Classification of States

Like Aristotle, Al-Farabi also talked about classifying states, such as Democracy, Aristocracy, and Monarchy. But before this distinction, we should clarify what is Sa'ada.

Sa'ada

In Arabic, Sa'ada translates to happiness or well being. In our context, it refers to the ultimate perfection of the human soul. It borrows from Aristotle's Eudaimonia but should be considered its own entity.

Eudaimonia is open to all people for it is simply the manifestation of living virtuously. Anyone can live virtuously and it looks different for different ages, genders, classes and socio-economic status.

Sa'ada is the ultimate happiness, the perfection of soul gotten through rational and spiritual development. To achieve Sa'ada, you must have the knowledge of the divine. Only that knowledge empowers you with the true facts of the world.

There is also the spiritual element that proximity to God itself is the goal. True proximity to Allah is not blind obsequiousness, but it is the spiritual ascent of man through knowledge of metaphysics and theology.

Madina Al Fadila

As discussed in the previous lesson, Al-Farabi's ideal state takes inspiration from Plato and Aristotle. The goal of a city state is to achieve Sa'ada. The statesman is responsible to guide the souls of its people, to bring closer to virtues, to heal them of their vices, so that they will virtuous lives.

Madina Al Fadila translates to The Virtuous City which in some translations is written as the Ideal City which is a less than ideal translation.

Imperfect States

For Al-Farabi, any state that does not fulfill the criteria of his ideal state, (a state with leadership having all of the required qualities to ensure Sa’ada), that state is imperfect. There are degrees of imperfect states.

Madina al-Jahilliya

Madina al-Jahiliyya or an Ignorant State focuses on material pleasures, power, and wealth. These states do not know about Sa’ada or how to achieve it. There is no serious attempt towards or belief in spirituality or a higher purpose beyond the material. Most of the current states of the world fall into this category.

Madina al-Dalla

Madina al-Dalla or an Erring State is one whose citizens and leaders have some awareness of virtue and a higher spiritual calling but they pursue false paths to happiness. This characterizes other ideas about statehood that have a basic sense that there is a higher calling but cannot actualize it. These refer to other religions that aim for the same goal but make practical mistakes. This also refers to other philosophers like Plato who have noble goals but they make wrong practical conclusions about how to get there. Plato thought the answer lay in the Noble Lie and a class system. Aristotle thought the answer lay in the compromise of the Polity. Catholics think the answer lies in seeking forgiveness and salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice. The Communists thought the answer lay in the class system.

Madina al-Fasiqa

Madina Al-Fasiqa or a Wicked State recognizes virtue but consciously rejects it. They pursue corruption, tyranny, and hedonism. They distort and misuse the higher truths. These refer to leaders and citizens who knowingly prioritize material gains, social status, and power for their selfish desires and designs. These states know what the right thing is, but reject it out of expediency, personal gain, or even foreign policy. Examples are the United States and its policies towards Guantanamo Bay. The US knows it is wrong, it recognizes what virtue is, but for the sake of expediency, it sacrifices those ideals and sets up black sites in foreign territories to protect them from effective oversight.

Which Madina is the US?

I am unsure whether to classify the US as Madina Al-Fasiqa or Madina Al-Jahiliyya. What is the criterion? Does a state need to reject its own understanding of virtue or Al-Farabi’s concept of virtue to be classified as a Madina al-Fasiqa? Since the US does not accept Sa’ada, it lacks knowledge of how to attain true happiness, thus making it a Madina Al-Jahiliyya. However, I lean more towards the idea that there is no functional difference between the understanding of virtue between the US and Al-Farabi. At the very least, there is a 99% overlap. (I am only talking about functional differences, not eschatological). The US institutes know lobbying is wicked, they know it is wrong to influence elections, they know it is wrong to have extra-judicial killings; they know that spying is illicit. However, for personal wealth, national interests, national security, and expediency, we get lobbying, black sites, CIA, backroom deals, and more. Thus making the US a Madina Al-Fasiqa.

Lastly, there is another point of contention. The word “Madina” in Madina Al-Fasiqa refers to a city and the US is considerably larger than a city. However, I expand the definition of Madina in this context to states in general, not to confine Al-Farabi’s classifications to city-states only.