Ibn al-Azraq's Political Thought

Finding a Muslim polity through leadership based on iman that is rooted in taqwa Ibn al-Azraq says is the answer to the best governance. An Islamic leadership in this form he says will prevent the extinction of any Muslim polity. In this book his political thought is discerned through a comparative analysis of the two editions of Bada'i' al-Silk fi Taba'i' al-Mulk where the influence of Ibn Khaldun on his political thought is clearly revealed. In formulating his political thought he combined usul al-fiqh and syllogism. This methodology led him to synthesise Ibn Khaldun's theory of 'asabiyyah as the catalyst for the rise and fall of a civilization and the shari'ah. On the topic of governance he discusses the political ethics of state leadership and elaborates on the two principles of governance; justice and consultation. Ibn al-Azraq's bureaucracy art of war and wealth are also treated in this book. This book is a must for scholars and students of Ibn Khaldun and al-Andalus. It is also for those wondering what happened to Muslim Spain just before 1942. Giving new insight into Ibn Khaldun's influenced in Muslim scholarship through the eyes of the last chief qadi of Granada.