[1][2][3] The notion of maqasid was first clearly articulated by al-Ghazali (died 1111), who argued that maslaha was God's general purpose in revealing the divine law, and that its specific aim was preservation of five essentials of human well-being: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property.
[4] Although most classical-era jurists recognized maslaha and maqasid as important legal principles, they held different views regarding the role they should play in Islamic law.
[1][6] While the latter view was held by a minority of classical jurists, in modern times it came to be championed in different forms by prominent scholars who sought to adapt Islamic law to changing social conditions by drawing on the intellectual heritage of traditional jurisprudence.
Since the turn of the century, a number of Islamic scholars, including Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Professor Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee, Ahmed Raissouni, Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi, Halim Rane, Jasser Auda, and Tariq Ramadan, have advocated the maqasid approach and contributed to its development.
Sheikh Muhammad Abu Zahra believed that Shariah was a "mercy to humanity" with three major goals: "nurturing the righteous individual", "establishing justice", and "realization of benefits".