Maqasid al-Mukallafin fima yataabbad bihi li-Rabb al-Alamin
- Author died
- 1433 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Falāḥ
Maqasid al-Mukallafin fima yataabbad bihi li-Rabb al-Alamin (The Objectives of Legal Agents Concerning What is Done in Worship to the Lord of the Worlds) is a work on comparative jurisprudence and legal intentions by Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar (d. 1433 AH / 2012 CE), subtitled al-Niyyat fi al-Ibadat (Intentions in Acts of Worship) .
Background and Composition
The book originated as al-Ashqar's doctoral dissertation in comparative jurisprudence (al-fiqh al-muqaran) submitted to the Faculty of Sharia at Al-Azhar University in Cairo . Al-Ashqar chose the topic because intentionality is fundamental to Islamic worship, serving as the inner spirit of religious actions, while observing that early Muslim jurists thoroughly analyzed intention at the outset of their works .
Scope and Structure
The book is arranged into an introduction, two main parts, and a concluding appendix :
- Introduction: Divided into three sections that define the key terms of the title (intention, legal accountability, and worship), establish textual and rational proofs for the legal consideration of intentions along with refutations of counterarguments, and highlight the virtues and rewards of sound intentions .
- Part One (Intentions / al-Niyyat): Focuses on the immediate act intended across six chapters:
- Locus and Utterance of Intention: Establishes that intention resides in the heart rather than the brain, examines rulings on verbal pronunciation (al-talaffuz bi-al-niyyah)—whether silently, out loud, or when differing from the heart—and discusses pure, unfulfilled resolve .
- Timing of Intention: Analyzes the timing of intention across different acts of worship, including nocturnal intention for fasting .
- Description of Intention: Discusses the specific form of intention required in each act of worship and refutes demands for exhaustive mental recall of prayer components during the opening takbir .
- Conditions of Intention: Details eight prerequisite conditions and the rulings on worship lacking them, thereby covering invalidators .
- Proxy and Dedication: Examines delegation in intention (al-niyabah) and dedicating the reward of worship to the deceased .
- Requirement of Intention: Assesses which acts of worship strictly require intention (such as ablution and ritual bathing) and resolves whether intention is an essential pillar (rukn) or an external condition (shart) .
- Part Two (Sincerity / al-Ikhlas): Focuses on the ultimate aim of the actor across four chapters preceded by a prelude distinguishing natural objectives from legal objectives . It explores the ultimate purpose mandated by Islam, critiques false concepts that distort it, analyzes corrupt motives that oppose sincerity (such as caprice, ostentation, seeking access to the unseen, and evading worship) alongside their remedies, and examines the effect of intentions on permissible, prohibited, and innovated acts, refuting the notion that a good intention justifies illicit deeds .
- Appendix: Analyzes the famous prophetic tradition إنما الأعمال بالنيات ("Actions are but by intentions") .
Methodology and Sources
Al-Ashqar structured his methodology around returning directly to the Quran and Sunnah, adhering to the interpretations of the early generations (al-salaf al-salih), and critically weighing conflicting juristic arguments . In addition to published legal literature, he sought out unpublished manuscripts on the subject, notably searching for Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi's treatise al-Umniyyah fi al-Niyyah .
Editions and Reception
The work was first published in 1401 AH (1981 CE) by Maktabat al-Falah in Kuwait . It saw subsequent printings, including an edition issued by Dar al-Nafa'is in Amman . Modern scholars, such as Muhammad Husayn Yaqub, recommend the book for students of legal theory and the higher objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-shariah) .
Answer updated