An Index of Well-Being Based on Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah and Fuzzy Set Theory

This paper presents an index for measuring the well-being of a Muslim community based on Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah. Its unique feature is that it makes use of fuzzy set theory (Zadeh 1965; Zimmermann 2001). Indeed, numerical estimation of Maqāṣid status may be difficult, especially the Maqāṣid-related intangibles like Dīn and Nafs. The fuzzy set theory allows the use of linguistic variables, which accommodate well the imprecision in human judgment and evaluation of actions and situations. The proposed approach solves the problem of aggregation of numerous values or sub-indexes that are measured in different scales into a single index, which is a serious problem that scholars encounter when constructing an overall index. This contribution opens a new direction of research in a quantitative approach to Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah theory and in Islamic Economics, in general.