The Necessary Objectives of the Law in Juristic Construction in Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi al-Maliki (d. 543/1148): An Inductive and Analytical Study of Ahkam al-Qur'an

Abstract

This study examines the role of the necessary objectives of Islamic law (al-daruriyyat) in the juristic construction of Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maliki (d. 543/1148) in Ahkam al-Qur’an. Rather than merely identifying references to the preservation of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property, this study focuses on how these objectives function within juristic arguments. Using inductive and analytical methods, the study examines relevant passages from Ibn al-‘Arabi’s interpretation of legal verses, classifies them according to the five necessary objectives, and analyzes four functions: interpretive, causal, preferential, and consequential-preventive. The findings demonstrate that necessary objectives are active components in Ibn al-‘Arabi’s construction of legal rulings rather than supplementary moral explanations. Preservation of religion guides his interpretation of verses concerning fitna and coercion; preservation of life informs consequence-based reasoning regarding collective retaliation; preservation of intellect shapes his assessment of the benefits and harms of wine; preservation of lineage directs rulings on istibra’ and paternity; and preservation of property supports debt documentation and loss prevention. The study concludes that Ibn al-‘Arabi integrates textual evidence, linguistic analysis, transmitted reports, school doctrine, and purposive reasoning. His approach distinguishes between establishing objectives, validating rulings, and assessing their historical application within broader Islamic jurisprudential interpretive reasoning.