Is the caliphate a tool of religion's political legitimacy?

First of all, it is necessary to determine the biggest obstacle in front of Muslims to perceive and live their age correctly. This is due to forgetting the fact that the history in which Muslim societies lived and the culture they created in that history were separate, and instead of analyzing this distinction, a false and deformed historical consciousness was produced that has nothing to do with it and is based on legends. Since the Umayyad period, the rulers have ensured their legitimacy with such an awareness of history, they have said that they are doing politics for the public interest in the name of religion. By sanctifying the individual caliphate, they transformed the political institution into a familial-tribal caliphate, and they did so in the name of religion.

In this context, it is necessary to examine whether those who consider religion as a tool for a hegemonic political end have a specific and detailed joint program and strategy. In other words, there is no common point or strategy in interpreting the cultural, academic and historical realities of Islamic societies, but each one produces its own historical consciousness and presents it as if it were universal. What is presented as political Islam is, in Arkoun's words, polycentric dreams of social awakening, ideological demands and protests that emerged as a result of different motivations of different groups-communities in different parts of the world.

Perhaps for this reason, they could not develop a civilization/umran despite their bedouin/tribal structure, settled/dairy and materially highly developed conditions. According to this view, called theo-politics, the caliphate is a divine institution. Accordingly, the caliph is not only the person who is the deputy of the prophet, but also the shadow of Allah on earth.

In short, the hegemonic political instrument of religious values ​​was first realized by the institution of the caliphate. Both the Umayyad and Abbasid tribes, who had completely opposite policies, claimed that their policies and administrations were legitimate and that they were the representatives of Allah on earth. The Caliphate is the establishment of the tribal sheikh institution, which our Prophet rejected as the tradition of ignorance, after four caliphs, this time in the name of religion.

This determination is important; It should be emphasized that this term, which expresses a leadership position accepted as the successor of our Prophet, refers to practices that contradict the lexical meaning when the historical process is taken into account. Because the Prophet A caliphate that ended with the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), meaning to undertake or continue his religious duty, is unthinkable in terms of Islamic teaching. It is considered as a caliphate in the sense of preserving the period of the Hulefa-i Raşidin and deputizing our Prophet in the administration of world affairs; but after them they are seen as imamet (head of state) and imam (president). Leaving aside the debates on this issue, in the final analysis, we can say that there is no Caliphate office that manages religious affairs and has only spiritual authority in the Sunni Islamic teaching.

From this, we understand that the dominant factor in determining the model and form of administration in the Islamic political tradition is the possibilities and conditions of the time, the knowledge, culture and experiences of the people, rather than the religious scriptures; In short, parenting plays an important role. At this point, it should not be forgotten that since the first caliphs were personalities close to the Prophet, the initiation of a kind of sanctification also had an effect. But the important thing is the fact that two completely opposite management styles acted in the name of religion, the caliphate turned into a sultanate after a short time and was used as a tool used for political goals.

(For justification, see M. Arkun, al-Hareketu'l-Islamiyye: Kıraatun Prioriyetun, Mecelletu'l-Vahde, year.5.sy.96,1992, p.8, cf. Mevlüt Uyanık, "The Expression of Islamic Movements" An Essay on Its Meaningfulness” EKEV Academy Journal, 1/1. p. 9-16, Historical and Universal Reading of the Qur'an, Fajr spring, Ankara 2017, p.300/323)