The Islamicity of the Lanao Sultanate Practices on Land Grant with Special Reference to the Political Thought of al-Māwardī on Land Grant

The Muslim Maranaos in Mindanao, Philippines established the Lanao Sultanate in 1616 and it continues until today as a traditional governance. It shows that there is a sizeable research gap on the Lanao Sultanate practices on land grant, moreover, the Islamicity of Lanao Sultanate practices on land grant has been little represented in the Philippines literature, in fact, there is not a single published paper focusing on this subject. Thus, this research will explore the Lanao Sultanate practices on land grant with special reference to the political thought of al-Māwardī to establish the Islamicity of Lanao Sultanate practices on land grant. Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Ali Ibn Muḥāmmād Ibn Habīb al-Māwardī was born on 972 C.E. in Basra, Iraq. He worked as a qādī (judge), and juridical adviser at the court of the caliph al-Qa’im. He has immense knowledge on fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Qur’ān interpretation, religion, government, public and constitutional law, language, ethics, and belles-letters. Al-Māwardī wrote a book al-Aḥkām al-Sultāniyyah w’al-Wilāyāt al-Dīniyya (The Ordinances of Government) in the 10th century. He set out his theory of government and the rights and duties of the ruler and the rules of delegated authority. In this book, he also discussed land grant and concessions.