Muslim political thought

Political Science · Political thought. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

The classical Muslim thinkers wrote about the caliphate or imamate: who should rule, how he is chosen, and what he owes to the community and to the Shariah. Al-Farabi wrote as a philosopher on the ideal city. Al-Mawardi and Al-Ghazali wrote as jurists and scholars on the caliph, the sultan and public order. Ibn Taymiyyah stressed government according to the Shariah. Ibn Khaldun studied how states rise and fall, using the idea of asabiyyah (group solidarity).

In South Asia, Shah Waliullah called for reform and unity among Muslims in a time of decline; Iqbal called for selfhood and renewed ijtihad; Maududi set out the idea of an Islamic state based on the sovereignty of God.

Rules to remember

Al-Farabi (d. 950), the 'Second Teacher': 'Al-Madina al-Fadila' (The Virtuous City), ruled by a philosopher-ruler.
Al-Mawardi (d. 1058): 'Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya'; the caliph is chosen by qualified electors or nominated by his predecessor, and must have set qualifications.
Al-Ghazali (1058 to 1111): 'Ihya Ulum al-Din', 'Nasihat al-Muluk' (Counsel for Kings), 'Tahafut al-Falasifa'; religion and political authority support each other.
Ibn Taymiyyah (1263 to 1328): 'Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya'; authority is a trust; rulers must follow the Shariah.
Ibn Khaldun (1332 to 1406): 'Muqaddimah', the introduction to 'Kitab al-Ibar'; dynasties rise through asabiyyah and decline as luxury weakens it.
Shah Waliullah (1703 to 1762) of Delhi: 'Hujjat Allah al-Balighah'. Iqbal: khudi (selfhood); 'The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam' (lectures); ijtihad through an elected Muslim assembly.
Maududi: founded the Jamaat-i-Islami in 1941; sovereignty belongs to God, the people are His vicegerents ('theo-democracy').

Common mistake

The two 'Tahafut' books are often confused. 'Tahafut al-Falasifa' is Al-Ghazali's criticism of the philosophers; 'Tahafut al-Tahafut' is Ibn Rushd's reply to it.

Worked example

A tribe from the desert, closely united, conquers a rich city and founds a dynasty. Three generations later its rulers live in comfort, hire soldiers for pay and are overthrown by a new group. Whose theory does this illustrate, and what is the key term?

The founders succeed because of strong group feeling.
Settled life and luxury weaken that feeling in later generations.
A fresh group with stronger solidarity replaces them, and the cycle starts again.

Answer: Ibn Khaldun's cyclical theory in the 'Muqaddimah'; the key term is asabiyyah.

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