Kamal al-Din Juayt
- Died
- 1434 AH
- Born in
- -
Kamal al-Din Juayt (d. 1434 AH / 2012–2013 CE) was a Tunisian jurist, professor, and Grand Mufti of the Republic of Tunisia, recognized for his contributions to contemporary Islamic jurisprudence and legal reform .
Career and Public Offices
Juayt served as a professor at the College of Sharia and Usul al-Din at Ez-Zitouna in Tunis and held the office of the Grand Mufti of the Republic of Tunisia . In addition to his judicial and teaching roles, he was appointed to the Supreme Islamic Council in Tunisia and acted as an expert for the League of Arab States . He also participated regularly as a juristic expert in the sessions of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy in Jeddah, contributing to debates on legal modernization, public endowments, and commercial contracts .
Legal Thought and Contributions
Juayt's scholarly work addressed the adaptation of traditional Islamic legal doctrines to modern societal needs, the theory of Islamic legal objectives (maqasid al-shari'a), and public interest . During academy deliberations, he argued that Muslim unity constitutes one of the foundational objectives of the divine law, invoking the Quranic command وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ("and do not become divided") to advocate for unifying the observance of religious seasons and festive days across the Islamic world .
His legal treatises engaged with economic and human rights questions. In his study Istithmar Mawarid al-Ahbas ("The Investment of Endowment Resources"), he analyzed methods for developing and utilizing pious endowment assets to serve contemporary communal welfare . In al-Islam wa Huquq al-Insan fi Daw al-Mutaghayyirat al-Alamiyya ("Islam and Human Rights in Light of Global Variables"), he examined the relationship between universal charters and cultural particularity, grounding fundamental rights—such as life, liberty, justice, and environmental well-being—in Islamic theological principles, notably quoting وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آَدَمَ ("And We have certainly honored the children of Adam") . He died in 1434 AH.
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List of Works
al-Islam wa Huquq al-Insan fi Daw al-Mutaghayyirat al-Alamiyya (Islam and Human Rights in Light of Global Variables) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic jurisprudence and human rights. It examines the concept of human rights from an Islamic legal perspective amid modern global shifts, addressing international charters, cultural particularity, and social ethics.