Conditions for a Good World: The Concept of Comprehensive Justice by Abu al-Ḥasan al-Mawardi (972 – 1058)

In the internal debates of Islamic Theology, justice was usuallyunderstood as a divine concept. Justice was rarely conceived of as a matter ofworldly and social significance. A notable exception, however, is the work ofthe jurist and political philosopher Abū al-Ḥasan al-Māwardī (972-1058). Hedoes not discuss justice within the standard theological or juridicalframeworks, but as a worldly (dunyawī) and comprehensive (shāmil) matterthat is essential for managing the rules of social interaction and thefunctioning of society. This paper will present al-Māwardīʼs concept ofcomprehensive justice (al-ʿadl al shāmil), as introduced by himself in hisethical work, Adab al-dunyā wa al-dīn (The Ethics of Religion and of thisWorld). The paper will further answer the question, to what extent his conceptof justice was influenced by Mu tazili thinking

کلیدواژه ها:

Islamic theology ، justice ، al-Māwardī ، al-ʿadl al shāmil ، Mu tazilites