Muhammad Asad’s Approach to Shari’ah: An Exposition

Journal Title: Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization (JITC) - Year 2015, Vol 5, Issue 0

Abstract

Sharī‘ah, the sacred and revealed guidelines from the Creator, that covers of all the tenets, beliefs and laws of Islam. However, in the contemporary times what essentially constitute the “Sharī‘ah” and accordingly its implementation is complex. Some argue that it includes the laws coming forth from clear-cut injunctions of Qur’an and Sunnah while others add Ijmā and Qiyās as the sources of Sharī‘ah. Besides, limiting the establishment of Sharī‘ah merely to the implementation of some corporal punishments (literally adūd, Qiā and Ta‘zīrāt) created an Islamophobic environment and people think these laws as inhuman. On contrary Sharī‘ah is considered akin to human nature and indispensable for the peace and harmony in the world; the absence and negligence of which in practical level causes imbalance and disorder in the world. Muhammad Asad (1900-1992), a great Muslim thinker with Jewish roots tried to eradicate the misconception about the Sharī‘ah from Muslim and non-Muslim reader. He proposed that Shariah, if applied, would be helpful in minimizing the tension caused due to the presence of various schools of jurisprudence. The present study is an attempt to explore Asad’s approach and understanding of Sharī‘ah and analyze his propositions that are still valid in the contemporary period.

Authors and Affiliations

Showkat Ahmad Dar

Keywords

Related Articles

Provision of Nafqah Right to Child: The Islamic Wisdom and Implementation in Pakistan

Islamic family law has specified child rights as the key social responsibility of parents and urged them to struggle for positive upbringing of their children. Prophet (SAW) and the companions (RA) set numerous tradition...

Scheler and Ghazali: Explorations of the finality of knowledge between East and West

The paper explores ways in which Islamic tradition in general, and Islamic philosophy in particular, contributes to a constructive rethinking of modernity in a dialogue between Western and Islamic thought. In modern West...

The Meaning of Religious Dialogue: According to Christian-Muslim Theologians in Pakistan

The study is the presentation of different forms of dialogues in Pakistan. Dr. De Souza has analyzed briefly how in an Islamic state, Christians are enjoying equal rights with a spirit of social service and sharing. Jan...

The Offensive Depictions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Western Media and its Consequences

The controversies and provocations generated by the West and its media over depictions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are not only related to recent caricatures or cartoons but are also about the display of historical artwork...

Human rights and beyond: Some conceptual differences between Islamic and Western perspectives of human rights

The world is pluralistic in many ways. It consists of peoples of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Several distinct civilizations have emerged from these diverse peoples. The major civilizatio...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP489757
  • DOI 10.32350/jitc.52.02
  • Views 148
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Showkat Ahmad Dar (2015). Muhammad Asad’s Approach to Shari’ah: An Exposition. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization (JITC), 5(0), 15-23. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-489757