Akabe Anlaşması ve Medine Sözleşmesi'nin İslami Siyasal Düşüncede Siyasi Otoritenin Doğuşu Açısından Bir Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the two crucial treaties of the early Islamic period as the Aqabah pledges and the Charter of Medina, which is considered the foundation of the political authority in Islamic political thought. Several contemporary intellectuals intended to identify these two treaties as the contract between Prophet Muhammad and the people of Medina for establishing a political authority under the leadership of the prophet relating to the social contract theory in Modern Political Thought. This paper analyzes these two documents as the birth of a political authority in Islamic political thought in the light of the writing of Muslim theorists, particularly Rachid al-Ghannouchi, who argued the Islamic state should be formed by Shura within “mutual contract” rather than coercion. This research is a qualitative research based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected from primary literature, and secondary data were collected from secondary literature, articles and theses. This research extensively used the content analysis and the historical analysis methods for its data analysis. It is hoped that this paper will contribute to academia by analyzing these two treaties as the essential documents regarding the birth of political authority in Islamic political thought within the present context.