The Intertextuality of Prophetic Hadiths and Its Place in Abū al-Ḥasan al-Māwardī’s Political Thought in Laws of the Vizierate

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

10.22081/psq.2024.67858.2849

Abstract

Qawānīn al-wizāra (Laws of the Vizierate) is a seminal work authored by Abū al-Ḥasan al-Māwardī (d. 450 AH), a distinguished Muslim scholar renowned for his expertise in hadith and political theory during the fifth century AH. This book delineates the responsibilities and conduct expected of viziers, while also elucidating the administrative structure of the vizierate system. Al-Māwardī's incorporation of both adaptation of Prophetic hadiths and direct or external intertextuality in relation to them, particularly in the form of citing Prophet Muhammad's sayings, significantly enriched the qualitative substance of this work. This study employs a methodological approach blending library research with analytic-descriptive techniques. It centers on identifying shared themes or cohesive nodes between the adapted hadiths and the content of Laws of the Vizierate, thereby examining the role of Prophetic hadiths in shaping al-Māwardī’s political thought in this treatise. Through thematic analysis of the text of Laws of the Vizierate and its intertextual references to hadiths, we discern the interconnectedness between them, revealing shared conceptual categories that emanate from al-Māwardī’s political ideology. This facilitates an exploration of his objective in reconciling the text with its intertextuality. The research findings indicate that al-Māwardī, in his endeavor to provide guidance and counsel for governmental officials, not only drew upon their behavioral patterns but also extensively utilized Prophetic hadiths across various themes addressed in Laws of the Vizierate, including the structural prerequisites for effective governance and the foundational principles of society. This strategic integration served to enhance the authority of his political prescriptions. Furthermore, al-Māwardī skillfully employed the thematic diversity of hadiths to enrich the discourse on governance through the power of literary communication.

Keywords

References

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Political Science
Volume 26, Issue 3 - Serial Number 103
September 2023
Pages 49-88

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