By Mehdi Kohan1
Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi wrote Nasirean Ethics (Akhlāq-i Nāsirī) while residing in Qohestan, serving the ruler of the region, Nasir al-Din Abdur Rahim, an influential Ismaili leader. The ruler, who had invited Khwaja to join his circle, requested that he translate Tahdhib al-Akhlaq and Taharat al-A’raq by Abu Ali Miskawayh into Persian. It can be said that this is one of the oldest works of Khwaja that has reached us, and it belongs to the early period of his intellectual maturity. It would not be without interest to review the contents of this book.
Familiarity with the Book Nasirean Ethics
Abu Ja’far Nasir al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad Hasan Tusi, known as Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi (597–672 AH), was a Shi’a Iranian theologian, mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer. He was born in Tus and passed away in Baghdad. His father was a scholar in Tus, and Khwaja Nasir al-Din learned the basics from him before travelling to Nishapur in his youth to study under great masters.
The book Nasirean Ethics, authored by Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, is a work on ethics and practical wisdom written in Persian. Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi wrote this book at the age of 37, around the year 633 AH. Nasirean Ethics is one of the few books written on philosophical ethics. Tusi structured this valuable work into three sections and thirty chapters. The prose of the book is straightforward but somewhat challenging. The difficulty arises from the use of Arabic terms and long sentences, as well as the complexity of some of the philosophical concepts, which, being rooted in Eastern philosophy, are hard to understand for those unfamiliar with these sciences.
In addition to Nasirean Ethics, some of his other works include Tajrid al-I’tiqad, Awsaf al-Ashraf, Asas al-Iqtibas, Tahrir Usul Uqlidis, Ithbat al-Wajib Ta’ala, his commentary on Ibn Sina’s Isharat, Talkhis al-Muhassal, and more.
Writing of the Book Nasirean Ethics
Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi authored this book at the request of Nasir al-Din Abu’l-Fath Abdur Rahim ibn Mansur, the ruler and influential figure of the Ismaili fortress of Qohestan. For this reason, the book was named Nasirean Ethics. Initially, the ruler of Qohestan requested Khwaja to translate al-Taharah by Ibn Miskawayh (d. 421 AH) from Arabic into Persian. However, Khwaja explained that translating the work might detract from its beauty. Moreover, al-Taharah only covered one aspect of ethics. He suggested adding two additional sections and composing a new work. Thus, he decided to write an independent book on the subject. In the section on moral philosophy, Khwaja followed the views of Ibn Miskawayh, while in the section on household management, he drew upon Abu Ali Sina’s Treatise on Household Management. For the section on political governance, he relied on al-Siyasah al-Madaniyyah and other writings by Abu Nasr al-Farabi.
In the introduction to the book, Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi praised Ala al-Din Muhammad and Nasir al-Din, referring to the latter as the king of kings of both Arabs and non-Arabs. However, 21 years later, in 654 AH, after his release from the rule of the Ismailis and the rise of the Mongols, he removed the praise of the Ismaili rulers from the introduction, attributing it to the necessity of the time under their rule. Upon the advice of Abdul Aziz Nishapuri, in 663 AH, Khwaja also added sections on the rights of parents to the book.
Introduction to This Book
Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi authored approximately 150 works in both Persian and Arabic, with Nasirean Ethics regarded as one of his most prominent and oldest surviving works. This text is divided into three sections. The first section is a Persian interpretation of Ibn Miskawayh’s Tahdhib al-Akhlaq (Refinement of Ethics). The second section addresses household economy and the management of domestic affairs, emphasizing the reciprocal rights and duties within the family, which is seen as the foundational unit of society. The third section explores Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi’s political thought, where the influence of Platonic, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian ideas is evident, though he also references the political ideologies of pre-Islamic Iranian rulers, particularly the Achaemenid and Sassanian dynasties.
The author consolidates key principles of moral philosophy, household management, and political governance as discussed by major philosophers in their works on these topics. In this book, Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi aims to present a logical method for the education of the soul and to pave the way for achieving intellectual perfection.
Nasirean Ethics is a summary of the ethical framework that, if not across the entire medieval Islamic world, was at least widespread in medieval Iran, and it remains one of the most well-known texts in this field. This work was written at a time when Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi was a renowned scholar, scientist, and political-religious figure. The unique significance of Nasirean Ethics lies in the fact that it was composed by a distinguished personality during a historical period in which he played a key role in shaping the very debates addressed in the book. In this work, Khwaja Nasir first focuses on the criteria for human behaviour at the individual level, then on the economic level, and finally on the political level.
One must not, out of excessive desire for virtues, become preoccupied with searching for minor flaws in others. If one follows this path, they will not find anyone without fault, and the result will be isolation and estrangement, depriving them of the virtue of sincerity. Instead, it is necessary to overlook insignificant flaws that no one can be entirely free from and to reflect on one’s own faults so that they may bear similar shortcomings in others.
Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi himself compiled a summary of Nasirean Ethics under the title Awsaf al-Ashraf (Attributes of the Nobles). Additionally, commentaries such as Miftah al-Akhlaq and Tawdih al-Akhlaq have been written on Nasirean Ethics. Since 1269 AH, Nasirean Ethics has been printed several times in both Iran and India. Mojtaba Minavi, along with Alireza Heidari, published a researched edition of it in 1356 SH (1977 AD).
Nasirean Ethics is divided into three sections, following a brief introduction that defines wisdom and practical philosophy:
The first section is a translation and summary of Ibn Miskawayh’s Tahdhib al-Akhlaq, focusing on the soul and its faculties. It discusses the virtues and vices of each human faculty, as well as the degrees of happiness, maintaining the soul’s well-being, and treating its ailments. In this part, Khwaja Nasir Tusi doesn’t merely translate; he adds brief explanations, stories, and examples to the original text.
The second section addresses the necessity of household management, the pillars of the household, the management of wealth, the upbringing of children, and the management of servants. The section on child-rearing is considered a liberal translation of Tahdhib al-Akhlaq.
The third section is on political governance and is divided into eight chapters. These include the need for civilization, the virtue of love, the types of societies (the virtuous, non-virtuous, ignorant, etc.), the conduct of kings, the virtue of sincerity, how to interact with people, and Plato’s advice. Two chapters from this section—on the virtues of love and sincerity—are largely translations of the fifth chapter of Ibn Miskawayh’s Tahdhib al-Akhlaq.
The text of Nasirean Ethics is regarded as scholarly and rigorous, with a clear and accessible style for Persian speakers familiar with philosophical and scientific terminology and classical Persian texts. It contains very few unfamiliar terms. The book follows a philosophical method, and therefore references to Quranic verses and hadiths are minimal. However, in a few instances, Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi adds verses or hadiths to the original text of Abu Ali Miskawayh.
The style and method of Nasirean Ethics are considered quite similar to Ibn Miskawayh’s Tahdhib al-Akhlaq. Accordingly, Nasirean Ethics is regarded as a rational-analytical work in which the author aims to clarify ethical concepts. This book is seen as part of the ethical works that adopt a medical perspective on ethics, using the position of a physician to discuss the health of the soul and the avoidance of spiritual diseases.
The influence of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics on Islamic writings is also evident, particularly wherever virtue is discussed as a mean between extremes of excess and deficiency. Alongside this, the impact of Platonic thought regarding the four cardinal virtues—wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice—is clearly visible.
Abu Ali Miskawayh, by blending a summary of Aristotle’s ethical works with some ideas from Plato and other Greek philosophers, as well as religious concepts, authored al-Taharah and Tahdhib al-Akhlaq in Arabic. Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi translated and summarized the meanings of al-Taharah and Tahdhib al-Akhlaq into Persian, adding sections on political governance (siyasat mudun) and household management, which he referred to as civil and domestic wisdom. He incorporated ideas and statements from other philosophers, ultimately creating Nasirean Ethics.
The most significant content criticism of Nasirean Ethics relates to certain discussions about the etiquette of drinking wine, which has been considered incompatible with Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi’s scholarly and religious status.
Book Structure
In the introduction to the book, Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi first defines wisdom and its types, and explains the philosophical concepts from Eastern philosophy necessary for understanding the topics. He then outlines the sections and chapters of the book as follows:
The First Section: On Refining Ethics (Adorning Character and Conduct)
This section is divided into two parts: foundations and objectives.
- Part One: Foundations, consisting of seven chapters:
- On understanding the subject and foundations of this discipline
- On understanding the human soul, which is called the rational soul
- On enumerating the faculties of the human soul and distinguishing it from other faculties
- On the fact that humans are the noblest of creatures in this world
- On the statement that the human soul has both perfection and deficiency
- On what constitutes the perfection of the human soul and the shortcomings of those who oppose the truth in this regard
- On the explanation of goodness and happiness, which are the goals of achieving perfection
- Part Two: Objectives, consisting of ten chapters:
- On the definition and reality of character, and the statement that changing one’s character is possible
- On the fact that the craft of refining ethics is the noblest of crafts
- On the various types of virtues that encompass noble character traits
- On the kinds of virtues that fall under these types
- On the opposites of these types, which are the different kinds of vices
- On the distinction between virtues and states that resemble virtues
- On the superiority of justice over other virtues, and a description of its conditions and types
- On the method of acquiring virtues and the levels of happiness
- On maintaining the health of the soul, which depends on preserving virtues
- On treating the soul’s diseases, which depends on eliminating vices
The Second Section: On Household Management (Family Conduct)
This section is divided into five chapters:
- On the reason for the need for households, and understanding their components and preliminary steps
- On understanding the governance and management of wealth and provisions
- On understanding the governance and management of family members
- On understanding the governance and upbringing of children and their discipline
- On understanding the governance and management of servants and slaves
The Third Section: On Political Governance (Statesmanship)
This section consists of eight chapters:
- On the need for civilization and an explanation of the nature and virtue of this science
- On the virtue of love, which connects societies, and its different types
- On the types of societies and an explanation of the states of cities
- On the governance of kingdoms and the conduct of kings
- On the governance of service and the conduct of the followers of kings
- On the virtue of sincerity and the method of associating with friends
- On the method of associating with various groups of people
- On the advice attributed to Plato, which is beneficial in all fields, concluding the book with it.
Sayyid Ali studied in the seminary of Qom from 2012 to 2021, while also concurrently obtaining a M.A in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College of London in 2018. In the seminary he engaged in the study of legal theory, jurisprudence and philosophy, eventually attending the advanced kharij of Usul and Fiqh in 2018. He is currently completing his Masters of Education at the University of Toronto and is the head of a private faith-based school in Toronto, as well as an instructor at the Mizan Institute and Mufid Seminary.
