Conception of Authority in Islam
It is seen in the first surah in the Quran that supreme authority rests, “In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,” (Al-Fatihah 1:1, 1:2). There is a coherence between authority and doctrine, where a doctrine consists of words, deeds, goals and means of attaining these goals as well as defining the relationship between the believers and their doctrine, (Yaqub, n.d.). However, there must be an authority to apply the words and deeds which happens to be the duty of a prophet or messenger like Muhammad. If there was an illegitimate authority or just a divine doctrine for believers to go by, Muslims would justify their own rightfulness …show more content…
There has to be an earthly authority or a spokesperson on behalf of the doctrine to make sure that discrepancies in the doctrine do not arise. Therefore, authority rests in the hands of Muhammad but originates from the divine doctrine, the Quran. It’s clear that the Quran is the ultimate earthbound authority but the Quran is a recitation of the words of Allah, therefore, the authority from a transcendent view rests in Allah, “over all things competent” and “Knowing of all things,” (Al Baqarah: 2:20, 2:29). However, the authority from an “earthly” view rests in the Quran and through the prophet, Muhammad. The authority in Islam has changed from a transcendent view to a more “earthly” view in terms of where true authority lies because Muhammad’s influence in the Quran, more prominently during the beginning surah’s but later period, reflect his authority given by Allah in order to transmit his message and save his people or as he calls them, “O, Children of Israel.” Today, the Shias believe that authority was placed by God unto Imam Ali and the rest of his descendants to lead regarding political …show more content…
The Medinan surah’s are believed to be revealed chronologically later than the Meccan surah’s however, they appear to be at the beginning and middle of the Quran and tend to be the longest, (Wikipedia, 2017). Whereas, the Meccan surah’s chronologically occurred first, however, are placed at the end of the Quran and tend to be the shortest, (Wikipedia, 2017). The Medinan surah’s had to change focus due to the rise of civilization because there were increases in social, economic and political issues that needed answers to on a basis of the Islamic faith and under the authority of Allah, (Surah Al-Baqarah [2], n.d.). These principles or laws laid out through the Medinan surah’s focus on Muhammad’s mission to unify the community and create an Ummah that would conform to the beliefs of the Quran. An Ummah, otherwise known as community or nation, appeared because Muhammad was sent to communicate the divine message, (Wikipedia, 2017). He was sent to bind His people together in faith and submission in order to receive salvation. Is it clearly asked, “Do you know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and [that] you have not besides Allah any protector or any helper? (Al Baqarah 2:107) The dominion of the heavens and earths show how Allah is all-powerful. The Medinan surah’s create an image of both a merciful God to those who believe
It is seen in the first surah in the Quran that supreme authority rests, “In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,” (Al-Fatihah 1:1, 1:2). There is a coherence between authority and doctrine, where a doctrine consists of words, deeds, goals and means of attaining these goals as well as defining the relationship between the believers and their doctrine, (Yaqub, n.d.). However, there must be an authority to apply the words and deeds which happens to be the duty of a prophet or messenger like Muhammad. If there was an illegitimate authority or just a divine doctrine for believers to go by, Muslims would justify their own rightfulness …show more content…
There has to be an earthly authority or a spokesperson on behalf of the doctrine to make sure that discrepancies in the doctrine do not arise. Therefore, authority rests in the hands of Muhammad but originates from the divine doctrine, the Quran. It’s clear that the Quran is the ultimate earthbound authority but the Quran is a recitation of the words of Allah, therefore, the authority from a transcendent view rests in Allah, “over all things competent” and “Knowing of all things,” (Al Baqarah: 2:20, 2:29). However, the authority from an “earthly” view rests in the Quran and through the prophet, Muhammad. The authority in Islam has changed from a transcendent view to a more “earthly” view in terms of where true authority lies because Muhammad’s influence in the Quran, more prominently during the beginning surah’s but later period, reflect his authority given by Allah in order to transmit his message and save his people or as he calls them, “O, Children of Israel.” Today, the Shias believe that authority was placed by God unto Imam Ali and the rest of his descendants to lead regarding political …show more content…
The Medinan surah’s are believed to be revealed chronologically later than the Meccan surah’s however, they appear to be at the beginning and middle of the Quran and tend to be the longest, (Wikipedia, 2017). Whereas, the Meccan surah’s chronologically occurred first, however, are placed at the end of the Quran and tend to be the shortest, (Wikipedia, 2017). The Medinan surah’s had to change focus due to the rise of civilization because there were increases in social, economic and political issues that needed answers to on a basis of the Islamic faith and under the authority of Allah, (Surah Al-Baqarah [2], n.d.). These principles or laws laid out through the Medinan surah’s focus on Muhammad’s mission to unify the community and create an Ummah that would conform to the beliefs of the Quran. An Ummah, otherwise known as community or nation, appeared because Muhammad was sent to communicate the divine message, (Wikipedia, 2017). He was sent to bind His people together in faith and submission in order to receive salvation. Is it clearly asked, “Do you know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and [that] you have not besides Allah any protector or any helper? (Al Baqarah 2:107) The dominion of the heavens and earths show how Allah is all-powerful. The Medinan surah’s create an image of both a merciful God to those who believe