The System of Power of Islam during the Period of Absolute Monarchy

When solving problems of power after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), they necessarily turned to the council (shura). The term caliph means the deputy of the prophet or the successor of the work of the Prophet Muhammad. If it was necessary to make an important state decision, they always gathered a council (shura) throughout their reign to discuss and listen to opinions. The caliphs chose the more correct decision by consensus, and thus ruled. This approach and this model of governance were maintained during the times of all four righteous caliphs, that is, for thirty years after the death of the prophet Muhammad. The next caliph after Ali, Muawiya, handed over power to his son Yazid, after whom power began to be passed on by inheritance and acquired a dynastic form (Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate). That is, the prophetic model of governance in Islam began to transform and increasingly acquire the form of a monarchy. Although this model nominally retained the council (shura), the division of power, the primacy of the Sharia, as well as the name "caliphate" and the position of "caliph", with the transfer of power by inheritance, one of the pillars of Islamic rule collapsed. Mechanisms were laid down that led to the concentration of power in one hand and the creation of conditions for authoritarian rule. The Islamic state began to turn into an empire headed by a monarch, albeit limited by Sharia laws. The destruction of one of the important pillars of Islamic governance – the election of power – gradually led to a change in the principles of governance, the very essence of power, the concept of democracy, and the narrowing of political freedom. The first stone was laid on the path to the development of the Islamic community (ummah).