The History of Islamic Political Thought

AUTHOR APPROVED 'This is an outstanding and most welcome book. Since its first publication in 2001, Islam and its corollaries of Islamism and Islamophobia have become household words and everyday currency in Western media. Unfortunately, the upsurge of rhetoric is not equivalent to any substantial knowledge in this area. Fortunately, this revised and updated edition of the text can remedy the pervasive historical and intellectual knowledge gaps. Antony Black, one of the most renowned historians of intellectual and religious ideas, offers us a guide to a complex but crucially important topic in our time. His book deserves the widest possible readership.' Fred Dallmayr, author of /Dialogue Among Civilizations/ Reviews of the first edition: 'A sophisticated analysis... and a remarkable synthesis... Fills a serious gap in the literature.' /English Historical Review/ 'Essential reading for the westerner and non-Muslim eager to know something deeper about the Muslim condition in contemporary times.' /Review of Politics/ This comprehensive overview describes and interprets the various strands of Islamic political thought from early Islam through the classical Islamic philosophers to modernism and revivalism today. It covers major thinkers such as Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Ibn Taymiyya as well as the political cultures of the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires. Ibn Khladun emerges as one of the most original political thinkers ever. It draws upon a wide range of sources, including writings on religion, law, philosophy and statecraft, expressed in treatises, handbooks and public utterances. This new edition discusses and analyses the connections between religion and politics. It incorporates recent developments in Islamic political thought before and after 9/11, and concludes with a critical survey of reformism and Islamism today. Key Features of the Second Edition Revised and updated throughout A new final section on Islam and the West New bibliographies of pri