Mirror for Princes in Medieval Islamic Politics
: Justice in the Nasihat al-Mulk Al-Ghazali
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61842/swq/v3i1.45
Keywords:
Mirror for Princes advice Justice Political Thought Al-Ghazali
Abstract
The Mirror for Princes genre comprises works by scholars and religious figures designed to offer guidance and advice to rulers. This genre was widespread in both Europe and the Islamic world during the classical and medieval eras. In the Islamic world, these works aimed to provide moral guidance and practical advice to leaders under various titles. One notable example is Imam al-Ghazali's “al-Tibrul al-Masbuk fi Nasihat al-Mulk.” This paper employs a literature study approach to analyze the text, examining the book's manuscript to understand how scholars conveyed advice to Islamic rulers in the Middle Ages. The text can be seen as a persuasive form of political thought, offering rulers theological, ethical, and practical guidance. Al-Ghazali's manuscript on al-mulk comprises an introduction and seven chapters, addressing topics such as Sunni theology, justice and politics, the structure of ministries and the ethical conduct of their secretaries, the titles of kings, the wisdom of philosophers, the significance of reason and thinkers, and a discussion of the position of women. The existence of mirror for princes' manuscripts in the Islamic world shares similarities with political texts from the Persian and Roman empires. One of al-Ghazali's important advice to rulers is that justice is closely related to the permanence of power.
References
Abbès, Makram. “The Arabic Mirrors for Princes as Witnesses to the Evolution of Political Thought.” A Critical Companion to the ‚Mirror for Princes ‘Literature, 2023, 314–42.
Aigle, Denise. “The Conception of Power in Islam: Persian Mirrors of Princes and Sunni Theories (11th–14th Centuries).” Reading Medieval Sources 13 (1977): 136.
Bernard, LEWIS. “The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam.” Londres, Weidenfeld et Nicholson, 1967.
Blaydes, Lisa, Justin Grimmer, and Alison McQueen. “Mirrors for Princes and Sultans: Advice on the Art of Governance in the Medieval Christian and Islamic Worlds.” The Journal of Politics 80, no. 4 (2018): 1150–67.
Bosworth, Clifford E. “An Early Arabic Mirror for Princes: Ṭāhir Dhū l-Yamīnain’s Epistle to His Son ʿAbdallāh (206/821).” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 29, no. 1 (1970): 25–41.
Bowering, Gerhard, Patricia Crone, Wadad Kadi, Devin J Stewart, Muhammad Qasim Zaman, and Mahan Mirza. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Princeton University Press, 2012.
Ghazanfar, S Mohammad, and Abdul Azim Islahi. “Economic Thought of Al-Ghazali.” Jeddah: Scientific Publishing Centre King Abdulaziz Univesity, 1997.
Hamzah, Norhayati, Arba’iyah Mohd Noor, and Tatiana Denisova. “The Book of Bustan Al-Salatin By Nur Al-Din Al-Raniri As Historical Text: The Structure And Purpose of Writing.” Journal of Al-Tamaddun 9, no. 2 (2014): 29–44.
Hillenbrand, Carole. “A Little‐Known Mirror for Princes by Al‐Ghazāl?” Words, Texts and Concepts Cruising the Mediterranean Sea, 2004, 593–601.
Kuru, Ahmet T. Islam, Otoritarianisme, Dan Ketertinggalan. Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, 2021.
Lambertini, Roberto. “Mirrors for Princes.” In Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy, 791–97. --Netherlands: Springer Netherlands-Dordrecht Netherlands: Kluwer Academic …, 2011.
Mubarak, Zaki. al-Muwazana bayn al-šuʿara. Hindawi Foundation, 2022.
Ormsby, Eric. Ghazali: The Revival of Islam. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
Watt, W Montgomery. The Faith and Practice of Al-Ghazali. Simon and Schuster, 2020.
Yasmin, Nabila. “The Islamization of The Malay Worldview A Study of Malay Historical Literature, Taj Al-Salatin.” Tsaqofah & Tarikh: Jurnal Sejarah Dan Kebudayaan 5, no. 2 (2020): 39–48.
Zatari, Fadi, and Omar Fili. “Justice and the Just Ruler in the Islamic Mirror of Princes.” American Journal of Islam and Society 41, no. 3–4 (2024): 34–55.
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M Rizwan, Muntasir Muntasir, Dahlan A Rahman, & Zulhilmi Zulhilmi. (2025). Mirror for Princes in Medieval Islamic Politics: Justice in the Nasihat al-Mulk Al-Ghazali. Siyasah Wa Qanuniyah : Jurnal Ilmiah Ma’had Aly Raudhatul Ma’arif, 3(1), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.61842/swq/v3i1.45
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Copyright (c) 2025 M Rizwan, Muntasir Muntasir, Dahlan A Rahman, Zulhilmi Zulhilmi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are accessible to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so reasonably but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61842/swq/v3i1.45Keywords:
Mirror for Princes advice Justice Political Thought Al-GhazaliAbstract
The Mirror for Princes genre comprises works by scholars and religious figures designed to offer guidance and advice to rulers. This genre was widespread in both Europe and the Islamic world during the classical and medieval eras. In the Islamic world, these works aimed to provide moral guidance and practical advice to leaders under various titles. One notable example is Imam al-Ghazali's “al-Tibrul al-Masbuk fi Nasihat al-Mulk.” This paper employs a literature study approach to analyze the text, examining the book's manuscript to understand how scholars conveyed advice to Islamic rulers in the Middle Ages. The text can be seen as a persuasive form of political thought, offering rulers theological, ethical, and practical guidance. Al-Ghazali's manuscript on al-mulk comprises an introduction and seven chapters, addressing topics such as Sunni theology, justice and politics, the structure of ministries and the ethical conduct of their secretaries, the titles of kings, the wisdom of philosophers, the significance of reason and thinkers, and a discussion of the position of women. The existence of mirror for princes' manuscripts in the Islamic world shares similarities with political texts from the Persian and Roman empires. One of al-Ghazali's important advice to rulers is that justice is closely related to the permanence of power.
References
Abbès, Makram. “The Arabic Mirrors for Princes as Witnesses to the Evolution of Political Thought.” A Critical Companion to the ‚Mirror for Princes ‘Literature, 2023, 314–42.
Aigle, Denise. “The Conception of Power in Islam: Persian Mirrors of Princes and Sunni Theories (11th–14th Centuries).” Reading Medieval Sources 13 (1977): 136.
Bernard, LEWIS. “The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam.” Londres, Weidenfeld et Nicholson, 1967.
Blaydes, Lisa, Justin Grimmer, and Alison McQueen. “Mirrors for Princes and Sultans: Advice on the Art of Governance in the Medieval Christian and Islamic Worlds.” The Journal of Politics 80, no. 4 (2018): 1150–67.
Bosworth, Clifford E. “An Early Arabic Mirror for Princes: Ṭāhir Dhū l-Yamīnain’s Epistle to His Son ʿAbdallāh (206/821).” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 29, no. 1 (1970): 25–41.
Bowering, Gerhard, Patricia Crone, Wadad Kadi, Devin J Stewart, Muhammad Qasim Zaman, and Mahan Mirza. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Princeton University Press, 2012.
Ghazanfar, S Mohammad, and Abdul Azim Islahi. “Economic Thought of Al-Ghazali.” Jeddah: Scientific Publishing Centre King Abdulaziz Univesity, 1997.
Hamzah, Norhayati, Arba’iyah Mohd Noor, and Tatiana Denisova. “The Book of Bustan Al-Salatin By Nur Al-Din Al-Raniri As Historical Text: The Structure And Purpose of Writing.” Journal of Al-Tamaddun 9, no. 2 (2014): 29–44.
Hillenbrand, Carole. “A Little‐Known Mirror for Princes by Al‐Ghazāl?” Words, Texts and Concepts Cruising the Mediterranean Sea, 2004, 593–601.
Kuru, Ahmet T. Islam, Otoritarianisme, Dan Ketertinggalan. Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, 2021.
Lambertini, Roberto. “Mirrors for Princes.” In Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy, 791–97. --Netherlands: Springer Netherlands-Dordrecht Netherlands: Kluwer Academic …, 2011.
Mubarak, Zaki. al-Muwazana bayn al-šuʿara. Hindawi Foundation, 2022.
Ormsby, Eric. Ghazali: The Revival of Islam. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
Watt, W Montgomery. The Faith and Practice of Al-Ghazali. Simon and Schuster, 2020.
Yasmin, Nabila. “The Islamization of The Malay Worldview A Study of Malay Historical Literature, Taj Al-Salatin.” Tsaqofah & Tarikh: Jurnal Sejarah Dan Kebudayaan 5, no. 2 (2020): 39–48.
Zatari, Fadi, and Omar Fili. “Justice and the Just Ruler in the Islamic Mirror of Princes.” American Journal of Islam and Society 41, no. 3–4 (2024): 34–55.
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- Read Counter : 121 Download : 72
Issue
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How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 M Rizwan, Muntasir Muntasir, Dahlan A Rahman, Zulhilmi Zulhilmi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are accessible to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so reasonably but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits
