Jasser Auda (Cairo, November 1966) is a scholar and distinguished professor of
Islamic law
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...
, in particular, the study of the higher purposes or ''
maqasid
''Maqasid'' ( ar, مقاصد, lit. goals, purposes) or ''maqāṣid al-sharīʿa'' (goals or objectives of '' sharia'') is an Islamic legal doctrine. Together with another related classical doctrine, '' maṣlaḥa'' (welfare or public interest), ...
'' of the
Sharia.
He is the President of
Maqasid Institute Global
''Maqasid'' ( ar, مقاصد, lit. goals, purposes) or ''maqāṣid al-sharīʿa'' (goals or objectives of ''sharia'') is an Islamic legal doctrine. Together with another related classical doctrine, '' maṣlaḥa'' (welfare or public interest), i ...
, which is a think tank registered in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, and has educational and research programs in a number of countries.
Major works
He is a member of the Fiqh Council of North America, the
European Council for Fatwa and Research The European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) is a Dublin-based private foundation, founded in London on 29–30 March 1997 on the initiative of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe. The council is a largely self-selected body, c ...
, and a fellow at the Fiqh Academy of
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. He has a PhD in the philosophy of Islamic law from the
University of Wales
The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...
, UK, and a PhD in systems analysis from the
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
. Early in his life, he memorized the Quran and studied at the Study Circles of
Al-Azhar Mosque
Al-Azhar Mosque ( ar, الجامع الأزهر, al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit=The Resplendent Congregational Mosque, arz, جامع الأزهر, Gāmiʿ el-ʾazhar), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the histori ...
in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
. He worked previously as a professor at
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...
,
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Worl ...
and
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
in Canada,
Alexandria University
Alexandria University ( ar, جامعة الإسكندرية) is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University (the name of which was later changed to Cairo University), becoming an indepen ...
in Egypt, Islamic University in Sanjaq, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies,
American University of Sharjah
American University of Sharjah (abbreviated AUS; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية في الشارقة) is a private university in the United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1997 by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member an ...
in the
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
and
University of Bahrain
The University of Bahrain ( ar, جامعة البحرين , informally Bahrain University, abbreviated as UOB) is the largest public university in the Kingdom of Bahrain with campuses in Sakhir, Isa Town and Manama, the university has more than ...
. He lectured on Islam and its law in dozens of countries. He currently spearheads the Masters in Applied Islamic Thought Programme at the International Peace College in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
which he also founded in 2020. He has also been lecturing in the Honours programme at the same institute based in Cape Town.
He wrote 25 books in Arabic and English, some of which were translated to 25 languages.
Previous academic positions
* Visiting Professor, International Peace College South Africa (IPSA), Cape Town, South Africa. 2016 – Present
* Visiting Professor, Center for the Study of Islam, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. 2015 – 2016
* Professor of Islamic Law, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Qatar. 2013 – 2015
* Professor of Sharia Law, Islamic University of Novi Pazar, Serbia. 2013 – 2014
* Associate Professor, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Qatar. 2010 – 2012
* Founding Deputy Director, Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, Qatar Foundation, Qatar. 2011 – 2012:
* Founding Director, Research Centre in the Philosophy of Islamic Law, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, U.K. 2005 – 2009:
* Associate Professor of Islamic Law, Faculty of Law, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. 2007 – 2009:
* Expert, UK Board of Muslim Scholars, Ministry of Communities and University of Cambridge, UK. 2008 – 2009:
* Associate Professor of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, UAE. 2001 – 2005:
* Research/Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Systems Analysis, University of Waterloo, Canada. 1996 – 2001:
* Research/Teaching Assistant, Department of Systems Analysis, University of Waterloo, Canada. 1993 – 1996:
* Researcher, Systems Department, National Research Center, Egypt. 1988 – 1992
Publication
Books
* Tarteeb al-‘Aql al-Muslim: Muraja’at fi daw’ al-sunan al-ilahiyyah wal-maqasid al-shar’iyyah (Reorganizing the Muslim Mind: Reflections in Light of Divine Universal Laws and Shariah Objectives). Al-Shabakah Al-Arabiyah, Beirut, 2017 (upcoming).
* Maqāsid al-Sharī`ah as Philosophy of Islamic Law: A Systems Approach, International Institute of Islamic Thought, London-Washington, several reprints: 2008-14. Translated to Arabic, Bosnian, Italian, Turkish, Malaysian and Indonesian. Various publishers: 2010-15.
* Maqāsid al-Sharī`ah: A Beginner’s Guide. London: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), many reprints, 2008-2016. Translated to: Arabic, Urdu, German, Indonesian, Malaysian, Russian, Azeri, Tamil, Bengali, Turkish, Japanese, Kurdish, Malayalam, French, Bosnian, Italian, Somali, Uzbek, Greek, Spanish, Korean, Thai, Somali, Amharic. Various publishers: 2009-16.
* Al-Dawlah al-Madaniyya: Nahwa tajawuz al-istibdad wa tahqeeq maqasid al-shariah (Civil State: Towards overcoming authoritarianism & realizing maqasid al-shariah), Al-Shabakah Al-Arabiyah, Beirut, 2015. Translated to: English, Italian, Malayalam, Bengali, & Malaysian.
* Al-Mar’ah fil-Masjid: Dawruha wa Makanatuha (Women in the Mosque: Their Role and Contribution), Dar Makased, Cairo 2015. Trans. to English, Indonesian, Bengali, Malaysian.
* Bayn al-shariah wal-siyasah: As’ilah li-marhalat ma ba’d al-thawraat (Between Shariah and Politics: Questions in the Post-Revolutions era). Beirut: Al-Shabakah Al-Arabiyyah, 2012, 2013. Translated to: Farsi, Malaysian, and Malayalam. Various publishers: 2013-2015.
* Al-Ijtihad al-maqasidi: Majmou’at buhouth (Purposeful Reasoning: Selected Papers). Beirut: Al-Shabakah Al-Arabiyyah, 2013, 2014. Translated to Urdu, Farsi and Tamil.
* Al-Sulouk ma’-Allah: Rihlah ma’a hikam Ibn Ataa-ellah fi daw’ al-kitab wal-sunnah wal-sunan al-ilahiyyah (Ethics with God: A Journey with Ibn Ataa-Ellah in light of the Quran, Sunnah, and Universal Laws). Cairo: Darul-Hidaiah, 2010. Translated to: English, Bosnian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Italian and Urdu, Various publishers: 2011-2015.
* Khulasat Bidāyat al-Mujtahid libni-Rushd (Averröes’s Premier of the Jurist: Synopsis and Commentary), India: Noor Foundation, 2006, 2007, and Cairo: Al-Shurouq, 2010.
* Fiqh al-Maqāsid: Inātat al-ahkām al-shar`īah bimaqāsidihā (Teleological Jurisprudence: Basing Islamic Rulings on their Purposes), International Institute of Islamic Thought, Virginia, 2006, 2007, 2008. Translated to: Urdu and Azeri, 2010.
Journal articles
* "Shariah, Ethical Goals and the Modern Society", MUIS – Islamic Religious Council of Singapore Academy Series, No. 10, Singapore, 2016.
* "Al-Ijtihad al-maqasidi: Ru’ya Manzumiyyah" (Ijtihad via Maqasid: A Systems Approach), Al-Muslim Al-Mu’asir Journal, Cairo, 2014.
* "Kayf nuhadid al-‘alaqah bayn al-dini wal-madani" (How do we Define the Relationship between the Religious and the Secular?), Al-Ihyaa Journal, Mohammadan Council of Scholars, Morocco, Article No. 5771, Sept. 2013.
* "Qira’ah fi utrouhat al-doctoura lil-marhoum Ismail al-Faruqi: hawla ithbat al-khair" (A Critical Reading of Ismail al-Faruqi's PhD Thesis: On Justifying the Good), Islamization of Knowledge Journal, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Virginia, Fall 2013.
* "Tawzeef maqasid al-shariah fi tarsheed syasaat al-iqtisad al-ma’rifi" (Utilizing Maqasid al-Shariah towards improving knowledge economy policies), Islamization of Knowledge Journal, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Fall 2012.
* "An Outline of the Islamic Maqasidi/Purpose-Based Approach". Q-Science Journal, Islamic Bioethics: The Interplay of Islam and the West, Bloomsbury, 2012 Volume.
* "Al-Ijtihad al-maqasidi" (Ijtihad via Maqasid), Islamiyyat Al-Ma’rifah Journal, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Spring 2012.
* "A Maqasidi Approach to Contemporary Application of the Shariah", Intellectual Discourse Journal, Islamic University of Malaysia, Vol. 19, No 3, Malaysia, 2011.
* "Basing the Juridical Rules on their Purposes", Tajdeed Journal, Islamic University of Malaysia, Issue 19, Year 10, Malaysia, 2006.
* "Abrogation of Rulings: A Critique", Intellectual Discourse Journal, Islamic University of Malaysia, Vol. 12, No 2, Malaysia, 2004.
References
External links
International Peace College South Africa* https://www.cilecenter.org/en/activities/arts-and-politics-from-an-ethical-perspective/users/ Arts and Politics from an Ethical Perspective
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auda, Jasser
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence