BEYOND LAW AND FAITH: INTEGRATING SHARIAH ETHICS INTO GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN GOVERNANCE

Abstract

This article proposes an integrative paradigm that incorporates Shariah ethics, specifically Maqasid al-Shariah (the objectives of Islamic law), as a supplementary moral foundation for International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Secular frameworks that underpin global humanitarian governance often overlook the moral depth of faith-based ethical systems. The study identifies conceptual connections between Islamic jurisprudential ethics and modern humanitarian principles such as justice, kindness, human dignity, and harm prevention, using a comparative normative approach. It reinterprets Shariah as a universal ethical framework that can enrich humanitarian reasoning and policy discourse, rather than presenting it as a competing legal code. The article concludes that integrating Shariah ethics into international governance frameworks offers a pluralistic moral basis for promoting humanitarian practices that are inclusive, equitable, and morally sound. This integration could contribute to more holistic and culturally sensitive approaches to humanitarian action and policy at the global level.