Al-Mawardi’s Paradigmatic Theory of Politics: Imamah or Khilaphah in Theory & Practice

Abstract

Abu al Hasan al Mawardi (364 - 450 AH/974 - 1058 CE) flourished at a time of political turmoil & instability during Abbasaid Caliphate in Baghdad. He was one of the greatest of universal figurers in the history of  Islamic culture & heritage. His unique & invaluable contribution was to develop the paradigmatic theory of politics of Imamah or Khilaphah mainly in terms of safeguarding religion for human justice & showed the rules of  administration of goverment in detail. He was a jurist par–excellence , a great scholar, a political thinker, a philosopher & the statesman in true sense writing some of the most important books on Fiqh, Shariyah rules cum Administrative Law & politics who shed the lasting impact upon his contemporary & later thinkers equally. He was the man who made his age his own. Being the Qadhi-ul-Qujat he had to appoint & reject the other Qadhis in different districts & provinces in the Abbasid state & empire. He systematically formulated the paradigmatic theory of Imamah or Khilafah in juristic pattern in Sunni Islam on the precedents of the early Islam & it's polity for the first time in  Muslim political thought in his most monumental work entitled "Al Ahkam as Sultaniyyah– The Ordinances of Government " in the mid 5th Hijra century. The Purpose of writing this book was to provide the contemporary khaliph(s) with the utmost attributes of a true Caliph individually for himself & the basic principles, rules  & key provisions of justice to run the state - empire  successfully, mainly coping with the then challenges coming from the Buwid's Ameers who were the power in fact against the tutal Abbasid Caliphs. Hence, Al Mawardi's prime aim was to integrate the administrative Power of the Vizierate & the Caliphate of the Islamic Empire & civilization to reach the purpose for which the Institution of Caliphate was first established in the Muslim Ummah. The objective of this paper is to examine the theory of Imamah or Khilafa of Al Mawardi & reveal the necessary aspects of it as understood universally in it's true sense for an easy comprehension to the real contexts. The most of the research works & the journals, particularly on his political thought & philosophy written by both the orientalists & the Islamic scholars & thinkers particularly his “Ahkam” have been consulted. And the historical, analytical & qualitative approaches used for the development of this paper. His theory of the Imamah is one of many possible theories of government-as there is no any single theory or political system in Islam– is to say in Sunni Islam– for it's ever space of dynamism in contexts.

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