al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya

al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya (The Political Epistles) is a collection of ten surviving treatises on governance, statecraft, and political controversies by the Basran author and theologian al-Jahiz (d. 255 AH / 869 CE) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.

Composition and Structure

Although al-Jahiz composed numerous political works throughout his career, many have been lost and are known only from recorded bibliographical listings al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya. The extant corpus compiled under this title comprises ten treatises al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1:

• Risalat al-Ma'ash wa-l-Ma'ad (On Livelihood and the Hereafter), addressed to the chief judge Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Kitab al-Awtan wa-l-Buldan (The Book of Homelands and Countries) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• al-Uthmaniyya (The Treatise on the Uthmaniyya) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Risalat al-Hakamayn wa-Taswib Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib fi Hukmih (On the Two Arbitrators and Vindicating the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib in His Judgment) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Risalat Fadl Hashim 'ala Abd Shams (The Superiority of Hashim over Abd Shams) along with al-Abbasiyya al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Risala fi Manaqib al-Turk wa-Ammat Jund al-Khilafa (The Virtues of the Turks and the General Army of the Caliphate), addressed to the Abbasid official and confidant al-Fath ibn Khaqan Majallat al-Risala+1.
• Fakhr al-Sudan 'ala al-Bidan (The Boast of the Blacks over the Whites) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Kitab al-Hijab (The Book of Chamberlains) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Kitab Dhamm Akhlaq al-Kuttab (The Book on Censuring the Morals of Scribes) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.

Key Themes and Political Theory

The collection revolves around six fundamental topics al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1:

• The Concept of Politics and Leadership: al-Jahiz defined politics as administration and management (tadbir) of human affairs and livelihoods al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya. He argued that political authority rests on two foundations—inducement and deterrence (al-targhib wa-l-tarhib)—parallel to divine reward and punishment (al-wa'd wa-l-wa'id) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya. Concerning the appointment of the state leader, al-Jahiz maintained that the common populace (al-'amma) is unfit to elect an imam due to ignorance and passion; rather, this duty falls upon the elite (al-khassa), while the imam asserts his standing through conduct, actions, and virtues al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya.
• Patriotism: In al-Awtan wa-l-Buldan and Manaqib al-Turk, al-Jahiz addressed the innate human attachment to one's homeland, the defense of territory, and the regional character of various cities and peoples al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• Factional Conflict over the Caliphate: The collection examines the sectarian and ideological rivalries of the era, notably between the Shia, the Abbasid supporters, and the Uthmaniyya, along with related factions such as the Sufyaniyya, Marwaniyya, and Nabita al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya. In Risalat al-Hakamayn, al-Jahiz analyzed the arbitration dispute between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan following the Battle of Siffin, outlining five theoretical foundations for the imamate (precedence in merit, consultation, inheritance, testamentary designation, and kinship) held by different contemporary factions al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya.
• Tribal Rivalry: Fadl Hashim 'ala Abd Shams charts the historical and pre-Islamic rivalry between the Banu Hashim and Banu Abd Shams clans of Quraysh al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya+1.
• The Shu'ubiyya Controversy: In Manaqib al-Turk and Fakhr al-Sudan 'ala al-Bidan, al-Jahiz tackled ethnic debates and assertions of superiority among non-Arab groups, documenting claims made by different peoples regarding their history, virtues, and military or social standing al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya.
• State Administration and Court Officials: The administrative texts examine the functions, ethics, and shortcomings of government functionaries who assisted the caliph, specifically chamberlains (al-hujjab) and scribes (al-kuttab) al-Rasail al-Siyasiyya.