Pancasila: A contemporary application of Maqasid Al-Sharī‘ah?

This paper proposes that the traditional principle of maqasid al-shari>‘ah,or the higher intentions and objecttives of islamic law,can go beyond the realm of theoretical islamic jurisprudence and is made manifest in practical politics. i argue that the most robust example of this phenomenon occurs in indonesia. i therefore examine whether or not the concept of indonesia’s ‘secular’ and nationalistic doctrine of pancasila,the five principles,can be construed as a contemporary application of maqasid al-shari>‘ah. this study strives to link the classical jurispru-dential tool of maqasid al-shari‘ah,as discussed by al-ghazālī (d. 1111),al-shātibī (d. 1388) and more recently by muhammad al-tahir ibn ‘āshūr (d. 1973),with the contemporary model of pancasila. © 2015,state islamic university of sunan ampel. all rights reserved.