Political Authority (Guardianship) and its Legitimacy in the Quran

Guardianship or authority (wilÁyah) is the most important concept which exerts its greatest impacts on various aspects of our individual, social, ritual, political, legal, juridical, worldly and other-worldly lives. Guardianship is something correlative and can be realized only in the light of the relationships among members of a society. Meanwhile, it is a matter of gradation which can appear in either side in a specific manner in terms of the power and position it has and thus it may bear special and different consequences. Guardianship in religious culture and sources lays the first and sound foundation stone for a political society and because of its depth and wide scope, it covers up all the citizens of a political society in its widest demographical level. Guardianship is a complex reality of various literal and conventional as well as psychological and social aspects which can be a clear manifestation of love and compassion on the one hand, and the great manifestation of social power and integrity on the other. It may also be the most significant mark of expediency and good will for a society and, last but not least, the noblest and most obvious manifestation of act of worship and theism and/or the most outstanding form of arrogance, selfishness and will to power. The article aims at explicating various aspect of this term.