Validation of the Criteria of Legitimacy of the Government in Mahdavi Society

One of the issues in the social-political debates is the issue of “legitimacy” of the political systems that has been the focus of attention of the governments for a long time. The government, which will be established in the post-appearance era by Imam of the Time (A.S), needs legitimacy like other governments. But what the basis of the legitimacy of his government is, is the subject which this paper seeks to explain. This article attempts to examine some of the foundations of the legitimacy of governments, such as divine legitimacy, the inherent superiority of the rulers, the legitimacy gained from force and dominance, the legitimacy gained from tradition as well as the basis of the social contract, and validate them with the government of Imam of the Time (A.S). This paper, with a descriptive-analytic method, concludes that the main origin of the legitimacy of the Imam of the Time’s government is “the Divine legitimacy”, and God has given him the right to rule the whole world. The other principles of the legitimacy such as inheritance or inherent superiority also play a role in the legitimacy of his government. In fact, in some way, the Divine legitimacy confirms the government of Imam of the Time (A.S).