Political Thought in Islam: A Study in Intellectual Boundaries

This book is a study of political thought in Islam from the viewpoint of the history of ideas and the relevance of these ideas to contemporary Arabic political discourse. The author examines the use of the classical Islamic tradition (turath) and its religious and philosophical components, by the three dominant Arabic political discourses of the Islamists, Apologists, and Intellectuals. The book analyses the different assumptions advanced by these discourses and the way they propose to apply or restore the turath in the present. It argues that the authenticity (asala) that is claimed by each of these groups is by no means self-defining, if anything, the realities that the turath subsumes are characterized by tensions, ambiguities and change than is commonly recognized. Exploring connections between the medieval Islamic tradition and current debates, this book will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers of Islam and political thought.