Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Habib (; –1058), commonly known by the nisba al-Mawardi (), was a Sunni polymath and a Shafi'i jurist, legal theoretician, muhaddith, theologian, sociologist and an expert in political science. He is considered to be an eminent scholar of his time who wrote on numerous subjects, including Qur'anic interpretations, religion, government, public and constitutional law, language, ethics and belles-lettres.

Name

As the son of a person who sold rose water, the terms "maa" (water) and "Wardah" (rose) are combined to form the name "Al-Mawardi." The title "Al-Mawardi" was given to him because of his brilliance, eloquence, and great analytical abilities in debate, discussions, and oratory. He was also eager in evaluating a variety of situations that he came across.

Socio-political climate

Al-Mawardi lived during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of intellectual and cultural flourishing, but also within the decline of the Abbasid caliphate. He lived in a time signalled by a period of progressive deterioration of social and political disintegration that finally led to the fall of the Abbasid dynasty in 1258. The rise of several dynasties that broke away from Abbasid power and founded their own mini-kingdoms outside of its purview was a glaring example of this. However, even as the Abbasid dynasty's political influence declined, political, philosophical, and scientific advancements persisted throughout the Islamic world. A number of well-known individuals appeared, such as al-Mawardi, al-Farabi, al-Ghazali and others. It resulted from political leaders' intense interest in information acquisition. a claim which is unsubstantiated.

Education

When Baghdad was a centre and hub of civilization, learning, and knowledge, that is when al-Mawardi pursued his education there. Along with his companions, he started his studies at a very young age, concentrating on religious sciences and specifically the study of Hadith. Based on chronicles of his early schooling, al-Mawardi pursued his study in his native Basra region. He received instruction in the field of Hadith from a number of well-known hadith scholars. It is confirmed by his pupil Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi that al-Mawardi was regarded in Hadith as having a solid memory, being reliable and being trustworthy. Al-Mawardi left his village to complete his education before moving to Baghdad and settling in Darb az-Za'farani. There, he pursued his education in Hadith and Fiqh and joined the renowned Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini's halaqah (study circle). Al-Mawardi set out on a journey to various regions to disseminate and put his knowledge to use after completing his education in Baghdad. He travelled for a while before coming back to Baghdad to share the immense knowledge he had gained.

Scholarly life

After gaining knowledge from his mentors, al-Mawardi started teaching in Baghdad, where many eminent scholars were his students. In addition, al-Mawardi is known for having outstanding character, patience, humility, and charm. Even though they had never met him in person, his classmates and coworkers who had the chance to get to know him attested to his qualities. These attributes also add to his great reputation and the respect he was regarded in.

The leaders of the Sunni Abbasid and Shia Buwayhid dynasties nonetheless favoured al-Mawardi even though he was Sunni and followed the Shafi'i school. The Abbasid caliph appointed Al-Mawardi as his representative and sent him to a number of nations as the ambassador. He played a vital role in restoring Muslim unity by negotiating with the Buyid emirs and Seljuk sultans. He was rewarded with many grand gifts and tributes by majority of the Sultans and rulers of the time.

Al Mawardi was an author and advocator of the doctrine necessity in political science. He was in favour of a strong government and spoke out against unlimited powers given to the governors which he postulated would create disorder and chaos on the other hand, he has brought forth clear principles for elections of the Caliph rulers and standards of the voters among which the most important achievement of a degree of intellectual capacity and also morality of the character. On the subject of "Ethics", he wrote his book Kitaab adaab al-dunya wa al-din, which became widely a famous book on this topic and is still read in many Islamic countries of today.

  • Al-Iqna
  • Adab al-Qadhi
  • Alam an-Nubuwwah

Political science

  • Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah [<nowiki/>ar] (The Ordinances of Government)
  • Qanun al-Wazarah (Laws regarding the Ministers)
  • Kitab Nasihat al-Muluk (The Book of Sincere Advice to Rulers)

Qur'an

  • Al-Nukat wa'l-ʿuyūn fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān popularly Tafsir al-Mawardi (6 volumes)
  • Tafsiru al-Qur'an al-Karim
  • Al Amtsaku wa Ak-Hikamu

Other

  • Kitab Aadab al-Dunya w'al-Din (The Ethics of Religion and of this World)
  • Personas of the Prophethood

See also

  • List of Ash'aris
  • List of Kurdish philosophers
  • Islamic scholars
  • Nasîhatnâme

References

Bibliography

  • ABU AL-HASAN AL-MAWARDI
  • Review of al-Ahkam as-Sultanniyah
  • Kitab adab al-dunya wa-al-din, 1882, by Mward, Al ibn Muammad, 974?-1058