The changing traditions of Islamic public administration: observing processes of collision, absorption and adaptation

Abstract

The development of the concept of Islamic Public Administration (IPA) requires consideration of its portability across spatial and temporal contexts as well as secular-religious divides. The content of IPA has shifted over time, and debate over its meanings and key attributes has been a consistent feature of the history of Muslim societies. This means a hard-edged IPA concept constituted by immutable structural features to enable valid and reliable observation over time is likely to be defeated. This article argues instead for a thematic IPA framework that is relatively underspecified to allow for context sensitivity and facilitates the analysis of enduring historical dilemmas of Islamic governance. Such a framework helps show how IPA differs from other public administration traditions; specifically, its self-conscious reinvention by appeals to Islamic theology, law and ethics; and its grounding in values that are not commensurable with secular, liberal “public” values.