المقاصد عند الإمام الشاطبي

Scholars of the Usul -early and recent- have paid utmost importance to the Maqâsid al-Shariah or the Objectives of Shariah and tried to substantiate, associate and link them with its sources, Qur’an and Sunnah, then to derive from them the Legislator’s or the Shari‘s purpose, the revelation’s true purpose and how it benefits the creatures in terms of promoting what is in their interest and shunning away what is harmful. These objectives became the point of interest for the jurists and scholars who toiled to understand the texts and what they connoted and they continue to venture into its depths and extract its treasures. It becomes quite evident from their exegeses of Qur’an and the Prophetic Traditions and elucidations of the juristic principles and issues. Imam al-Shâtibī and Ibn ‘Ashoor are two such scholars in this field who studied the Objectives of Shariah and contributed to this discipline so greatly that they became reference points for those who came after them. The basic principles in the field that were inferred by them are still its pillars. The Objectives of Shariah are divided into four kinds with reference to their benefits: the necessities, needs, improvements and supplements. The necessities are further divided into protection of Deen, protection of self, of intellect, of possessions and of race among others. Prudence demands that all means should be employed to safeguard these necessities. Thus knowing the Objectives of Shariah and their promulgation among the masses is quite important for the society since it leads towards promotion of the beneficial and shunning away the harmful elements in it.

Causes and Consequences of Obesity Among School Going Children: A Comparative Study of Rural and Urban Areas of Punjab

Obesity is an increased and undesirable fat accumulated in a body and overweight is high body weight that is checked with height while keeping in mind the desirable weight as per age. The main objective of the present study was to find out the causes and consequences of obesity among school-going children in rural and urban areas of Punjab. The study was conducted in two districts of Punjab namely Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. Total 12 schools were selected, randomly, from each district considering the area i.e. Posh Private, Public and Rural Schools. Total 24 schools were considered for the study. Respondents were male students from grade 5 to 9 in each school. Sample size of the study was 600, 300 respondents from Faisalabad and 300 respondents from Rawalpindi district. A sample of 25 respondents was carefully selected from each school to make a total sample size of 600. The data was collected through a well-structured (including open and closed ended questions) pre-tested interviewing schedule. In addition, the height and weight of each student was measured using calibrated scales. Body Mass Index (BMI = weight (kg)/height2 (m2)) was calculated for each student. Precautions were taken to make sure that all recordings were accurate and precise. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and multivariate analysis. Results show that for both rural and urban areas, obesity of the children was significantly affected by mother’s education, family type, waist of the respondents, school distance, playing facility at school, TV watching, Internet use, junk food, weekly time spent in sports, weekly time spent in walk, family history and mode of travelling. Families with higher economic status were having obese children than to those having low economic status. The obesity of the children was highly affecting students’ academic performance and also their psychological health in rural and urban areas. Government should start National Childhood Obesity Prevention Program and cascade it to all provinces, divisions, districts, Tehsils and union councils. A separate dedicated management team should run this program. Media should send social messages through advertisements which show the problems of obesity and the chronic diseases it carries in future lives of children. Media should organize periodic talk shows in which doctors and health experts should come and tell the public about healthy life styles and eating habits.