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Finding a Muslim polity through leadership based on iman that is rooted in taqwa Ibn al-Azraq says is the answer to the best governance. An Islamic leadership in this form, he says will prevent the extinction of any Muslim polity. In this book, his political thought is discerned through a comparative analysis of the two editions of Bada´i al-Silk fi Taba´i al-Mulk, where the influence of Ibn Khaldun on his political thought is clearly revealed. In formulating his political thought, he combined usul al-fiqh and syllogism. This methodology led him to synthesise Ibn Khaldun´s theory of asabiyyah as the catalyst for the rise and fall of a civilization, and the shari ah. On the topic of governance, he discusses the political ethics of state leadership and elaborates on the two principles of governance; justice and consultation. Ibn al-Azraq´s bureaucracy, art of war and wealth are also treated in this book. This book is a must for scholars and students of Ibn Khaldun and al-Andalus. It is also for those wondering what happened to Muslim Spain just before 1942. Giving new insight into Ibn Khaldun´s influenced in Muslim scholarship through the eyes of the last chief qadi of Granada.

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Aldila bt. Isahak (Ph.D.) studied Islamic Thought at ISTAC. She was a research fellow there. Currently she is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, Kulliyyah IRKHS, IIUM. Her area of expertise includes Comparative Political Thought, Philosophy, Islamic Theology and translations of classical Arabic texts on Islamic Thought.

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