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  • © 2020

Conceptions of Justice from Islam to the Present

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Compares and contrasts the major theories of justice to the teachings of Islam and its system of justice
  • Presents a comprehensive description of justice in Islam—justice as a system that emerges if rulers and members of the community are rule compliant
  • Analyzes contemporary conceptions of justice from Utilitarianism to Rawls’ A Theory of Justice and Sen’s The Idea of Justice and their prominent critics

Part of the book series: Political Economy of Islam (PEoI)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxi
  2. Introduction and Summary of the Conception of Justice in Islam

    • Hossein Askari, Abbas Mirakhor
    Pages 1-16
  3. Contemporary Muslim Scholars and Philosophers on Justice in Islam

    • Hossein Askari, Abbas Mirakhor
    Pages 17-32
  4. Conception of Justice in the Age of Enlightenment

    • Hossein Askari, Abbas Mirakhor
    Pages 33-130
  5. Conception of Justice from Rawls to Sen to the Present

    • Hossein Askari, Abbas Mirakhor
    Pages 155-183
  6. The State of Justice and Impediments to a More Just Muslim World

    • Hossein Askari, Abbas Mirakhor
    Pages 185-257
  7. Concluding Remarks

    • Hossein Askari, Abbas Mirakhor
    Pages 259-266
  8. Back Matter

    Pages 267-292

About this book

This book explains a perspective on the system of justice that emerges in Islam if rules are followed and how the Islamic system is differentiated from the conventional thinking on justice. It examines conceptions of justice from the Enlightenment to Bentham to Rawls to contemporary philosophers including Sen, Cohen, Nussbaum, and Pogge. The authors present the views of twentieth century Muslim thinkers on justice who see Muslims upholding rituals but not living according to Qur’anic rules. It provides empirical surveys of the current state of justice in Muslim countries analyzing the economic, social, and political state of affairs. The authors conclude by assessing the state of justice-injustice in Muslim countries and highlighting areas in need of attention for justice to prevail.



Authors and Affiliations

  • George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Hossein Askari

  • INCEIF, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Abbas Mirakhor

About the authors

Hossein Askari is former Assistant Professor at Tufts University, Professor of Business and Middle East Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, he was the Iran Professor of Business and International Affairs at The George Washington University, becoming Emeritus in 2019.




Abbas Mirakhor is former Executive Director and Dean of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund. Previously, he taught at universities in Iran and in the US and was the First Holder of the INCEIF Chair in Islamic Finance at INCEIF in Malaysia.



Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access