Living Wisely : New,
'Teachings of Mawardi on
Ethics and Human Wellbeing'
[A5] Paperback - 397 pages,
Kitab Adab al-Dunya wa al-Din,
by Imam al-Mawardi [d.450],
Transl. by Dr Ahmad Bangura
Foreword by Dr Recep Senturk,
Published by Tawasaw Institute
and by Turath Publishing.
Description :
" In this book, I seek to provide a guide to the wisdom we need to attain felicity in the two domains (the spiritual and the worldly). I have taken the middle path between brevity and lengthy disquisitions. I have struck a balance between the meticulousness of scholarly discourse and the emotional refinement of literature. Nothing in it, therefore, is either too difficult to be understood nor too subtle to be visualised.
I have relied on the Book of God for the principles it provides and the exalted example of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. I have then used the sayings of the sages, the aphorisms of the masters of rhetoric and the sayings of poets because the human spirit finds comfort in variety and is easily bored with monotony. "---Imam al-Mawardi.
About the Author :
He is al-Imam Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Habib al-Mawardi al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him. He was a great jurist, muhaddith, sociologist and an expert in political science. Al-Mawardi has been considered as one of the most famous thinkers in political science in the middle ages. His original work influenced the development of this science, together with the science of sociology, which was further developed later on by Ibn Khaldun.
Al-Mawardi was born in Basrah (Iraq) in 362 After Hijri [972 CE]. He was educated at first in Basrah where, after completion of his basic education, he learned Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) from the jurist Abu al-Wahid al-Simari. He then went to Baghdad for advanced studies under Shaykh Abd al-Hamid and Abdallah al-Baqi.
His proficiency in jurisprudence ethics, political science and literature proved useful in securing a respectable career for himself. After his initial appointment as Qadi (Judge), he was gradually promoted to higher offices, till he became the Chief Justice at Baghdad. The Abbasid Caliph al-Qaim bi Amrillah appointed him as his roving ambassador and sent him to a number of countries as the head of special missions. In this capacity he played a key role in establishing harmonious relations between the declining Abbasid Caliphate and the rising powers of Buwayhids and Seljuks. He was favoured with rich gifts and tributes by most sultans of the time. He was still in Baghdad when it was taken over by Buwahids.
He was an eminent jurist and his book Al- Hawi on the principles of jurisprudence is held in high repute. In ethics, he wrote "Kitab Adab al-Dunya wa al-Din", which became a widely popular book on the subject and is still read in some Islamic countries.
His contribution in political science and sociology comprises a number of monumental books, the most famous of which are Kitab al-Ahkam al-Sultania, Qanun al-Wazarah, and Kitab Nasihat al-Mulk. The books discuss the principles of political science, with special reference to the functions and duties of the caliphs, the chief minister, other ministers, relationships between various elements of public and government and measures to strengthen the government and ensure victory in war. Al-Mawardi passed away in 1058 CE (448AH).
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