Public interest and its impact on contemporary legal reasoning

This study aims to examine the concept of Maslahah Mursalah (unrestricted public interest), its jurisprudential foundations, its authority in Islamic legal theory, and its impact on contemporary Islamic legal reasoning in light of the objectives of Islamic law (Maqasid al-Shariah). The study also discusses the views of Islamic jurists regarding its legal validity, explains the principles governing its application, and highlights its contemporary applications in financial, medical, administrative, and judicial issues. The research adopts the inductive approach to survey the opinions of classical jurists and relevant legal sources, the analytical approach to examine legal concepts and evidence, and the deductive approach to identify the role of Maslahah Mursalah in contemporary jurisprudential applications. The study concludes that Maslahah Mursalah is an essential juristic tool that enables Islamic jurisprudence to address emerging issues while remaining faithful to the objectives of Shariah and avoiding contradiction with definitive legal texts. This demonstrates the flexibility and universality of Islamic law and its ability to respond to contemporary developments within legitimatelegalprinciples._