Ibn al-Haddad al-Mawsili
- Died
- 674 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn al-Haddad al-Mawsili (d. after 674 AH / 1275 CE) was a seventh-century AH Iraqi preacher, prose writer, and political theorist from Mosul, best known for his governance treatise al-Jawhar al-Nafis fi Siyasat al-Rais.
Life and Identity
His full name is Muhammad ibn Mansur ibn Hubaysh, known as Ibn al-Haddad al-Mawsili. He was affiliated by origin and residence with Mosul and active as a preacher (wa'iz) and man of letters during the seventh century AH. The precise year of his death is unrecorded, though manuscript and bio-bibliographical records establish that he flourished in the late seventh century AH; he completed literary work in Rajab 673 AH (1275 CE) and is documented as living after 673 AH, with other notices placing his death after 674 AH or after 677 AH (1278 CE).
Political and Literary Contributions
Ibn al-Haddad wrote on statecraft, ethics, and belletristic prose. In al-Jawhar al-Nafis fi Siyasat al-Rais (The Precious Gem on the Governance of the Leader), he composed a guide for rulers examining the moral and administrative requirements of authority. He posited that governance divides into two interrelated domains: religious governance (siyasat al-din), which fulfills spiritual obligations and secures the afterlife, and worldly governance (siyasat al-dunya), which fosters civil development and the prosperity of the land. He maintained that both spheres depend fundamentally on justice ('adl), arguing that equitable rule secures the sovereign's realm, renders extraneous the need for coercive enforcement, and protects the community from ruin.
In the realm of ornate literature, he authored al-Budur al-Tammat fi Badi' al-Maqamat (The Full Moons on the Rhetorical Beauties of the Assemblies), a collection of thirty rhetorical maqamat that he completed in 673 AH.
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List of Works
al-Jawhar al-Nafis fi Siyasat al-Rais (The Precious Gem on the Governance of the Leader) is a treatise on political ethics, rulership, and statecraft. Designed as a guide and mirror for leadership, the work examines both religious and worldly governance, emphasizing justice, virtuous leadership, and the ethical responsibilities of political authority through a combination of Islamic traditions, philosophical counsel, and historical anecdotes.