This volume consists of nine essays on the political teaching of such Muslim philosophers as al-Kindi and al-Razi, as well as the more familiar al-Farabi, Avicenna, Ibn Bajjah, Ibn Tufayl, and Averroes. It makes a contribution to the study of Islamic philosophy, which has thus far emphasized the metaphysical and illuminationist doctrines of Islamic, and especially Iranian, philosophy. Muhsin Mahdi's exploration of how political questions are addressed by the philosophical tradition is perhaps his most important contribution to medieval Islamic studies. So it is fitting that this book, intended to honour him on his 65th birthday, focuses exclusively on his specialty, and that these original essays are written by scholars who completed their post-graduate training under his supervision.