿĀshūr’s contributions highlight the ongoing relevance of maqāṣid, especially in contexts where traditional jurisprudence proves insufficient in addressing novel legal dilemmas. The central argument of this research is that Ibn Taymiyya’s legal and hermeneutical contributions exhibit substantial thematic continuity with later maqāṣid-oriented scholarship. Through a meta-analytical methodology and inductive reasoning, the study examines Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm to identify elements consistent with purposive legal interpretation. Ibn Taymiyya’s insistence on aligning societal norms with the foundational objectives of the sharīʿa mirrors the objectives later codified in maqāṣid theory. Moreover, Ibn Taymiyya’s resistance to practices that he perceived as undermining. This concern for communal welfare and religious authenticity aligns with the maqāṣid paradigm, which emphasizes outcomes and objectives over procedural formalism. His approach, while rooted in textualism, demonstrates flexibility and responsiveness to context, which are hallmarks of maqāṣid reasoning. This study thus contributes to the reappraisal of maqāṣid theory’s historical development by uncovering its implicit presence in pre-Shāṭibī scholarship.
Keywords
İktizâʾü’s-Sırâti’l-Müstakîm Adlı Eseri Bağlamında İbn Teymiyye’de Makâsıdî Yoruma Ait İzler
Öz
Bu çalışma, İslam düşüncesinde makâsıd eksenli yorumun tarihsel arka planını ortaya koyarak, İbn Teymiyye’nin İktizâʾü’s-sırâti’l-müstakîm adlı eserinde makâsıdî yaklaşımın izlerini tespit etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmada, Hicrî VI-VIII. yüzyıllar arasında maslahat ve makâsıd kavramlarının ilmî gelenekteki yeri incelenmiş, İbn Teymiyye’nin dönemin metodolojik birikiminden etkilenerek Kur’ân’ın bazı temel konularını (tevhid, kıssalar, emir ve yasaklar) yorumlarında ön plana çıkardığı belirlenmiştir. Makâsıd anlayışının Şâtıbî ile sistematik bir yapıya kavuştuğu, ancak sonraki yüzyıllarda sosyal ve siyasi sebeplerle geri planda kaldığı saptanmıştır. İbn Aşûr’un katkılarıyla modern dönemde yeniden canlanan bu yaklaşımın, unutulan klasik yöntemlerin çağdaş bir yorumu olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Araştırma, makâsıd nazariyesinin tarihsel sürekliliğini ve İbn Teymiyye’nin bu bağlamdaki katkılarını ortaya koyarak literatüre özgün bir katkı sunmayı hedeflemektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler
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