THE STATE AND THE CALIPH IN ABU’L-HASAN AL-MAWARDI’S THEORY OF THE CALIPHATE

Abstract

Abu'l-Hasan al-Mawardi (450/974-1058) was an important jurist and politician of the Shafi'i school who lived in the last quarter of the 4th century and the first half of the 5th century. He systematically examined the issue of political theory and state administration, which had previously been dealt with in a limited way within the framework of theology, for the first time in the history of Islamic thought as an independent subject with his work al-Ahkâmü’s-Sultâniyye. Mawardî built his political thoughts not only on a legal but also on a moral basis. Moreover, Mâverdî has detailed the relationship he established between politics and morality in his works such as Edebü’d-dünyâ ve’d-dîn, Teshîlü’n-nazar ve ta’cîlü’z-zafer and Nâsihatü’l-mülûk. Mâverdî, who has an important place in Sunni political thought, had an important role in the formation of his ideas through his ambassadorial duties between the Abbasid caliphs of the period and the regional emirs, as well as his consultancy to the caliph. In this study, Mawardi's vision of the caliphate will be discussed in the context of the state and the caliph, especially by focusing on his work al-Ahkâmü's-Sultâniyye. Mawardi's approaches to political theory were influential not only in the period in which he lived, but also in the formation of modern state structures and institutions thanks to the principles he put forward in the context of public law.