Al-Ma’ālāt approach in Islamic Finance: Literature Review as First Step

The jurisprudence of al-Ma’ālāt is an ancient jurisprudence rooted in Islamic law, and it is concerned with analyzing and taking into consideration the consequences and results people’s actions can generate. The Fiqh was used by the Prophet and Sahaba, and it, thereafter, became so famous during the period of Imam Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi School of Jurisprudence. Fiqh of al-Ma’alat is a great distinctive feature and one of the important jurisprudential aspects of the Hanafi School. The school makes copious use and reference to the theory and practices of al-Ma’ālāt. Where the Hanafi school uses the term “Ariat i.e., have you pondered if that happened” and then builds the fatwa ruling based on this future event and also on the expected results of this event. History also mentions Al-Shaṭibī’s attempts to draw the attention of the imams of his time to the importance of this jurisprudence through his book Al-Muwafaqāt. But despite all the attempts, the writings on it are still few compared to Maqasid Al shariah, and the writings in it in Islamic economics and finance in the English language are almost non-existent, as there is only one source in English according to the researcher’s knowledge. Unusually however, this important discipline was not given adequate attention especially by later scholars. Despite its significance. The reasons behind that, as the researcher think due to it is not easy to discover and need deep knowledge and interdisciplinary approach which not easy for each imam to discover or can do it. This article is an attempt to restore interest in it by looking at it through several Islamic, economic and administrative aspects, but to start with this jurisprudence to “gain an understanding of the existing research and debates relevant to a particular topic or area of study, and to present that knowledge in the form of a written report. You will also gain insight into how researchers apply the concepts you are learning in your unit to real world problems.