Rapprochement Strategies in Islamic Madhāhib

Abstract

The unity of Islamic ummah is a primary noble aim of Islamic law. It bestows with cogent evidence for the divine solidarity of the Omnipotent, the cohesion of His Sharīʿah and the oneness of revering Him. It also provides evidence for the binding nature of such subservience to Allah عز و جل. The prime objective of rapprochement deals with bringing the Muslim ummah together under the umbrella of the universal values and invariable precepts resulting from the Holy Qurʾān and the Prophetic traditions (Sunnah). It is a concrete and methodological call directing towards the investigation of the occurrence of madhāhib differences. The main purpose of this research study is to focus on targeting jurisprudential principles through rapprochement strategies among the Islamic madhāhib. The rapprochement strategy for bridging the gap is based on scientific and academic foundations. The study is qualitative in nature, with descriptive and analytical approach. Rapprochement of madhāhib and the role of jurisprudential principles has been the focus of jurists and scholars since the formative period of Islam. The study also focuses on the differences of opinions among scholars. The foundations of rapprochement among Islamic madhāhib are also discussed in detail. The research finding showed that even though a number of madhāhib emerged on the basis of doctrinal differences yet there are certain points of convergence in these madhāhib. The research also underlined the role of media for the establishment of religious harmony and suggested conducting more researches on various rapprochement strategies.