Texts of Islam

Islam: Chapter Three: The Law: Fiqh, Sharī‘a: 3. The Ordinance of the Community

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This is a scholarly anthology excerpt presenting primary sources on classical Islamic political theology, drawing from two foundational thinkers: the 11th-century Shafi'i jurist al-Māwardī and the 14th-century historian-jurist Ibn Khaldūn. The central subject is the theory and legitimacy of the Caliphate (Imāmate) — who may hold it, what justifies it, and what it means — with brief editorial framing connecting the two sources. Al-Māwardī argues that the Caliph is the sole legitimate source of all Muslim political authority, and he enumerates seven conditions for office, notably including Qurayshi tribal lineage as a non-negotiable requirement backed by prophetic hadith. A distinctive feature of the al-Māwardī excerpt is the debate between two schools on whether the obligation of governance is grounded in Reason or in revealed Law — a rare explicit engagement with the rational foundations of political authority in Islamic jurisprudence. Ibn Khaldūn, writing after the Mongol destruction of the Baghdad Caliphate rendered the institution largely symbolic, redefines the Caliphate functionally: it is whatever form of Islamic rule guides people toward both worldly welfare and otherworldly salvation, effectively making any ruler who governs Islamically a successor to the Prophet. Together the two passages trace a significant shift from the rigid, formalistic theory of a single legitimate Caliph to a pragmatic, adaptable conception suited to a fragmented Muslim world.

Islam: Chapter Three: The Law: Fiqh, Sharī‘a: 3. The Ordinance of the Community

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