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  • 2 - The Succor of Nations amidst the Confusion of Darkness by al-Juwaynī

  • from Selected Theological Writings
  • Edited by Hassan Ansari, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, Nebil Husayn, University of Miami
  • Book:
    Caliphate and Imamate
    Published online:
    19 October 2023
    Print publication:
    02 November 2023, pp 19-41

  • Summary

    Chapter two presents the views of the prominent Sunni scholar ʿAbd al-Malik al-Juwaynī (d. 478/1085) in his Succour of Nations Amidst the Confusion of Darkness (Ghiyāth al-umam fī iltiyāth al-ẓulam). If early Sunni theologians conceived of the imamate in theological terms that strictly adhered to precedence, while later jurists understood the office in pragmatic and legal terms, then al-Juwaynī was a representative of the latter approach. Unlike many of his predecessors, al-Juwaynī came to terms with the termination of the ideal early caliphate. He endeavoured to provide a political theory that accommodated rulers who met the minimum requirements of Islamic law. A key thesis of al-Juwaynī is that jurists are essential to the governing process and that without them, a state would fail, thus, he posits the ruler’s consultation of jurists as a key source of his legitimacy. Furthermore, al-Juwaynī rejects the claim that a legitimate ruler must possess many of the ideal qualities associated with the early caliphs in Islamic history.