An Analysis of the Principles of Legitimacy and Nature, and Governmental Decree from the Viewpoint of Allameh Tabataba’i

The various dimensions and aspects of governmental decrees have long been discussed by Islamic thinkers. One of the most important of these is the discussion of the nature and basis of the legitimacy of a governmental decree. Allameh Tabataba’i considers the issuance of a verdict of government in the wake of a religious order for the administration of the Islamic society by an authority to be legitimate, and he believes that the ruler of Islam is permitted by God to issue governmental rulings and these are as credible as legitimate decrees and must be employed and followed. In recognizing the nature of governmental rulings, Allameh Tabataba’i considers state orders to be independent judgments which the authority makes independently and without interference from others, while taking consultations into consideration. These ordinances are issued to meet the changing needs of individuals on the condition that they do not oppose the holy religion with the aim of securing the consent of the law. These can change through time according to different needs, and once the goals are met, the decrees are lifted. The research method was library research with a descriptive-analytic method and documentary. The opinions and thoughts of Allameh Tabataba’i were investigated and analyzed to research the legitimacy of governmental decrees from his viewpoint