Elitism; political legitimacy or divine legitimacy (a comparative study of functions of elitism from the perspective of Nahj al-Balāgha)

The history of ideas about the position, function and duties of the elite is as long as the history of political philosophy. The idea that human societies have composed of various social forces and classes and the government should be in the hands of superior social groups can be found in the thoughts and ideas of the ancient philosophers of the Middle Ages. There are many theories and approaches in the field of elitism which have been studied qualitatively in this article in comparison with the ideas and thoughts of Muslim thinkers drawing upon the Imam Ali’s ideas and his approaches to elitism in one of his sermons called Shiqshiqiyyah. The study concludes that in the existing non-Islamic approaches to elitism emphasis is laid on the political legitimacy of the elite but Imam Ali’s view in this regard is based on the divine legitimacy and popular acceptance. The former approaches maintain that the elite function to secure their own interests but Imam Ali considers the elite as a social group which has the social responsibity of administering justice, fighting against oppression, and protecting national security. Imam Ali (‘a) has also taken into account the rights and duties of the elite and the masses towards each other, but other approaches have laid much emphasis on the duties of masses towards the elite and their interests.