The Leader as the Driver of History between Machiavelli and Al-Mawardi A Comparative Study in the Philosophy of History

Abstract

This comparative study in the field of the philosophy of history investigates the role of the leader as the primary driver of historical events from the perspectives of two distinct thinkers representing different intellectual traditions: Niccolò Machiavelli in the West, and Abu al-Hasan al-Mawardi in the Islamic East.

The study highlights how Machiavelli, in his seminal work The Prince, views the leader as a pragmatic, amoral force who directs and shapes history according to the strategic interests of the state and his personal power. Conversely, Al-Mawardi, in his treatise Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya (The Ordinances of Government), anchors the leader (whether the Imam or the Caliph) to religious legitimacy and justice, where the course of history unfolds through strict adherence to divine law and the preservation of faith.

Ultimately, the study concludes that while Machiavelli conceptualizes leadership as a secular, purely human agency capable of altering history, Al-Mawardi perceives it as a moral and religious obligation. This divergence underscores the profound epistemological and philosophical gap between Western and Islamic philosophies of history regarding the nature of power and authority.