Yūsuf Khāṣṣ-Hājib on Virtuous Leadership: A Medieval Turko-Islamic Philosophical Discourse

Abstract

The article examines Yūsuf Khāṣṣ-Hājib’s magnum opus, Kutadgu Bilig , to analyze his thoughts on virtue ethics and leadership. Grounded in the ancient Mirror for Princes genre, the didactic poem Kutadgu Bilig reflects the medieval Turko-Islamic philosophical discourse on virtuous leadership, wherein the main characters of the poem engage in profound discussions about justice, morality, and wisdom by elucidating their significance in governance. Moreover, the article has revealed how Kutadgu Bilig expounds on the essential role of virtues in nurturing future political rulers as virtuous leaders through the cultivation of virtue ethics. As the paper finds, virtue ethics takes a central position in Yūsuf’s teachings, and the Kutadgu Bilig was written to illuminate the path to wisdom in governance and ethical decision-making for young political rulers. The first part of the paper examines Yūsuf’s thoughts on virtuous leadership and his utopian ideas about “the virtuous ruler” (Kün Togdi) in the Kutadgu Bilig by focusing on his qualities. In the second part, the paper analyzes the positive effects of virtuous leadership according to Yūsuf’s perspectives. Special attention is given to Yūsuf’s four principles in the Kutadgu Bilig - Justice, Fortune (Happiness), Wisdom (or Intellect), and Contentment , which are examined in the context of virtue ethics. Moreover, the article attempted, so far as it has been able, to trace Yūsuf’s ideas on virtuous leadership with the thoughts of the Islamic philosopher al-Fārābī.

Keywords

• virtue ethics
• turko-islamic political thought
• al-fārābī
• yūsuf khāṣṣ-hājib
• the kutadgu bilig