Reconstructing Islamic Legal Reasoning: The Role and Application of Uṣūl al-Fiqh and Fiqh Maxims in Contemporary Ijtihād

Ismatul Maula; Achmad Siddiq; Ahmad Rezy Meidina

doi:10.53639/ijssr.v7i3.421

Authors

Ismatul Maula Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Al-Hikmah 2 Brebes
Achmad Siddiq Universitas Islam Negeri Professor Kiai Haji Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto
Ahmad Rezy Meidina Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Al-Hikmah 2 Brebes

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53639/ijssr.v7i3.421

Keywords:

Uṣūl al-Fiqh, Fiqh Maxims, Contemporary Ijtihād, Islamic Legal Reasoning, Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah

Abstract

Contemporary Islamic legal challenges increasingly expose the limitations of approaches that rely exclusively on either textual interpretation or isolated legal maxims. This article examines the role and application of uṣūl al-fiqh principles and fiqh maxims in contemporary ijtihād and argues for their methodological reconstruction as complementary instruments of Islamic legal reasoning. Employing a qualitative doctrinal and conceptual approach, this study analyzes classical and contemporary Islamic legal literature to examine the epistemological relationship between uṣūl al-fiqh, fiqh maxims, maqāṣid al-sharīʿah, authoritative texts, and changing social contexts. The analysis demonstrates that uṣūl al-fiqh provides the foundational principles for deriving legal meaning from authoritative sources, whereas fiqh maxims facilitate the systematic extension, contextualization, and application of those principles to diverse and evolving legal circumstances. Rather than positioning the two as separate or hierarchical instruments, this study conceptualizes them as mutually reinforcing modes of legal reasoning within a broader maqāṣid-oriented framework. Such integration enables jurists to maintain fidelity to authoritative Islamic sources while responding to social transformation, technological developments, and emerging forms of human interaction. The article further proposes an integrative model of contemporary istinbāṭ in which textual analysis, uṣūl al-fiqh reasoning, maqāṣid al-sharīʿah, fiqh maxims, and contextual assessment operate sequentially and dialogically. This reconstruction strengthens the methodological coherence of contemporary ijtihād by bridging normative textual authority and contextual legal responsiveness. The study concludes that the renewed significance of uṣūl al-fiqh and fiqh maxims lies not merely in their preservation as classical legal instruments, but in their critical integration as complementary foundations for producing contextually relevant, principled, and normatively grounded Islamic law.

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