Justice Schema in Siyar-al-Muluk in Comparison with the theological basis of Abul-Hassan Ash-ari

Khaje Nizam-al-mulk in Siyar-al-muluk endeavors to strengthen the power of the governing system by preventing social oppression and tyranny through selecting an outlook of justice known as “power circle” or “cycle of justice”. In this research, efforts have been made to conduct an analytical comparative study between the renowned comprehension of justice in Siyar-al-Muluk and kalaami (scholastic theological) viewpoints of Abul-Hassan Ash-ari in this respect. Therefore, the attitudes of the two-mentioned scholars about justice, responsibility, and executive power of the medieval Islamic governors and the companions of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) will be compared. This research seeks to demonstrate that Khaje Nizam-al-Mulk as a prime minister had diverse views on justice as opposed to Ash-ari. This hypothesis is based on the fact that basically the discourse of justice outlined in the two books of Siyar-al-muluk and theological basis of Ash-ari are not from the same essence, and thus may not be easily harmonized for similar applications.