Ethical Foundations of Political Legitimacy in Muhammad ‘Imarah’s Thought

Abstract

This article examines the concept of political character in the thought of Muhammad ‘Imarah, emphasizing its role as the ethical foundation of political legitimacy in Islam. Responding to modern political reductionism that separates power from morality, the study argues that ‘Imarah conceptualizes Islamic politics not as an ideology of power or merely a legal-formal system, but as an ethical praxis grounded in tawhid, trust (amanah),justice, and human moral responsibility as khal?fah. Employing a qualitative library research method with a normative-philosophical approach and intellectual history, this study analyzes ‘Imarah’s major works in dialogue with classical and contemporary Islamic political thinkers, particularly al-Mawardi, Fazlur Rahman, and Alija Izetbegovi?. The findings demonstrate that ‘Im?rah advances Islamic political thought beyond prevailing normative discourses by reorienting fiqh al-siyasah from an institutional and stability-centered paradigm toward a critical political ethics in which moral character constitutes the primary source of political legitimacy. By articulating the concept of al-dawlah al-madaniyyah bi marja‘iyyah islamiyyah, ‘Imarah offers a mediating framework that challenges both normative secularism and Islamic political formalism, thereby enriching contemporary debates on the ethical foundations of governance in Muslim societies. While his framework remains largely normative-philosophical and lacks detailed institutional elaboration for modern political systems, this limitation underscores the article’s contribution in repositioning Islamic political ethics as a dynamic field of moral critique rather than a fixed legal or ideological project. Ultimately, this study contributes to contemporary Islamic political ethics by proposing a character-based, humanistic, and justice-oriented model of political legitimacy that responds to ongoing ethical crises in modern Muslim politics.