NIZAM AL-MULK

BIRTH AND DEATH

Birth: 4/16/1018     Death: 10/14/1092

OCCUPATION

scientist

BIOGRAPHY SUMMARY

Abu Ali ?asan ibn Ali ?usi, better known by his honorific title of Ni?am al-Mulk, was a Persian scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position within the empire, he became the de facto ruler of the empire for 20 years after the assassination of Sultan Alp Arslan in 1072, serving as the archetypal good vizier. Viewed by many historians as the most important statesman in Islamic history, the policies implemented by Nizam ul-Mulk remained the basic foundation for administrative state structures in the Muslim world up until the 20th century.

NOTABLE WORK

Siyasatnama

WHY THEY MATTER

Nizam al-Mulk was intellectually unique and groundbreaking for his significant contributions to political philosophy, as well as his role as a scholar and jurist. He reshaped the administrative state structures of the Muslim world, leaving a lasting impact that endured for centuries. Despite rising from a low position, he became a renowned figure and the de facto ruler of the Seljuk Empire, embodying the archetype of a good vizier and leaving a lasting legacy in Islamic history.

FAMOUS QUOTE

Tell the Sultan, If you have not already realized that I am your co-equal in the work of ruling, then know that you have only attained to this power through my statesmanship and judgement. Does he not remember when his father was killed, and I assumed responsibility for the conduct of affairs and crushed the rebels who reared their heads, from his own family and from elsewhere. Tell him that the stability of that regal cap is bound up with this vizierial inkstand, and that the harmony of these two interests is the means of securing all objects soughts after and the ultimate cause of all objects gained. If ever I close up this inkstand, that royal power will topple.The Political and Dynastic History of the Iranian World(A.D. 1000–1217), p.68-80

WIKIPEDIA PAGE

Wikipedia Page