What is the State of Affairs of the Idea of the Social Contract in Modern Political Islamic Thought?

Abstract

The theory of social contract developed by John Locke, an English philosopher is to justify the existence and to originate the source of political authority. His “Two Treaties of Government” rejects the idea of the king’s absolute rule and places power in the hands of people. For traditional Islamic thought sovereignty is with Allah (God) alone and caliphs were seen and treated as vice-regents of God on earth for centuries. However, upon the influence of Western thought and modernization, the question of legitimacy of a ruler is risen starting from twentieth century in the Muslim world as well. This research work aims to find theological foundations of the theory of contract in modern Islamic thought.