Toward a Unified Framework for Maqāṣid al-Qur’ān: The Need for Addressing Fragmentation Through Consensus Building

Abstract

This study investigates the persistent fragmentation in identifying the Maqāṣid al-Qur’ān (higher objectives of the Qur’an) and argues for the necessity of developing a unified, evidence-based framework through scholarly consensus. Despite extensive intellectual efforts from al-Ghazālī’s Jawāhir al-Qur’ān to contemporary thinkers, no agreed methodology or comprehensive list of objectives has emerged. In essence, the discourse on Maqāṣid al-Qur’ān is hindered by conceptual inconsistency, methodological vagueness, and lack of validation, which together result in fragmented, speculative, and non-replicable outcomes. These weaknesses obscure rather than illuminate the Qur’an’s higher purposes, making it difficult for scholars and practitioners to derive coherent, evidence-based insights. Addressing these interlinked problems through a unified and scientifically grounded framework is therefore essential to re-establishing the Qur’an’s higher objectives as the central guiding paradigm for knowledge, ethics, and civilization. Employing a qualitative, historical-textual, and comparative approach, the study analyzes the works of twenty-one classical, reformist, and modern scholars to trace thematic, numerical, and methodological diversity in their interpretations. The analysis reveals wide variation, from one to over two thousand identified objectives, and six recurring methodological orientations: theological, ethical-spiritual, legal, reformist, holistic, and exegetical. Common themes such as tawḥīd, guidance, justice, and human welfare appear across periods, yet the absence of consistent evidence and methodological rigor continues to hinder synthesis. The study concludes that consensus on Maqāṣid al-Qur’ān is an intellectual and practical imperative, as it would bridge revelation and reason, unify fragmented interpretations, and establish the Qur’an’s higher objectives as a coherent framework for education, law, ethics, and civilizational development in addressing modern human challenges.