ABSTRACT
Anne Lambton once remarked that any survey of Islamic political thought should deal with at least three types of literature: philosophical treatises, in which such noteworthies as al-Farabi and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) provided an Islamic expression of the analyses offered by Plato and Aristotle; mirrors of princes, where one reads the wisdom of courtly advisors, now presented for the education of Muslim rulers; and the opinions of scholars of the Shari’a, the “sacred law.”1 As with political thought generally, so with discussions of the justice of war; a full survey of the topic requires attention to a variety of modes of Muslim reflection. Within this diversity, however, there can be no doubt that the inquiry surrounding the Shari’a has pride of place. In terms of a long and consistent history it is preeminent. It is also the form of discourse that exercises the strongest influence among contemporary Muslims.
