Therefore...

Therefore, Allah places His chosen khalifahs in the loins of the reigning Imam, except in extraordinary cases. At this point, it is imperative to clear a slightly common misconception within the Ummah : that monarchy is an inherently illegitimate system of government. This wrong notion, interestingly, is held among many Sunnis and Shi’is alike.

In fact, the opposition of some brothers from the Ahl al-Sunnah – including the Salafiyyah – to the regime in Saudi Arabia hinges primarily upon its royal nature[^14]. However, kingdom is a legitimate, Islamic mode of governance. In fact, it is Allah’s Own style of government: فتعالى الله الملك الحق لا إله إلا هو رب العرش الكريم So Exalted be Allah, the True King .

There is no god but He, the Lord of the Honourable Throne.[^15] This was equally His chosen form of government for many of His prophets, messengers and Imams: وقال لهم نبيهم إن الله قد بعث لكم طالوت ملكا And their prophet said to them, “Indeed, Allah has appointed Talut as a king over you.”[^16] And: وقتل داوود جالوت وآتاه الله الملك And Dawud killed Jalut, and Allah gave him the kingdom .[^17] Of course, as we mentioned, his son, Sulayman, ‘alaihi al-salam , inherited the kingdom from him.

Even in Paradise, the system of government there will be monarchy: وإذا رأيت ثم رأيت نعيما وملكا كبيرا And when you look there, you will see delight, and a magnificent kingdom .[^18] And: متكئين على سرر مصفوفة They will recline on thrones arranged in ranks.[^19] Looking at these verses, one may even say that kingdom is the best form of government.

Allah never chooses for Himself except the best, and He never chooses for His prophets, messengers and awliya and the people of Paradise except the best. Meanwhile, it must be re-emphasized that Allah gave “a great kingdom” to the “family of Ibrahim.” This made them a royal family, from which the sinless kings were appointed by our Lord.

Interestingly, He has bestowed the same blessing upon the family of Muhammad too, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa ‘alaihim , in line with this hadith of Imam al-Bukhari (d.