Open AccessIslamic Perspectives on Human Nature: Ibn Ashur's Fitrah-Based Theory of Maqasid Al-Shari'ah
Author(s) -
Gowhar Quadir Wani
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
islam and civilisational renewal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2041-8728
pISSN - 2041-871X
DOI - 10.52282/icr.v8i2.197
Subject(s) - islam , civilization , sharia , relevance (law) , islamic studies , islamic philosophy , human being , perspective (graphical) , philosophy , history of islam , epistemology , sociology , law , religious studies , social science , theology , political science , art , humanity , visual arts
The concept of human nature is central to both Islamic and Western thought, as manifested in the rich legacy of literature on human psychology in both intellectual traditions. A comprehensive account of human nature (or fitrah) from an Islamic perspective, can be gleaned from the Qur'an, Prophetic narrations and works of Muslim scholars like al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and al-Razi. The famous Zaytuna Imam, Tahir Ibn Ashur (d.1973), in his book on the objectives of Islamic Law, Maqasid Shar’ah al-Islamiyyah, provides fitrah-based model for building human civilisation, thereby linking Islamic law to psychology. The present paper is a humble attempt to study the views of Ibn Ashur on human nature and to highlight the relevance of Islamic perspectives on the 'human being' with regards to civilisational development.