Conceptualization of Justice in Akhlāq-i ʻAlā’ī and Rowzat al-anwār-i Abbāsī

This paper compares and contrasts the concept of justice as discussed by Hibatullāh Ḥusaynī Shīrāzī, or Shāh Mīr (d. 1493), in his Akhlāq-i ʻAlā’ī, usually referred to as Adāb-i saltanat (The Rules of Kingship), with that of Muhammad Bāghir Muhaghigh Sabzevārī (d. 1606) in his Rowzat al-anwār-i Abbāsī. For its part, Akhlāq-i ʻAlā’ī was one of the last examples of a pre-Safavid "mirror for princes." In it, Shāh Mīr summarizes earlier examples of this genre and particularly relies on Akhlāq-i nāsirī by Nasīr al-Dīn Tusī (d. 1274). Shāh Mīr divides his treatise into four chapters, each of which systematically explicates the proper conduct and duties of kings. His frequent citations from the Qur’an and hadith literature, in addition to several sayings of ‘Alī (d. 661), the first Shi‘i Imam, as well as Shāh Mīr’s emphasis on Islamic law, suggest that he was a religious scholar with Shi‘i tendencies rather than just a philosopher. However, despite its religious tone, the treatise contains Greco-Persian political and ethical ideas and advice that one finds in earlier examples of mirrors literature, particularly Akhlāq-i nāsirī. In this connection, Shāh Mīr believes that the foremost qualities a king should possess were: wisdom (hikmat), modesty (‘effat), bravery (shujā’at), and justice (‘adālat). Throughout his treatise, Shāh Mīr attempts to reconcile practical wisdom with Islamic religious teachings. In contrast, Sabzevārī’s discussion of these notions in Rowzat al-anwār-i Abbāsī is based mostly on Shi’i traditions and historical experiences rather than on philosophical argumentation. This comparative study is therefore significant, as it gives fresh and nuanced perspectives on justice as it was defined and idealized in a Shi'i milieu.