Introduction:
The Environment and Tusi’s Contribution Nizam al-Mulk lived (1018-1092) in a period when the caliphate reached its lowest reputation and authority. It had been transformed from an office based on democratic system into an autocracy then from autocracy to an institution manipulated by powerful masters(Al – Sayed Abdul MA, 1974). During the period, there prevailed a great conflict between the accepted ideas of Islamic polity, and the Perso-Turkish notions which were slowly creeping into the body-politic of the caliphate. The Islamic principle of political conduct was as we have already seen that the ruler should not be super-legal person free to act as he willed but that he should definitely and without doubt under the Divine Law as laid down by the Apostle of Islam. The circumstances had, no doubt changed since this great principle was laid down, and the shifting of the capital from Medinah to Damascus and from, Damascus to Baghdad had made the Caliphate an absolute monarchy in all but name. While Iranian culture and principles attacked the sanctuary of Baghdad in the West, it converted the nomadic Turks of Central Asia in the East to their own way of thought, and when the Seljuqis reached the centre of the Caliphate they had already become thoroughly Persianized (H.K. Sherwani, 1945).
The Development of Seljuq Empire and Nizam al-Mulk Tusi:
The Seljuq Empire – Al-e Seljuq, meaning house of Seljuq, stands for the great Seljuq Empire, was a Medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from Qiniq branch of Oghuz Turks founded by Tughril Beg (1016-1063) in 1037 and he was raised by his grandfather Seljuq Beg, who was in a high position in Oghuz Yabgu state and termed his dynasty as Seljuq Empire. When Khurasan fell into Seljuq’s with the defeat of Sultan Mas’ud in 431/1040, Tusi’s father went to Ghazna, taking his son with him, Tusi probably worked in the Ghaznavid’s administration for a time, but after a few years, he left and went back to Khurasan to enter the service of the Seljuq’s. Meanwhile Seljuq’s brother Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg had divided the dominion between them. Tughril had the western half with his seat at Baghdad and Chaghri remaining in the east with his head quarter at Marv. When Chaghri died in 431/1060, Tughril became paramount and Chaghri’s son Alp Arslan, succeeded him as governor of Khurasan.Nizam al Mulk had for some years been adviser to ALP Arslan during the period that the latter had served his father in a subordinate command in eastern Khurasan. He was now retained by ALP Arslan as his high headman and thus until the death of Tughril in 455/1063 he was responsible for the administration of the whole of Khurasan. It was during this period that enmity grew up between him and Tughril’s Wazir- Amid al Mulk al Kunduri. Since Tughril had no male heir and Kunduri had persuaded Tughril to designate Sulaiman – the Chaghri’s younger son, to succeed him, knowing full well, that if ALP Arslan, the elder son of Chaghri became great Sultan, it would be Nizam al-Mulk who became Khwaja of the world rather than Kunduri himself. Eventually, Alp Arslan’s succession was secured and Kunduri was sent into exile and a little later executed.
The Brief Life Sketch of Tusi
His real name was Khwaja abu Ali Hasan Ibn Ali Is-haq. He was more fortunate to develop himself as a great figure in the history and ruler of the Seljuq Turks who established their Sultanate in the name of the caliph of Baghdad. He is better known in history as Nizam al Mulk,a title of honor conferred upon him by the founder of the Seljuq dynasty, Sultan ALP Arslan in 1055 It was in 408/1018 AD that Nizam al Mulk was born on friday 10 april, 1018, a supurb of Tus about 50 miles to the Masshed in Persia. He belonged to a family of middle-class land owners and in the days of Ghaznavids, his father was appointed as a tax collector of Tus by Abu al Fadl Suri, the governor of Khurasan. Only a little about his early life is known. The famous mystic Shaikh Abu Sa’id ibn Abil Khair,had some glimpses of Hasan in his boyhood: on two occasions. Seeing him the Shaikh prophesied that he would become the Khawaza of the world (Hubert Darke, 2001).
Nizam al Mulk had his early education and got the Qur’an by heart and learnt the traditions of the Prophet (s) and gathered profound knowledge of Fiqh under the guidance of Abd al Sawud Fundurazi, a great scholar of law. He, then studied with an outstanding shi’ite doctor known as Habit Allah, Imam Muaffaq, one of the great Shafi’i doctors of Nishapur (S.R.A Rizvi, 1981).
THE WORKS
The Siyasat Namah
Nizam al-Mulk has been reported to have composed the great two works:The Siyasat Namah (The Book of Government/Statecraft) also known as Siyar al Mulk, written in 469 with the addition of eleven Chapter’s in the following year (C. E. Bosworth, 1995).and the Dastur al Wuzara (The Conduct of Ministres) or also known as the Wasa a of Khwajah Nizam al-Mulk (The Precepts of Khwajah Nizam al-Mulk) is more referred to ‘Wasaya’. It is also referred by some of the writers to the entitlement of Majma’u al Wasaya. He also has written a book entitled Safar Namah (The Book of Travels which is reported to be no more in existence). To know about all his contribution to government and politics of his time, are to be known from his two unique books: The Siyasat Namah and Dastur al Wuzara. This two Persian books are the chief sources for the study of his political thought. He represented his political thought in terms of Kingship and vizierate were the two political institutions of primary importance of those days. In al Siyasat Namah he developed the theory of Kingship: the political system for the Sejljuq Empire. It is related that the king Malik Shah once asked the Ministers to explain the cause of troubles affecting the nation. The ministers, including Sharaf al-Mulk, Taj al-Mulk, Majid al-Mulk and Nizam al -Mulk attempted to produce books on politics and administration, all of which the king read thoroughly and only Nizam al-Mulk’s Siyasat Namah ‘met which his approval, leading to Malik Shah declaring that it would from the law of the constitution of the nation in future (Sadeq, Abulhasan M. and GHAZALI, 1992). The book contains 50 chapters spreading over the task of identifying the factors of political success, royal prerogatives duties along with the administration of every departments of the government, the way for a state to attain stability and could be the main requirements of the Seljuqian Empire. This book in all, details the plan of running a government successfully. The author composed it during his vizierate in 469 for Malik Shah, in 39 Chapters, there al-Yamni made it 51,and arranged all the chapters in his own order different from the author’s (Hubert Darke, 2001).
THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF NIZAM AL-MULK TUSI
The Theory of Kingship: -The Political System
The King is the head of state in the Seljuq Political System . He conceived the state as a moral institution, to attain good for the millah (nation/people). However, the state itself must be good and to be so, it must be founded on the values and principles of Islam, embodied as the Islamic Shari’ah. The nature of the Shari’ah is such that it does not dichotomize between the ‘religious’ and ‘mundane’ functions of the state. Hence the preservation of the material and mundane interests are as much as Islamic objectives as the preservation of religious duties. Being a Prime Minister with his great Statesmanship he involved in real life administration, and he strove towards transforming the ideals inherent in Islam into practical realities. He is the man who does not merely theorize but rather, translates theories into pragmatism (Sadeq, Abulhasan M. and GHAZALI, 1992). In his treatise ‘Siyasat Namah, like other writers of Mirrors for Princes he sets forth the traditional Persian theory of Kingship, handed down from the Sasaniad period, which holds that in every time and age God the Almighty selects someone from among men and gives over to him the charge of the well-being of the world and the comfort and tranquility of the human race after duly furnishing him the arts of government. He also makes him responsible for the peace and security of the land and endows him with all the necessary prestige in order that God’s creatures may live in peace and plenty and that justice and security may be the order of the day. Further, he goes on to say that it is the duty of a ruler to remain in constant consultation with the wisest, the most experienced and the most competent of his people and to repose confidence in such of his subjects as deserve it and delegate to them a part of this duties according to their merit and worth. But this is not enough, for the ruler is advised to issue an Instrument on Instructions to all the high officers of state enjoining them to treat the people well and extract only the dues allowed by the Law of the land (H.K. Sherwani, 1945).
The Relationship Between Sultanate and Religion
Nizam Al-Mulk shows an undivided relationship between Sultanate and religion maintaining the sultan-the king look after the affairs of religion since religion and Kingship are twains and any decline in the political intuition it means declining of any affects each other . He maintains that the most important thing which a king is sound faith, because Kingship and religion are like two brothers (S.R.A Rizvi, 1981; S Rizwan Ali Rizvi, 1978). Through out of the Muslim history state and politics remained the part and parcel of religion and the religion -particularly the Quran and Sunnah of the prophet (s) constitute the supreme source of its Law, Constitution Culture and Civilization.
The Institution of Ministry (Vizierate)
Nizam Al-Mulk has enumerated all affairs of state with viziers. He concentrated on the progress and development of the ministerial ethics toward its perfection. To him, vizierate was the most important and most exalted office, no institution or office was above it except that of the Sultan (S Rizwan Ali Rizvi, 1978).Being influenced by the Persian tradition, he was able to develop the idea of hereditary principle for both the offices of ruler and vizier as a real partnership in power with the King and as an intermediary office between the King and his people. He regarded the vizier as representative of the King and responsible to him for all the administrative affairs of the state maintaining that there is a real basis for claiming and regarding this office as an institution on which depends the state and the people, the religion and the Kingdom (S Rizwan Ali Rizvi, 1978).
The System of Quaza
In his theory of Quaza, Nizam al Mulk states that the Quadis make an important role to apply and enforce Shariah law in true sense. In the contemporary, vast Muslim empire he shows in what way, the Quadis should have overcome the barriers relating to language and to the subjective expertise. The main aim of the Quadi was to enforce shariah law in the state and society. He extols: If the king is Turkish or Persian or one who does not know Arabic and has not learnt the precepts of Muslim law, of course he will need a deputy through whom he may perform his functions. The Judges, who is the King’s deputies, so it is essential for the king to strengthen their hands. It is necessary that for all the information about every single judge in the country must be available. This is a most important and delicate matter, because they have power over the lives, and property of Muslims (S.R.A Rizvi, 1981). On this very ground, the judges of the Muslim state must be of high caliber and possessing knowledge, fear of God, piety, integrity and be adamant against wrong doings (Erwin I. J. Rosenthal, 1962).
The Market Inspectors – Muhtasibs
According to Nizam al-Mulk, the Inspectors (Muhtasibs)are to be appointed in every city to observe and control the economic life of the city and look after the condition of practice of the religious activities by the inhabitants of the city and thus he puts: In every city a Muhtasib must be appointed whose duty is to check scales and prices and to see that business is carried on in an orderly and upright manner. He must take particular case in regard to goods in which are brought from outlying districts and sold in the bazars to see that there is no fraud or dishonesty, that weights are accurately kept, and that moral and religious principles are, observed (S Rizwan Ali Rizvi, 1978). His hand must be strengthen by the king and other officers for cause of this is one of the foundations of the state and itself the product of justice. The post always used to be given to one of the nobility or else to a eunuch or an old Turk who having no respect for anybody, would be feared by nobles and commoners alike. Thus business was transacted with justice and precepts of Islam were guarded against (S.R.A Rizvi, 1981; S Rizwan Ali Rizvi, 1978). For which Islam stresses on the organization of state empire.
EPILOGUE
Nizam al-Mulk played a formative part in the establishment of the judicial fiscal, administrative structures that remained operative in Persia down to the nineteen century and in the development of the socio-economic infrastructure including secure communications of his most important initiative was the provision of the funds for the foundation and running cost of the Madrasha- the educational institution in every major city including the Nizamiyya in Bagdad Build-1065-67 in which education was free (Antony Black, 2011). His political theories revealed that he believed in the Islamic principle of equality, where by everyone in the state, irrespective of status or power shall receive equal opportunities equalites and economic opportunity is a prerequisite for the attainment of social equality (S Rizwan Ali Rizvi, 1978). His king – the Sultan is totally a different one characterized with invaluable of human attributes and leadership quality which is elaborated in terms of the theory of Kingship to him. He is responsible for the welfare for the subjects, and is personally accountable to God, not only for his own conduct, but also for the conduct of his officials towards the people.