Structural Functionalism in Shah Waliullah’s Thought

Abstract

Structural functionalism can be defined as the theory that evaluates or accesses society in terms of its structure and how these interdependent or interrelated parts are formulated to meet the social as well biological needs of the members of society. This theory provides an insight into how social institutions, human behaviours and their beliefs emphasize upon meeting the needs of the members of society, including eduction, religion, family and healthcare just to name a few. The chief purpose of this paper is to explore the elements of structural functionalism in the works of Shah Waliullah. Structural functionalism is one of the most significant paradigms of classical sociology. Infact Western tradition of Sociological thought began with structural functionalsim in the ninteenth century France. Shah Wali Ullah, a prominent Muslim scholar of India, dating back to the eighteenth century predicted the essential features of structural functionalist analysis in his works. This highlights the richness and freshness of Muslim intellectual tradition and how they dominated the society back then with their ideas and persepctives. This study firstly aims to explore Shah Waliullah’s concept of Man and how he defines the sociological thought-process in his writings. Secondly, this paper also highlights how the human society is formulated and how social structure comes into power. Thirdly, this paper will also provide an indepth analysis of how integral social institutions play a vital role in smooth functioning of society.