Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah as Goal Framing for Sustainable Behaviours: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Positive values serve as a catalyst to the formation of sustainable behaviours at the individual level, which contributes to the achievement of a nation’s sustainable development goals. With that, the current study introduces a new conceptual framework based on five pivotal values or goals of Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah—preserving religion, life, intellect, progeny, and wealth—which serve as predictors in the framing of sustainable behaviours. This study presents an overview of goal-action research, establishes the identified research gaps and study’s aims, which is then followed by an extensive review of Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah and its five goals. The proposed Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah-based framework for sustainable behaviours offers new avenues to further establish novel understanding on the universal views of Islam, which are also applicable for the non-Muslim community. Moreover, this conceptual framework provides an alternative perspective to the normative Western viewpoint on sustainable behaviours.