Reconstructing al-Ghazālī's Maqāṣid al-Zawāj: A Cyclical Model of Sufi Ethics and Human Flourishing

Muhammad Nasrulloh; Zummy Humairoh; Abdul Hakim; Marsum; Rafeah Saidon

doi:10.21580/tos.v15i1.33365

Authors

Muhammad Nasrulloh Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, Indonesia
Zummy Humairoh Ma'had Aly Al-Zamachsyari Malang, Indonesia
Abdul Hakim IAIN Pontianak, Indonesia
Marsum STAI Mempawah, Indonesia
Rafeah Saidon Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21580/tos.v15i1.33365

Keywords:

Maqāṣid al-Zawāj, Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa, al-Ghazālī, Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, Sufi Ethics

Abstract

Contemporary marriage faces changing family values, declining marriage intentions, and increasing marital problems, requiring an understanding of marriage as an ethical, spiritual, and human-development process. This study reconstructs Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī’s conception of maqāṣid al-zawāj in Kitāb Adab al-Nikāḥ of Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn. Using qualitative library research, content analysis, hermeneutic interpretation, and a maqāṣid al-sharīʿa approach, it identifies five interconnected purposes of marriage: taḥṣīl al-walad, kasr al-shahwah, tarwīḥ al-nafs, tafrīgh al-qalb, and mujāhadat al-nafs. These encompass generational continuity, sexual and moral regulation, psychological tranquility, relief from domestic burdens, and spiritual discipline. Their realization depends on marital ethics, mutual rights and obligations, cooperation, patience, and dignified conflict management. Spouse selection prioritizes religious commitment and moral character, while taṣfiyat al-qulūb and tazkiyat al-nufūs support spiritual development. The study proposes a cyclical model integrating marital purposes, ethical practices, spouse selection, and spiritual cultivation to strengthen family maṣlaḥa, human flourishing, and sustainable family development.

Contribution: This article extends the analytical horizon of maqāṣid al-sharīʿa by linking the preservation of essential interests to inner moral formation and the cultivation of a flourishing family life.

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