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A Jurisprudential and Narrative Reflection on the Hadith Statement “Al-Sultan Zilullāh”
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Ali Mohammadian1   , Mansoureh Arjmandifard |
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Abstract: (6 Views) |
| The relationship between political power (governance) and legitimacy has always been a fundamental and challenging topic within the religious tradition. One of the contentious statements in this context is the hadith expressed as “Al-Sultan Zilullāh” (The Sultan is the Shadow of God), which has entered the religious heritage as a form of legitimization for rulers. Given the existing research gap, this article aims to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of this narration through a problem-oriented study relying on library sources, evaluating the hadith from the perspectives of its chain of transmission (isnād), conceptual content, and semantic implications. The study’s findings indicate that, from the isnad perspective, the narrations of this hadith in Shi’a sources are disputable and lack sufficient authenticity according to narrators’ evaluation criteria, whereas in Sunni sources, the isnad of this narration (and narrations with similar content) is sometimes accepted. From a semantic and jurisprudential viewpoint, an absolute interpretation of this narration could potentially justify tyrannical rule. However, this study argues that limiting the meaning of the narration through the principle of customary reconciliation (al-jam‘ mahma umkin awla min al-tarh — “reconciling whenever possible is preferable to dismissal”) and the interpretation of absolute narrations in a qualified manner is necessary, a position also supported by religious and rational teachings. Ultimately, the article concludes that only a just ruler is encompassed by the description in the narration, and obedience to a tyrannical ruler lacks religious and rational legitimacy. |
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| Keywords: Al-Sultan Zillullāh, Political Legitimacy, Hadith, Jurisprudence. |
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Full-Text [PDF 373 kb]
(4 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/09/13 | Accepted: 2025/09/11 | Published: 2025/09/11
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