The Qur'anic Paradigm of Universal Objectives of the Shari'ah (maqasid al-Shari'ah al-Kulliyah): A Model for Sustainable Development

The debate about the role of the Holy Qur'an, and by extension of the Shari'ah, towards the sustainable human development lately attracted much attention from the academic circles. The model of human development which is organic and realistic. The term sustainable development referring to welfare of all humanity; transcending the political, geographical, economical or religious identities, in consonance with the greater cosmic developments. The paper tries to argue the Qura'nic model of sustainable human development through identification of the universal objectives of the Shari'ah (maqasid al-Shari'ah al-kulliyah) as the possible prototype of the developmental pattern wherein the process of development meets the needs of the present human race without compromising the potential of future generations to meet their needs. The paper maintains the Qura'nic worldview safeguards the organic interdependent social existence of the realm of the creation through identification of the absolute universal objectives contextualized through the science of maqasid al-shari'ah. The paper concludes drawing the inter-relationship between the Qura'nic identification of maqasid al-Shari'ah and sustainable human development.