| Summary: | Modernity reveals an intense preoccupation with the Intentions of the Sharia (<i>maqāṣid al-sharīʿa</i>) and reflections of premodern scholars on this legal concept. Within contemporary research in this field, the famous scholar Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111), who is counted among the pioneers of premodern contributions to the <i>maqāṣid</i>, occupies a special position. In addition to his general treatment of the <i>maqāṣid</i>, one dictum of his in particular is often referred to in the modern literature on the <i>maqāṣid</i>. The quotation reads: “The <i>maqāṣid</i> are the <i>qibla</i> of the jurists”, which he mentioned in his book <i>Kitāb Ḥaqīqat al-qawlayn</i> and is indicative of the central position of the <i>maqāṣid</i> in al-Ghazālī’s (legal) thought. My investigation of the contemporary, primarily Arabic, literature on the <i>maqāṣid</i> which cites this popular dictum reveals that the quote is used for many reasons and in various contexts; however, a fuller engagement with the quote itself and in the context of al-Ghazālī’s thought, as well as in his book, takes place very rarely, if at all, and even then, it is cursory. In order to embed al-Ghazālī’s dictum in the wider frame of his thought, this article first presents his general <i>maqāṣid</i>-related thought and consequently expounds on it in the context of his book. To better understand the usage of the quote in modern scholarship, the current <i>maqāṣid</i> literature that refers to the dictum is analyzed and categorized, showing how authors deploy it and to what end.
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