The Concept of Companionship in Ethico-Political Discourse

Abstract

This research examines the concept of _al-Uns_ (sociability, familiarity, and intimacy) as a pivotal value in one of the most significant patterns of classical Arabic discourse: *moral-political discourse*, which represents the intersection between sultanic thought and the ethical conceptualization of the relationship between ruler and ruled.

The significance of this topic stems from its revelation of the human and ethical dimension of power relations. In this context, _Suhbat al-Sultan_ (companionship with the Sultan) is no longer a merely utilitarian or interest-driven relationship based on proximity and benefit, but becomes an ethical and symbolic space founded on familiarity, conviviality, and psychological and intellectual harmony. In this sense, _al-Uns_ transcends being a transient emotional state to become a mechanism for managing the political sphere and regulating the distance between closeness and distance within the sultanic _majlis_ (council). It thus functions as a discursive tool that softens authority and transforms obedience into affection.

This research aims to:

1. Analyze the mechanisms of the formation of _al-Uns_ and its semantic transformations in the sultanic council through literary and political texts.

2. Highlight the implicit ethical and political rules governing the etiquettes of _Mujalasa_ (companionship) and _Munasaha_ (sincere counsel), and how obedience and loyalty are encoded as familiarity.

The researcher adopted a deconstructive approach, based on deconstructing the structure of moral-political discourse, destabilizing its central binary oppositions (familiarity/alienation, closeness/distance, obedience/rebellion), and revealing its silences and internal contradictions. This approach seeks to read beyond the apparent meaning to demonstrate how power relations, hegemony, and discipline are concealed behind a value-laden discourse that calls for familiarity, conformity, and harmony, thereby reproducing political legitimacy in an ethical guise