The political thought of Muslim societies is all too often defined in religious terms, in which the writings of clerics are seen as representative and ideas about governance are treated as an extension of commentary on sacred texts. Disenchanting the Caliphate offers a groundbreaking new account of political discourse in Islamic history by examining Abbasid imperial practice, illuminating the emergence and influence of a vibrant secular tradition.Closely reading key eighth-century texts, Hayrettin Yücesoy argues that the ulema's discourse of religious governance and the political thought of lay intellectuals diverged during this foundational period, with enduring consequences. He traces how notions of good governance and reflections on prudent statecraft arose among cosmopolitan literati who envisioned governing as an art. Competent in nonreligious branches of knowledge and trained in administrative professions, these belletrists articulated and defended secular political practices, reimagining the caliphal realm as politically constituted rather than natural. They sought to improve administrative efficiency and bolster state control for an empire made up of diverse cultures. Their ideas about moral cultivation, temporal reasoning, and governmental rationality endured for centuries as a counterpoint to religious rulership. Drawing on this history, Yücesoy critiques the concept of "Islamic political thought," calling for decolonizing debates about "secular" and "religious" politics.Theoretically rich and historically grounded, Disenchanting the Caliphate is an insightful and provocative reconsideration of key strands of political discourse in the intellectual history of Muslim societies.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of Early, Umayyad, and Abbasid Caliphs, 632-861Introduction: Critical Reflections on "Islamic Political Thought"1. Caliphal Practice2. The Language of Imamate3. Political Prose Revolution4. The Disruptive Language of Siyasa5. Deconfessionalizing the Caliph6. A Theory of Imperial Law7. Territorial Consciousness8. Reimagining the People of the EmpireConclusion: Releasing Siyasa from the ImamateConventions and SpellingNotesBibliographyIndex