Tūfī's concept of Maṣlaḥah

This thesis studies a method of legal reasoning used in determining legal rulings guided by the principle of maslahah (public interest), promulgated by a liberal thinker of the medieval period, Najm al-Din al-Tufi (d. 710/716 A.H.). His theory of maslahah is not confined only to cases which have no textual basis but is also applied to those problems that come within the purview of the revealed texts. His theory of maslahah is, no doubt, unique and original. He prefers to place maslahah above all legal sources, including the Qur'an and the Hadith which, according to him, cannot lead people to uniform rulings. He believes that only with this theory can human welfare be secured.Due to its unique and controversial nature, al-Tufi's theory of maslahah was not welcomed and even received severe criticism from other jurists. Indeed, this theory went beyond al-Tufis times and was much later seen as suitable for anticipating social change. Therefore, in modern times, in which law reform is needed his theory of maslahah receives serious attention. This thesis also attempts to argue that, even though their concept of maslahah is not as liberal as that of al-Tufi the modern reformists' theory of maslahah is, by and large, inspired and even influenced by al-Tufis maslahah