Justification of Political Authority in Medieval Sunni Thought

Abstract

More than a decade ago, Ira Lapidus made what still seems an unusual remark in Past and Present about state — religion relations in Islamic history. He criticized the distinction drawn between “western societies” (differentiation between secular and sacred) and “Islamic societies” (absence of differentiation between secular and sacred) as too generalized and ahistorical.1 Received wisdom goes that Muslims do not recognize reason as a foundation for political morality, but rather a branch of religious law, which determines how political authority should be dispensed. As a result, “Islamic political culture” (and to a large extent practice) lacks the notion of separation between religious authority and temporal power. This is such an erroneous notion that one is puzzled to see it still commonly held. Yet, since we continue to operate within the parameters of “Islamic history,” “Islamic city,” “Islamic economics,” “Islamic art and architecture,” et cetera, perhaps the claim is not so puzzling after all.