The Elements of Legitimacy of Sovereignty from the View of the Holy Quran

One of the fundamental issues of political philosophy in Islam is the question of components of legitimacy of sovereignty. In this paper, “legitimacy” means rational justification of “exerting authority and obedience” and its components means the elements according which a ruler or rulers of a society enjoy the right of issuing a command and of being obeyed. Given the fact that divine sovereignty is explained in terms of creation and legislation in the Holy Quran, the present paper, using a thematic interpretation method, refers to the Quranic verses and reviews such elements as “inherent superiority”, “real authority and ownership”, “infallible science”, and “the right of manipulation in the realm of government” which are, according to the Quran among the components of the right of sovereignty.