RT Article
T1 Governance As a Delicate Balance: On the Concept of Luṭf in Islamic Mirrors for Princes  = ālḥkm kmīzān dqīq: ḥūl mfhūm āllṭf fī ālāʾādāb ālslṭānīa
JF Journal of Islamic ethics
VO 8
IS 1/2
SP 237
OP 255
A1 Zatari, Fadi
A1 Fili, Omar
A2 Fili, Omar
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1913765113
AB This article is concerned with Islamic works on political ethics as a practical guide for competent governance. The article primarily focuses on the concept of luṭf (gentleness) in the works of al-ādāb al-sulṭāniyya (the ethics of government, i.e., Islamic mirrors for princes). The main argument is that Muslim writers of al-ādāb al-sulṭāniyya literature warned rulers against depending on coercive power as the basic mode of governance. Instead, the majority emphasized that the most practical way to govern a state was to practice governance based on a balance between rewards and punishments. Based on their advice, rulers should avoid cruelty in favor of an interdependent political order based on social cooperation between the different classes. The article first explains the concept of luṭf and the importance of avoiding cruelty. Second, the article relates how luṭf operates in the realm of public policy, ruler-people relations, and the responsibility of rulers. Finally, the article highlights how luṭf dictates a functional elite structure based on loyalty and mutual respect. The methodology of this article relies on primary sources, mostly analyzing the presence of luṭf as a concept and the details of governance surrounding the concept. The article seeks to show the intricacies of the state through understanding the concept of luṭf and its relation with practicing politics in a cohesive Muslim social structure.
K1 competent governance
K1 Elites
K1 Moderation
K1 luṭf
K1 Islamic mirrors for princes
K1 Al-ādāb al-sulṭāniyya
K1 ālḥkm ālršīd
K1 ālnḫba
K1 ālqṣd
K1 āllṭf
K1 mrāʾāa ālāʾmrāʾ ālāʾslāmīa
K1 ālāʾādāb ālslṭānīa
DO 10.1163/24685542-20240005