One Word - Yak Kaleme: 19th Century Persian Treatise Introducing Western Codified Law (Iranian Studies Series)
One Word - Yak Kaleme: 19th Century Persian Treatise Introducing Western Codified Law (Iranian Studies Series) By A. A. Seyed-Gohrab and S. McGlinn
2010 | 146 Pages | ISBN: 9087280890 | PDF | 1 MB
2010 | 146 Pages | ISBN: 9087280890 | PDF | 1 MB
One Word - Yak Kaleme was one of the first treatises in the Middle East to demonstrate that Islam is compatible with modern western forms of government, and specifically that sharia principles can be incorporated in a codified law comparable to that found in Europe. This was a daring argument in the late 19th century, when it was extremely difficult to convince the rulers and religious class that a civil code of law was needed: would it not diminish the ruler's status, would it not disqualify the sharia, the religious law? In One Word, the author argues that the principles underlying constitutional government can be found in Islamic sources, particularly in the Quran and Prophetical traditions. Unlike many fellow Oriental travellers, he observed that European dominance was not derived from a few technological advances, but primarily from the organisation of society. One Word was a significant text during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906, but its message is relevant today.