Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong in Islamic Thought

by Michael Cook

• ISBN13: 9780521130936
• ISBN10: 052113093X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

What kind of duty do we have to try to stop other people doing wrong? The question is intelligible in just about any culture, but few of them seek to answer it in a rigourous fashion. The most striking exception is found in the Islamic tradition, where 'commanding right' and 'forbidding wrong' is a central moral tenet already mentioned in the Koran. As an historian of Islam whose research has ranged widely over space and time, Michael Cook is well placed to interpret this complex subject. His book represents the first sustained attempt to map the history of Islamic reflection on this obligation. It covers the origins of Muslim thinking about 'forbidding wrong', the relevant doctrinal developments over the centuries, and its significance in Sunni and Shi'ite thought today. In this way the book contributes to the understanding of Islamic thought, its relevance to contemporary Islamic politics and ideology, and raises fundamental questions for the comparative study of ethics.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The goldsmith of Marw

Koran and Koranic exegesis

Tradition

Biographical literature about early Muslims

The Hanbalites

Ibn Hanbal

The Hanbalites of Baghdad

The Hanbalites of Damascus

The Hanbalites of Najd

The Mu'tazilities and Shi'ites

The Mu'tazilites

The Zaydis

The Imamis

Other Sects and Schools

The Hanafis

The Shafi'ites

The Malikis

The Ibadis

Ghazzali

Classical Islam in retrospect

Beyond Classical Islam

Modern Islamic developments

Origins and comparisons

Conclusion

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