Ahl al-dhimma in an Islamic state: The teaching of Abū al-Hasan al-Mawardi's Al-ahkam al-sultaniyya
The much-quoted Al-ahkam al-sultaniyya of the prominent Shafi'i jurisconsult, Abu l-Hasan al-Mawardi (364-450 AH/974-1058 AD), was written primarily to buttress the Abbadsid caliphate which was facing, at the time, challenges to its authority by the competing caliphates of the Fatimids and Uma...
| Published in: | Islam and Christian-Muslim relations |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge
[1996]
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| In: |
Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The much-quoted Al-ahkam al-sultaniyya of the prominent Shafi'i jurisconsult, Abu l-Hasan al-Mawardi (364-450 AH/974-1058 AD), was written primarily to buttress the Abbadsid caliphate which was facing, at the time, challenges to its authority by the competing caliphates of the Fatimids and Umayyads, in Cairo and al-Andalus respectively, and, at home by the actual usurpation of its power by the Twelver Shi'ite Buwayhids (945-1055 CE). Al-Mawardi recapitulates Sunni political thought to lend credence to the primacy of the cAbbasid caliphate in Baghdad and its legitimacy. His discussion of the various functions, rights and duties of the caliph included discussion of the rights and obligations of ahl al-dhimma (Christians and Jews) in the Muslim state which included freedom of worship and protection by the state, in lieu of the obligation of male adults to pay a poll tax (jizya) and land tax (kharäj) by farmers. Al-Mawardi affirms the obtaining practice that allowed Christians and Jews to attain high ranks in the government, serving as executive ministers, and participating in certain military campaigns. |
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| ISSN: | 0959-6410 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09596419608721078 |