Islamic Political Thought

Jul 3, 2026

Islamic political thought studies the emergence and development of Islamic political authority from Muhammad through the early caliphate and expanding empire. The work examines Muhammad’s political achievements, the constitution of Medina, jihad, and religion’s political relevance, then explores succession, the nature of the caliphate, and Shi‘ite ideas. It further analyzes institutions, membership of the community, political struggle, ideals and laws, and later transformations of Shi‘ism and Islam in contemporary politics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages199

Reading Time8 h 21 min

Introduction

Chapter One: The Islamic State under Muhammad

Muhammad's political achievements

The Constitution of Medina

The Jihad or 'holy war'

Chapter Two: Muhammad as Head of State

Muhammad's position under the Constitution

Muhammad's position in the later Medinan period

The political relevance of religion

Chapter Three: The Early Caliphate

The situation at Muhammad's death

The succession to the caliphate

The nature of the caliphate

Chapter Four: The Organization of Empire

The Muslims as a military élite

'protected minorities'

Provincial administration

Chapter Five: Membership of the Community

The Kharijite movement

The wider community of true believers

Conditions of membership of the community

Chapter Six: The Religious Institution

Formation of the religious institution

Formation of the Islamic world-view

The religious institution and the rulers

Chapter Seven: The Form of the Political Struggle

The Persian imperial tradition

The power struggle under the first Abbasids

The intellectual form of the struggle

Chapter Eight: The Community as Bearer of Values

The nature and purpose of the community

Ideals and laws

The community and the individual

Chapter Nine: War-lords and Political Theorists

The emergence of the war-lords

Political theorists

The caliphate after 1258

Chapter Ten: The Development of Shi'ite Islam

'Moderate' Shi'ism and the Imamite party

Revolutionary or 'Sevener' Shi'ism

Zaydite Shi'ism

Chapter Eleven: Epilogue—Islam in Contemporary Politics

Islam and occidental political ideas

Nationalism

# ISLAMICPOLITICAL THOUGHT W.MONTGOMERY WATT ISLAMIC SURVEYS6 ISLAMICPOLITICAL THOUGHT W.MONTGOMERY WATT 1968 W.Montgomery Watt EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS22 George Square,Edinburgh First published 1968Paperback edition 1980Reprinted 1987 Reprinted in new format 1998Reprinted 1999,2003Transferred to digital print 2007 ISBN-100748610987 ISBN-139780748610983 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Datais available on request Printed in Great Britain byCPI Antony Rowe,Eastbourne FOREWORD INI939 tne prospect of a war which would involve many Asiannations made men in positions of responsibility in Britainsuddenly aware of the meagre number of our experts in Asianlanguages and cultures.The Scarbrough Commission was setup,and its report led to a great expansion of Oriental andAfrican studies in Britain after the war.In the third decade afterI939events are making clear to ever-widening circles ofreadersthe need for something more than a superficial knowledge ofnon-European cultures.In particular the blossoming into inde-pendence of numerous African states,many of which arelargely Muslim or have a Muslim head of state,emphasises thegrowing political importance of the Islamic world,and,as aresult,the desirability of extending and deepening the under-standing and appreciation of this great segment of mankind.Since history counts for much among Muslims,and whathappened in 632 or 656 may still be a live issue,a journalisticfamiliarity with present conditions is not enough;there mustalsobesomeawareness ofhow the past has moulded the present. This series of 'Islamic surveys'is designed to give theeducated reader something more than can be found in the usualpopular books.Each work undertakes to survey a special partof the field,and to show the present stage of scholarship here.Where there is a clear picture this will be given,but wherethere are gaps,obscurities and differences of opinion,these willalso be indicated.Comprehensive bibliographies will affordguidance to those who want to pursue their studies further.In the present volume there is bibliographical material onpp.xi,81f.,I05-7,and also in the notes,pP.I35-44. The transliteration of Arabic words is essentially that of thesecond edition of The Encyclopaedia of Islam(London,I960,continuing)with three modifications.Two of these are normalwith most British Arabists,namely,q for k,and j for dj.Thethird is something of a novelty.It is the replacement of theligature used to show when two consonants are to be soundedtogether byan apostrophe to show when they are to be sounded separately.This means that dh,gh,kh,sh,th(andin non-Arabicwords ch and zh)are to be sounded together;where there is anapostrophe,as in ad’ham,they are to be sounded separately.The apostrophe in this usage represents no sound,but,since itonly occurs between two consonants(of which the second is h),it cannot be confused with the apostrophe representing theglottal stop(hamza),which never occurs between two conso-nants. CONTENTS ix Introduction CHAPTER ONE.The Islamic State under Muhammad I.Muhammad's political achievements 349 2.The Constitution of Medina 3.The pre-Islamic tribe and the Medinan state 4.The nature of the community 9 5.The Jihad or 'holy war'I4 CHAPTER Two.Muhammad as Head of State I.Muhammad's position under the Constitution20 2.Muhammad's position in the later Medinan period 2326 3.The political relevance of religion CHAPTER THREE.The Early Caliphate I.The situation at Muhammad's death 3I 2.The succession to the caliphate 35 3.The nature of the caliphate 4.The first appearance of Shi'ite ideas 42464952 CHAPTER FOUR.The Organization of Empire I.The Muslims as a military élite 2.The ‘protected minorities' 3.Provincial administration CHAPTER FIVE.Membership of the Community I.The Kharijite movement 54 2.The wider community of true believers57 3.The conditions of membership of the community 59 CHAPTER SI

FAQs

How does the book describe Muhammad’s political achievements?

It focuses on Muhammad’s political achievements and his role in establishing authority under the Constitution of Medina. It also links governance to the political relevance of religion during the later Medinan period.

What are the key themes of the early caliphate discussed here?

The early caliphate sections cover the situation at Muhammad’s death, succession to the caliphate, and the nature of the caliphate. They also address the first appearance of Shi‘ite ideas.

How does the book explain the development of Shi‘ite Islam and its later impact?

It distinguishes 'Moderate' Shi‘ism (Imamite), Revolutionary or 'Sevener' Shi‘ism, and Zaydite Shi‘ism. The epilogue then connects Islam’s political forms to contemporary politics and Western political ideas, including nationalism.

Jul 3, 2026

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