Social Diseases and Social Problems: An Islamic Framework for Cultural Awareness And Social Diagnosis

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Despite decades of policy interventions, the world suffers from profound social problems including drug abuse, family breakdown, and systemic injustice. The research problem is the persistent gap in existing sociological theories: objective criteria lacking for diagnosing social harm before it becomes visible. This paper addresses the question: What solution does the Islamic maqasid tradition offer for diagnosing social harm missing from existing theories? Approaches such as objectivism, constructionism, and the value‐conflict perspective cannot distinguish genuinely harmful conditions from those merely defined as such. This paper offers a solution grounded in the Islamic maqasid tradition: the five necessities of life, belief, intellect, dignity, and property, providing objective criteria to distinguish social diseases from social problems. Drawing on classical Islamic sources and engaging with Western sociology, the framework centers on vicegerency ( istikhlaf ). A five‐stage model explains how behaviors become normalized, while cultural awareness functions as society's immune system. The Tabuk model (Qur'an 9:118) restores cultural awareness. The framework illustrates explanatory power through fertility collapse and political injustice, concluding with practical policy implications and universal criteria applicable to all societies.