The Shafi'i jurist whose Ordinances of Government (al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya) is the classic medieval theory of the caliphate and Islamic public law.
Life
Al-Mawardi (972–1058) served as judge and diplomat for the Abbasid caliphs during Buyid domination. His al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya set out a systematic theory of the caliphate, the qualifications and duties of rulers, and the offices of state — defining legitimate authority at a time when the caliphs held little real power. It remained the foundational text of Sunni constitutional thought for centuries.