Husn al-Suluk al-Hafiz Dawlat al-Muluk
- Author died
- 774 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Waṭan
Husn al-Suluk al-Hafiz Dawlat al-Muluk (Good Conduct Preserving the State of Kings) is a treatise on Islamic statecraft and governance (siyasah shar'iyyah) written by the Shafi'i jurist, scholar of hadith, and man of letters Ibn al-Mawsili (699–774 AH / 1300–1372 CE) .
Authorship and Title
The work was authored by Shams al-Din Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Ridwan al-Ba'li, commonly known as Ibn al-Mawsili, a scholar originally from Baalbek who lived in Damascus and Tripoli . The book is known under the full title Husn al-Suluk al-Hafiz Dawlat al-Muluk and is also recorded in bibliographic literature under the variant title Husn al-Suluk fi Siyasat al-Muluk (Good Conduct in the Governance of Kings) .
Content and Sources
The treatise belongs to the genre of Islamic political administration and advice for rulers (al-siyasah al-shar'iyyah), addressing the duties of rulers, righteous administration, and principles of state maintenance . In compiling the work, Ibn al-Mawsili drew upon earlier authorities on governance; across several chapters, he directly quotes and incorporates substantial passages from Ibn Taymiyyah's political treatise al-Siyasah al-Shar'iyyah fi Islah al-Ra'i wa-al-Ra'iyyah .
Transmission and Publication
A manuscript copy of the text is preserved in the library of the Ez-Zitouna Mosque in Tunis (Adab MS 5084, comprising 97 folios and dated to 1024 AH) . The book was edited and prepared for publication by Fu'ad Abd al-Mun'im Ahmad and printed in Riyadh by Dar al-Watan in 1416 AH (1995 CE) .
Answer updated