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The Nasirean Ethics
Akhlāq-i Nāṣirī
Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī · 1235; revised later · Medium (150–350 pages)
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What it is
A Persian treatise on practical philosophy written by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī in 1235 for Nāṣir al-Dīn Muḥtasham, the Ismaili governor of Quhistan, from whom it takes its name. Al-Ṭūsī follows the classical division of practical philosophy into three parts. The first discourse, on ethics, reworks Miskawayh's Arabic Refinement of Character: it treats the rational soul, the four cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance and justice, virtue as a mean between extremes, and the cure of vices as a kind of medicine for the soul. The second, on household management, covers wealth, marriage, the raising of children and the treatment of servants. The third, on politics, draws on al-Fārābī to discuss why people need society, love and friendship as its bond, the kinds of cities and the virtuous ruler. After al-Ṭūsī left the Ismailis, he replaced the original preface and its praise of his patrons.
Why read it
It became the standard handbook of ethics, family and political life in the Persian-speaking world for centuries, and shows how Greek virtue ethics was adapted to Islamic courts and households.
Where to start
Use G. M. Wickens's translation, The Nasirean Ethics, and start with the First Discourse on the virtues before moving on to household and politics.
Original text in the public domain