History of Islamic Political Thought

Professor Antony Black lectured in Politics at University of Dundee from 1963 until retirement in 2000, covering most aspects of political theory from Plato to contemporary international relations and social philosophy. He has researched and published on a wide range of topics, from medieval ecclesiastical theories to contemporary political philosophy.1975–76: Visiting associate professor, School of Government and Public Administration, The American University, Washington DC, USA.1980–81: Senior Research Fellow, Nuffield Foundation, UK.March–April 1993: Visiting Professor, Faculty of Jurisprudence, University of Trento, Italy.1993–7: Head of the Department of Politics, University of Dundee, UK. 1995–9 Book Review Editor of Early Modern History: Contacts, Contrasts and Comparisons (Brill).

• Map; Time Chart; Introduction; Part I: The Messenger and the Law c.622-1000; 1. The Mission of Muhammad; 2. The Idea of Monarchy under the Umayyads and `Abbasids c.661-850; 3. The Formation of the Shari'a; 4. Shi'ism; 5. The Restoration of Persia c.850-1050; 6. Knowledge and Power: Philosophy without the Polis; Part II: Religion and State Power (din wa dawla): Sunni Doctrine & the State c.900-1220; 7. The Theory of the Caliphate; 8. State and Religion under the Saljuqs; 9. Al-Ghazali: Mysticism and Politics; 10. The Ethics of Power: Advice-to-Kings (nasihat al-muluk); 11. Ibn Rushd; 12. The Politics of Sufism; Part III: The Shari`a and the Sword c.1220-1500; 13. The Rape of Asia; 14. Mamluk Ideology and the Sultan-Caliph; 15. Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-74): Social Philosophy and Status Groups; 16. Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328): Shari`a Governance (al-siyasa al-shari`yya); 17. The Delhi Sultanate and al-Barani: Statecraft and Morality; 18. Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406): The Science of Civilization and the Governance of Islam; 19. The Decline of Classical Islamic Political Thought; Part IV: Religious Ideology and Political Control in Early Modern States; 20. A New World Order; 21. The State of the House of Osman (devlet-i al-i Osman); 22. The Safavids; 23. India and the Mughals; 24. The Decline and Reform of the Ottoman Empire; Part V: Islam and the West; 25. Modernism from the Ottoman Reforms to the Turkish Revolution; 26. Conservatism and Modernism in Iran; 27. Islamism; 28. Islamism, Reformism and the Secular State; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

This is an outstanding and most welcome book. Since its first publication in 2001, Islam and its corollaries of Islamism and Islamophobia have become household words and everyday currency in Western media. Unfortunately, the upsurge of rhetoric is not equivalent to any substantial knowledge in this area. Fortunately, this revised and updated edition of the text can remedy the pervasive historical and intellectual knowledge gaps. Antony Black, one of the most renowned historians of intellectual and religious ideas, offers us a guide to a complex but crucially important topic in our time. His book deserves the widest possible readership.