ABSTRACT
Islamic political philosophy has a long and illustrious history, growing and evolving from its first mature expositions in the thought of Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī (d. 950). Al-Fārābī authored several works that outlined the characteristics of a virtuous city, a just ruler, and a properly functioning polity, depicting a city whose inhabitants worked together to achieve mankind’s perfection, and representing the pinnacle of human capabilities. Throughout the medieval period, various Islamic philosophers have expanded upon, agreed or disagreed with, and modified al-Fārābī’s initial vision, each presenting distinct conceptions of the perfect society. What is immediately apparent to any student of Islamic history is that none of these visions were ever actualized, nor has there been any serious attempt to establish them as a social reality. Several reasons have been offered for this disconnection between theory and practice, but the most oft-repeated is that political philosophy had a marginal role in medieval Islamic society. Islamic societies are characterized as having neglected philosophy due to a preoccupation with Islamic law, which is derived, at least theoretically, from textual sources—primarily the Qurᵓān and the sayings of Muḥammad—and demands acceptance and application by citizens of the Islamic state. The application of Islamic law, it is argued, makes political philosophy unnecessary, and undermines any attempt to re-conceive society on purely theoretical principles. All of this suggests that Islamic political philosophy was a futile exercise, doomed from the start.
