Volume 3 | Issue 4
Volume 3 | Issue 4
Volume 3 | Issue 4
Volume 3 | Issue 4
Volume 3 | Issue 4
Hisbah writings in the Andalusian heritage are valuable historical and jurisprudential sources. They reveal the depth of administrative and economic organization in al-Andalus. Two works are especially important: Ibn Abdun al-Tujibi's treatise on the judiciary and hisbah, and al-Saqati al-Malaqi's Adab al-Hisbah. These works combine Islamic legal grounding with practical application. They describe an integrated system of oversight based on the principle of enjoining right and forbidding wrong. This system was embodied in the office of the muhtasib, whose duties included supervising markets and regulating commercial transactions. These writings also document Andalusian economic and social life in considerable detail. They offer a vivid picture of the range of occupations and crafts, together with their quality standards and ethical rules. Their exceptional importance also lies in the fact that they reflect the Andalusian Maliki model of hisbah and show how Islamic approaches to the management of public affairs were adapted to local circumstances. Their value therefore extends beyond jurisprudence. They function as broad historical documents that reveal the close interaction of religion, economic activity, and morality in society. They also provide a model of governmental supervision of markets and document distinctive aspects of everyday life that are rarely addressed in other historical sources. This makes them a rich body of material for researchers. Against this background, the study addresses three main themes. The first is hisbah in al-Andalus and its role in regulating social and economic life. The second is Andalusian writing on hisbah and its most prominent authors. The third is the historical value of these works as an integral part of the Islamic heritage of al-Andalus.