Assistant Professor Dr. Khalid Abdul Nabi, a faculty member at the College of Islamic Sciences, University of Karbala, has published a distinguished scholarly paper on Al-Naba Information Network. The paper presents a comparative study using the method of intellectual balancing between the book “The Covenant” by Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) addressed to Malik al-Ashtar, and “The Prince” by Niccolò Machiavelli, one of the most influential political works in Western thought.
The paper’s title reflects its critical and intellectual nature, as the researcher employed the method of “muwazana” (balancing) rather than pure comparison, due to the difference in the original languages of the two texts. This necessitated referring to the Arabic translation of “The Prince” prepared and introduced by Dr. Al-Husseini Muaddi.
The paper is structured into an introduction, three main sections, and a conclusion. The researcher examined several key topics, including:
- The linguistic and terminological concepts of “The Covenant” and “The Prince,”
- The method of selecting a ruler in both texts,
- The rhetorical style used to present ideas,
- Shared and opposing ideas that reflect each author’s vision of governance and authority.
Dr. Khalid Abdul Nabi based his study on a range of well-regarded sources, including Abbas Al-Mousawi’s book “Malik al-Ashtar and the Covenant of Imam Ali (peace be upon him),” “Nahj al-Balagha,” Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” and “Al-Muwazana bayna al-Shu‘ara’” by Zaki Mubarak.
In conclusion, the researcher emphasized that the paper is an academic attempt to highlight the convergences and divergences in political philosophy between Islamic Eastern and Western perspectives, expressing hope that the study succeeded in presenting a fair and scholarly approach.
