The Problem of the Role of Ethics in Islamic Jurisprudence

This paper seeks to fill a gap in research about the role of ethics in Islamic legal theory. Looking first at the values which shaped foundational theories of Islamic jurisprudence, the paper then moves on to consider the relationship between some of the derivatives of Islamic principles and values, taking in some of the problematics raised by these issues. The third part of the paper is devoted to the crisis of values in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence, and the need for renewal in modern Islamic thought. The study concludes that the values on which the roots of Islamic jurisprudence were founded are dynamic, temporal and relative, all of which are features that the author contends are shared with all religions.

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This paper seeks to fill a gap in research about the role of ethics in Islamic legal theory. Looking first at the values which shaped foundational theories of Islamic jurisprudence, the paper then moves on to consider the relationship between some of the derivatives of Islamic principles and values, taking in some of the problematics raised by these issues. The third part of the paper is devoted to the crisis of values in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence, and the need for renewal in modern Islamic thought. The study concludes that the values on which the roots of Islamic jurisprudence were founded are dynamic, temporal and relative, all of which are features that the author contends are shared with all religions.

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