Al-Mawardi

Who was Al-Mawardi?

Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Habib al-Mawardi, known in Latin as Alboacen, was an Arab Muslim jurist of the Shafi'i school most remembered for his works on religion, government, the caliphate, and public and constitutional law during a time of political turmoil. Appointed as the chief judge over several Khorasani districts near Nishapur, and Baghdad itself, al-Mawardi also served as a diplomat for the Abbasid caliphs al-Qa'im and al-Qadir in negotiations with the Buyid emirs. A symbol of his contributions here, he is well remembered for his treatise on "The Ordinances of Government." The Ordiances, Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya w'al-Wilayat al-Diniyya, provide a detailed a definition of the functions of caliphate government which, under the Buyids appeared to be rather indefinite and ambiguous.