Mirror for the Muslim Prince: Islam and the Theory of Statecraft (Modern Intellectual and Political History of the Middle East)

In This Volume, A Group Of Distinguished Scholars Reinterpret Concepts And Canons Of Islamic Thought In Arab, Persian, South Asian, And Turkish Traditions. They Demonstrate That There Is No Unitary Islamic Position On Important Issues Of Statecraft And Governance. They Recognize That Islam Is A Discursive Site Marked By Silences, Agreements, And Animated Controversies. Rigorous Debates And Profound Disagreements Among Muslim Theologians, Philosophers, And Literati Have Taken Place Over Such Questions As: What Is An Islamic State? Was The State Ever Viewed As An Independent Political Institution In The Islamic Tradition Of Political Thought? Is It Possible That A Religion That Places An Inordinate Emphasis Upon The Importance Of Good Deeds Does Not Indeed Have A Vigorous Notion Of Public Interest Or A Systematic Theory Of Government? Does Islam Provide An Edifice, A Common Idiom, And An Ideological Mooring For Premodern And Modern Muslim Rulers Alike? The Nuanced Reading Of The Islamic Traditions Provided In This Book Will Help Future Generations Of Muslims Contemplate A More Humane Style Of Statecraft. -- Publisher's Description. Introduction / Mehrzad Boroujerdi -- Maslahah As A Political Concept / Asma Afsaruddin -- Saʻdi's Treatise On Advice To The Kings / Alireza Shomali And Mehrzad Boroujerdi -- Perso-islamicate Political Ethic In Relation To The Sources Of Islamic Law / Saïd Amir Arjomand -- An Anomaly In The History Of Persian Political Thought / Javad Tabatabai -- Teaching Wisdom : A Persian Work Of Advice For Atabeg Ahmad Of Luristan / Louise Marlow -- A Muslim State In A Non-muslim Context : The Mughal Case / Muzaffar Alam -- Al-tahtawi's Trip To Paris In Light Of Recent Historical Analysis : Travel Literature Or A Mirror For Princes? / Peter Gran -- Law And The Common Good : To Bring About A Virtuous City Or Preserve The Old Order? / Charles E. Butterworth -- What Do Egypt's Islamists Want? : Moderate Islam And The Rise Of Islamic Constitutionalism In Mubarak's Egypt / Bruce K. Rutherford -- The Body Corporate And The Social Body / Șerif Mardin -- Cosmopolitanism Past And Present, Muslim And Western / Roxanne L. Euben -- God's Caravan : Topoi And Schemata In The History Of Muslim Political Thought / Aziz Al-azmeh. Edited By Mehrzad Boroujerdi. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 401-448) And Index. In This Volume, A Group Of Distinguished Scholars Reinterpret Concepts And Canons Of Islamic Thought In Arab, Persian, South Asian, And Turkish Traditions. They Demonstrate That There Is No Unitary Islamic Position On Important Issues Of Statecraft And Governance. They Recognize That Islam Is A Discursive Site Marked By Silences, Agreements, And Animated Controversies. Rigorous Debates And Profound Disagreements Among Muslim Theologians, Philosophers, And Literati Have Taken Place Over Such Questions As: What Is An Islamic State? Was The State Ever Viewed As An Independent Political Institution In The Islamic Tradition Of Political Thought? Is It Possible That A Religion That Places An Inordinate Emphasis Upon The Importance Of Good Deeds Does Not Indeed Have A Vigorous Notion Of Public Interest Or A Systematic Theory Of Government? Does Islam Provide An Edifice, A Common Idiom, And An Ideological Mooring For Premodern And Modern Muslim Rulers Alike? The Nuanced Reading Of The Islamic Traditions Provided In This Book Will Help Future Generations Of Muslims Contemplate A More Humane Style Of Statecraft. -- Publisher's Description. Introduction / Mehrzad Boroujerdi -- Maslahah As A Political Concept / Asma Afsaruddin -- Saʻdi's Treatise On Advice To The Kings / Alireza Shomali And Mehrzad Boroujerdi -- Perso-islamicate Political Ethic In Relation To The Sources Of Islamic Law / Saïd Amir Arjomand -- An Anomaly In The History Of Persian Political Thought / Javad Tabatabai -- Teaching Wisdom : A Persian Work Of Advice For Atabeg Ahmad Of Luristan / Louise Marlow -- A Muslim State In A Non-muslim Context : The Mughal Case / Muzaffar Alam -- Al-tahtawi's Trip To Paris In Light Of Recent Historical Analysis : Travel Literature Or A Mirror For Princes? / Peter Gran -- Law And The Common Good : To Bring About A Virtuous City Or Preserve The Old Order? / Charles E. Butterworth -- What Do Egypt's Islamists Want? : Moderate Islam And The Rise Of Islamic Constitutionalism In Mubarak's Egypt / Bruce K. Rutherford -- The Body Corporate And The Social Body / Șerif Mardin -- Cosmopolitanism Past And Present, Muslim And Western / Roxanne L. Euben -- God's Caravan : Topoi And Schemata In The History Of Muslim Political Thought / Aziz Al-azmeh. Edited By Mehrzad Boroujerdi. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 401-448) And Index. Moves beyond the fashionable yet cursory understanding of Muslims' beliefs regarding power and statecraft. By assembling a group of world class scholars, this book challenges a host of exalted assumptions and theories concerning political power in the muslim world.