The Authority of Criticism and Its Limits in Critiquing Authority: Abu Hayyan al Tawhidi as a Case Study

Abstract

The power of criticism is only realised in its fullest form when it springs from a writer who has lived through reality and tasted the bitterness of political tyranny; for then his criticism becomes a sincere expression of lived experience, not merely a theoretical stance. A writer who has experienced injustice and oppression under the authority of the state is better able to expose its flaws and reveal its hypocrisy. From this perspective, criticism of authority becomes a form of uprising against inequality and a voice rejecting all forms of oppression.

However, this criticism often crosses familiar boundaries, becoming more intense and fiercer, and may slip into exposing individuals and undermining their prestige, revealing them in a light that was previously concealed behind a façade of honour and prestige. This is clearly evident in the work of Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, particularly in his book *The Ethics of the Two Ministers*, in which he directed scathing criticism at political authority, employing a sharp and satirical style characterised by both boldness and bitterness.

The impact of this criticism was such that it became the talk of the town, was held deep within people’s hearts, and was revealed through their actions, despite all attempts to suppress or downplay it. Thus, al-Tawhidi demonstrates that the power of criticism, however much it is met with resistance, remains capable of exposing authority and shattering its aura.

Received Date: June 19, 2026

Accepted Date: July 10, 2026

Published Date: August 01, 2026

Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/810