The General Maqasid of the Prophetic Sunnah in the light of Sahihayn: An Analytical Studies

Abstract

The study of the Prophetic sunnah has attracted significant attention from scholars throughout the ages. However, the exploration of its higher objectives (maq??id) has not received sufficient consideration. Existing studies have not comprehensively addressed the overarching objectives of the sunnah across all the domains it covers. Although some research and articles discussed the objectives of the sunnah, these studies were limited in scope and precision in defining the relevant objectives, underscoring the need for a more comprehensive study in this area. In contrast to the increasing body of research on the objectives of the Quran, the investigation of the objectives of the sunnah remains underdeveloped. This highlights the importance of this present study, which aims to uncover the higher objectives of the sunnah through an analysis of ?a??? al-Bukh?r? and ?a??? Muslim. This study adopts an inductive approach, gathering hadith texts that share a common meaning to identify the overarching objectives, alongside an analytical method focusing on examining issues and details and linking them to these higher objectives. Additionally, this study employs the traditional method, relying on the interpretations of hadith scholars to clarify the relationship between the extracted hadiths and the derived objectives. This study concludes that the higher objectives of the Prophetic sunnah revolve around three main objectives: first, recognition of Allah al-Ra?m?n, which includes the recognition of al-Ma?b?d (the worshipped), ris?lat al-Ma?b?d (His message), and ?uruq al-?ib?dah (the methods of worship); second, knowledge of ins?n (the human being), which encompasses understanding the physiological (jusm?n?), intellectual (nafs?n?), and spiritual (r???n?) aspects of human nature; and third, the management (ri??yah) of al-akw?n (the beings), which involves social development, the management of al-mulk (possession) and al-taskh?r (stewardship), and the development of civilisation (al-?umr?n).

Keyword: Maq??id, General Maq??id, Prophetic Sunnah, Sahihayn.