In these passages from the second section of his work on statecraft, Māwardī focuses on the application of the virtues in governance. To begin with, Māwardī opines that a ruler’s subjects are unable to defend themselves without the authority of the ruler, nor are they able to deal with each other justly and equitably without his kindness. He then lists ten expectations that subjects have of their ruler, which cover ensuring individual physical security and property rights; exercising justice and adjudicating disputes; encouraging the subjects to follow the religious law in the social and ritual spheres; enforcing a criminal code; protecting public infrastructure and natural resources; and, finally, stratifying society according to appropriate social and political classes. If the ruler fulfills these duties, Māwardī argues, his subjects will obey him and the wellbeing of the kingdom will be secure. To ensure justice, the ruler must safeguard religion and carefully select qualified assistants. Moreover, just governance depends on the four foundational principles of hope, fear, equity, and the rectification of inequity.In her analysis of Islamic mirrors-for-princes literature on judging in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Louise Marlow cites these passages to elucidate Māwardī’s theory of virtuous governance.
This source is part of the Online Companion to the book Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, ed. Intisar A. Rabb and Abigail Krasner Balbale(ILSP/HUP 2017)—a collection of primary sources and other material used in and related to the book.