The History of Islamic Political Thought

A complete history of Islamic political thought from early Islam (c.622-661) to the present. This comprehensive overview describes and interprets all schools of Islamic political thought, their origins, inter-connections and meaning. It examines the Qur'an, the early Caliphate, classical Islamic philosophy, and the political culture of the Ottoman and other empires. Major thinkers such as Averroes (Ibn Rushd) and Ibn Taymiyya are covered as well as numerous lesser authors, and Ibn Khaldun is presented as one of the most original political theorists ever. It draws on a wide range of sources including writings on religion, law, philosophy and statecraft expressed in treatises, handbooks and political rhetoric. The new edition discusses and analyses the connections between religion and politics. It incorporates recent developments in Islamic political thought before and after 9/11 and ends with a critical survey of reformism (or modernism) and Islamism (or fundamentalism) from the late nineteenth century up to the present day. Key Features of the Second Edition Revised and updated throughout A new final section on Islam and the West New bibliographies of primary and secondary sources Only book to cover the whole of Islamic political thought, past and present