Arabic (مصلحة مرسلة) for unregulated/ unattested public interest (maslahah a’ammah) for which there is no textual authority/ reference (source of shari’ah) to judge it as valid or invalid (permissible or impermissible). Scholars usually define it as the process of seeking a benefit (maslahah) or preventing harm (mafsadah), in a way compatible with the objectives of shari’ah (maqasid al-shari’ah). It may also be used as a source of shari’ah where the primary and secondary sources are silent. An example is the introduction of Islamic banks and financial institutions into the economic life of a society.

Specific scholars define maslahah mursalah as extended analogy (extended qiyas).