Focus and Scope
Aims and Scope
Aims
Hilah: Contemporary Fiqh Studies is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing scholarship on contemporary Islamic legal reasoning and juristic adaptation. The journal examines how fiqh responds to emerging realities, novel technologies, institutional transformations, ethical dilemmas, and changing social conditions through processes of interpretation, legal qualification (takyif fiqhi), juristic reasoning (ijtihad), and normative reconstruction.
Unlike journals primarily concerned with the social operation or political institutionalization of Islamic law, Hilah focuses on the intellectual and methodological dynamics through which contemporary fiqh is formulated, contested, adapted, and renewed. The journal seeks to become a leading platform for rigorous analyses of the mechanisms, methodologies, and epistemological foundations of Islamic legal adaptation in the modern world.
Scope
The journal welcomes original research articles, conceptual papers, and systematic reviews in, but not limited to, the following areas:
Contemporary Islamic Legal Reasoning
Studies on ijtihad, legal interpretation, juristic argumentation, and the development of contemporary fiqh methodologies. This includes analyses of how Muslim jurists construct, justify, and revise legal rulings in response to changing circumstances.
Takyif Fiqhi and Legal Adaptation
Research examining legal qualification, juridical categorization, and adaptive mechanisms employed in addressing unprecedented issues and emerging realities. Particular attention is given to methodological innovations and evolving forms of legal reasoning.
Maqasid, Maslahah, and Normative Reconstruction
Investigations into the role of maqasid al-shariah, maslahah, istihsan, sadd al-dhara'i, and other juristic principles in reconstructing Islamic legal norms and responding to contemporary challenges.
Fatwa Methodology and Contemporary Juristic Authority
Studies on fatwa production, collective ijtihad, expert authority, transnational fatwa institutions, and evolving forms of religious expertise in the modern era.
Fiqh of Emerging Technologies and Future Societies
Research addressing Islamic legal responses to artificial intelligence, algorithmic decision-making, digital assets, fintech, biotechnology, robotics, data governance, virtual environments, and other emerging technological developments.
Islamic Legal Responses to Ethical Complexity
Analyses of contemporary ethical dilemmas in medicine, family relations, environmental sustainability, economic systems, humanitarian crises, and other areas requiring innovative juristic engagement.
Madhhab Dynamics and Contemporary Juristic Synthesis
Studies exploring inter-madhhab interaction, legal hybridization, selective juristic approaches (talfiq), contemporary codification, and the transformation of classical legal doctrines in modern contexts.
Fiqh, Expertise, and Interdisciplinary Knowledge
Research examining how contemporary fiqh engages with scientific knowledge, professional expertise, technological innovation, and interdisciplinary forms of evidence in legal deliberation.
Methodological Innovations in Islamic Jurisprudence
Theoretical and methodological contributions that develop new frameworks, analytical models, or conceptual approaches for understanding contemporary Islamic legal reasoning.
Global Trends and Future Directions in Contemporary Fiqh
Forward-looking studies exploring emerging paradigms, future trajectories, and transformative developments in Islamic jurisprudence across diverse Muslim societies.
