The concept of nâmûs in Islamic political philosophy

The continuation of human existence and the development of human abilities depend on forming a structure shaped around the concept of order. The laws discovered in nature and the universe are the essential elements forming this structure. Thanks to these laws, humanity makes order dominant over nature and the universe, which is constantly changing and is the source of disorder in this respect. Thus, nature and the universe, which operate according to specific laws, become the essential elements shaping the human world of meaning. Humans, a part of nature and the universe realized that the principle of order and legality they discovered here must also be valid for the society surrounding them. Because the protection and maintenance of cooperation and order are only possible with the establishment of laws that determine the relations between people; in other words, from the moment they began to become conscious beings; they thought that the principle of order and legality inherent in nature and the universe was also valid for their social structure since they had been in contact with nature, the universe, and ultimately with their fellows. In this context, it is impossible to think of humans' relationship with nature and the universe and the idea of order and legality that emerges as a result of this, separately from their sociality, which are parts of a whole. This relationship between nature, the universe, and social order has made the issue of socio-political law one of the essential topics of political philosophy. Based on this understanding, this study examines the understanding of the nâmûs/law of Islamic philosophers, taking into account the ancient Greek political thought and its transmission to the Islamic world, the characteristics of the lawmaker, the source and legitimacy of the law, the inclusiveness and sanction of the law, the constancy and variability of the law.