On the theoretical legacy of Abū ‘l-H. asan al-Māwardī

Authors

  • Tigran G. Tumanian St. Petersburg State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu17.2020.313

Abstract

The article examines some aspects of the theoretical legacy of Abū ‘l-Ḥasan al-Māwardī, a medieval Islamic theologian and jurist. This prominent scholar, who lived a long and eventful life, wrote a number of works that left a noticeable mark in the political and legal thought of Islam. Al-Māwardī also wrote several significant treatises in Islamic theology and Jurisprudence. Among them are works devoted to commenting on the Qur’ān — Nukat wa’l-‘uyūn [Tafsīr al-Māwardī], ’Amthāl al-Qur’ān, as well as a treatise on Prophethood — ’A‘lām al-Nubuwwa. Another important but still insufficiently studied treatise of al-Māwardī on Jurisprudence is called Kitāb al-Ḥāwī al-kabīr fī fiqh madhhab al-Imām al-Shāfi‘ī. It is generally accepted that al-Māwardī‘s essay called al-’Iqnā‘ made him famous in his lifetime. This legal guide to the Shafi‘i law certainly strengthened the professional authority of al-Māwardī as the leading Shafi‘i faqih and apparently contributed to the growth of his political influence in medieval Baghdad. Despite the merits and recognition of al-Māwardī as an authoritative connoisseur of Islam, his creative search was not limited to writing works on religious topics. Al-Māwardī ‘s obvious interest in scientific disciplines was, in particular, confirmed in several studies on philology. He wrote at least two works on this subject: namely, ’Amthāl wa’l-ḥikam and Kitāb fī al-naḥw. However, the scholars who study the heritage of al-Māwardī deal mainly with his socio-political works. Al-Māwardī was known as a gifted and experienced diplomat who repeatedly acted as a mediator in solving complex political problems. As an adviser for many years at the Abbasid court, al-Māwardī composed several works on the theory of state and governance, such as al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭāniyya, Qawānīn al-wuzarāʾ wa- siyāsat al-mulūk, as well as Tashīl al-naẓar wa-ta‘jīl al-ẓafar fī ’akhlāq al-malik wa-siyāsat al-mulk etc. These works, diverse not only in content, but also in genre, mainly reflect the essence of political processes of that time.

Keywords:

Abū ‘l-Ḥasan al-Māwardī, Islam, Governance, Islamic law, Тheology, Philosophy, Caliphate, Mirrors for Princes, Būyids, Persian herita

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References

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Published

2020-09-30

How to Cite

Tumanian, T. G. (2020). On the theoretical legacy of Abū ‘l-H. asan al-Māwardī. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies, 36(3), 572–581. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu17.2020.313

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 3 (2020): Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies

Section

Religious studies

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Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.