Ḥisba
Definition
Hisba is the institutional form of commanding good and forbidding evil — the formal system by which Islamic societies have historically organised the public function of moral oversight, embodied in the office of the muhtasib. Al-Ghazali addresses both the personal obligation of every Muslim to engage in some form of hisba appropriate to their capacity and position, and the institutional form that organised communities develop to discharge this obligation systematically. He argues that when individuals fail in their personal obligation, the institution degrades; and when the institution is corrupt or absent, individuals bear a heavier personal burden.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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