The construction of a theory of civilization through the works of al-Māwardī

The bulk of this dissertation on the 11th-century Muslim scholar Abū al-Ḥasan al‑Māwardī (974 - 1058) has focused mainly on his book "adab al-dunyā wa‑al‑dīn." Most of the studies on al-Māwardī's concentrated on either his political or his legal contribution while less attention has given to al-Māwardī's other works. This research aims primarily to cover such a gap through an attempt to construct a theory of civilization. In such an attempt, the thesis will utilize his works to reach a new model that answers some significant questions, namely those of how we comprehend a civilization in contemporary times. The study proposes a profound and comprehensive outline of al‑Māwardī's thoughts to form a civilizational lens. It consists of two parts with three chapters in each. The first part, entitled "Essential Foundations of al-Māwardī's Theory of Civilization," includes three major concepts: reason, ʿilm (system of knowledge), and religion. These three notions are analyzed in relation to civilization's construction. My main argument is that there is no civilization without a central role of these concepts. The second part, entitled "The implementation Aspects of al‑Māwardī's Theory of Civilization," consists of three chapters. The first considers the structures of the social world and the role of the individual in society. Al‑Māwardī insists that the well-being and welfare of people necessitate individual discipline and collective structures. The second chapter focuses essentially on personal discipline. My argument is that there is no possibility for a civilization to be established without personal discipline. The last chapter is on the informal institutional theory; my central argument is that al-Māwardī aims to develop informal institutions to maintain stability in society. Such a notion is analyzed mainly through a civilizational methodology that compares al‑Māwardī with other thinkers and philosophers. The research also benefited from Taha Abdurrahman's methodology of reading, understanding, and presenting classical texts, which he calls "the complementarity methodology" (al-manhajīyah al‑takāmulīyah). The arrangements in this study are primarily structured based on the structures of "Kitāb adab al-dunyā wa-al-dīn." This dissertation asserts that al-Māwardī offers a comprehensive and profound, descriptive framework for establishing and maintaining a civilization, which is still relevant in contemporary times.