Political obligation in the thought of Al-Ghazali

Abstract

Political obligation is one of the main subjects discussed and written by many political philosophers right from the ancient Greeks up to the modern age. Even though these scholars have discussed the same subject, their approaches and the theories employed are different. Some of these scholars were moved by their experiences, some by the civilization in which they lived, some by their observation and some others by their religion or faith. This study discusses the political obligation propounded by al-Ghazali (1058-1111), a Muslim scholar who lived in the medieval period under the 'Abbasid Caliphate. In facing the political turmoil of his time and being a famous scholar who taught various disciplines such as jurisprudence, theology, philosophy and Sufism, his ideas on politics are greatly sought. This is because these ideas are the prescriptions for the solution of the political problems during his time. There are three questions which are answered in this study. Firstly, what is the source of al-Ghazali's political obligation? Second, what is the theory of al-Ghazali's political obligation? Lastly, does al-Ghazali support the tyrants and ignorant rulers? To achieve these objectives, the methodology used is content analysis, in other words, an in depth study on his works; Fada'ih al-Baitiniyah wa-fada'il al-Mustazhiriyah (al-Mustazhiri) (487/1094), al-Iqtisad fi'l-i'tiqad (al-Iqtisad) (488/1095), Ihya 'Ulum al-Din (Ihya) (489-90/1096-97), Nasihat al-Muluk (499 or 502/1106 or 1109) and Kimiya' al-sa adat (499/1106). The scope of this study is on al-Ghazali; the political condition during his time and the books he had written that contained his political thoughts. The findings of this study are as follows: firstly, al-Ghazali used the juridical theory of khilafah, where he insisted the urgent need for the caliph in the community; second, the ground or base of his political obligation is the shari'ah, the Islamic law that regulates the life of the people, individually and collectively; and lastly, he does not support the tyrants and ignorant rulers especially when the latter fail to implement the shari'ah, where he is unable to compromise and opposing the rulers is unavoidable.