Description from the publisher:

Is Islamic Law immutable or is it adaptable to the extent that the change and modernization sought can be pursued under its own aegis? Abu Ishaq al Shatibi sought an answer to such a a challenge in the principle of malaha. The concept is of fundamental significance to the proponents of the adaptability view. They argue that Islamic law aims at the maslaha (roughly translated as ‘human good’) of man, hence, logically it should welcome any social change that serves this purpose.