The Khalifah has the complete right to govern the affairs of the subjects according to his opinion and Ijtihad. He can adopt anything of the permitted issues that he needs to run the affairs of the State and to manage the peoples’ affairs and he is not permitted to contradict any Shari’ah rule for the sake of benefit. For example, he cannot prohibit the single family from having more than one child on the pretext of shortageof foodstuffs, or fix prices on the pretext of preventing exploitation, or appoint a non-Muslim or a woman as a governor on the pretext of looking after the affairs or benefit, nor anything else which contradicts the Shari’ah rules. It is not permitted for him to prohibit a permitted matter and nor to allow a prohibitedmatter.

The Khalifah has the complete right to govern the affairs of the subjects according to his opinion and Ijtihad, but he is not permitted to contradict any Shari’ah rule using benefit as the proof – so he cannot prevent the subjects from importing goods for the sake of protecting the State’s industry, unless it would damage the State’s economy, or fix prices for the sake of preventing exploitation, or force the owner to rent his property for the sake of easing housing, unless there was a pressing emergency for that, nor anything else which contradicts the Shari’ah rules. It is not permitted for him to prohibit something permitted and to make something prohibited permitted.

The proof for this is the words of the Prophet (phuh). » الإِمَامُ رَاعٍ وَمَسْ ئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ « .

“The Imam (ruler) is a guardian and responsible (will be questioned) of his subjects” reported by Al-Bukhari through ’Abd Allah Bin Umar, and also that the rules which the Shari’ah gives to the Khalifah such as his independence of action according to his opinion and Ijtihad in the wealth of the commissioned Bayt Al-Mal (state treasury), and such as the coercion of the people to follow a specific opinion in the single issue, and whatever else is similar. This narration gives the Khalifah the complete right in governing the affairs of the subjects without any restriction, and the rules of the Bayt Al-Mal, adoption, preparation of the Army, appointing the governors, and whatever else which has been given to the Khalifah was given to him in an absolute manner without any restriction, which is proof that he can carry out the governing of the affairs according to how he views without any restriction, and to obey him is obligatory while disobeying him is a sin. However, the undertaking of this governing must be done according to the rules of the Shari’ah; in other words, according to the Shari’ah texts. So the mandatory power, even if it has been given to him absolutely, is restricted by the Shari’ah; in other words, according to the rules of the Shari’ah. For example, he has been granted the power to appoint the governors as he pleases, but it is not correct to appoint the disbeliever, or child, or woman as a governor, since it has been prohibited by the Shari’ah. Another example is that he may permit the opening of embassies of the disbelieving countries in the lands which are under his authority, and he is allowed to do that without any restriction, however it is not correct to permit the opening of embassies for a disbelieving country that wants to use the embassy as a tool for control over the Islamic lands, since the Shari’ah prohibited that. Likewise, he may draft the sections of the budget, and the necessary amounts for each section, but he may not draft a section in the budget for building a dam whose cost is beyond the revenues of the Bayt Al-Mal on the basis that he will collect taxes to pay for it. This is because it is not permitted from the Shari’ah to raise taxes for the sake of something which is not vital such as this dam. In this manner, though he has absolute power in governing the affairs which have been given to him by the Shari’ah, but this absoluteness can only operate according to the rules of the Shari’ah. Additionally, what is meant by the absolute right in the governing of the affairs is not that he can draft laws which he sees as necessary for the governing of the affairs of the lands, but rather the meaning is that he has been given the independence of action to act according to his opinion of how the affairs should be carried out in those issues that have been permitted to him, at which point he drafts the laws in those issues which he has been permitted to undertake according to his opinions, and then it becomes obligatory for the people to obey him since the Shari’ah gave him the independence of action to apply his opinion in those issues and ordered us to obey him. So he may make this opinion into a law which people are obliged by. For example, he has been given the right to manage the affairs of the Bayt Al-Mal according to his opinion and Ijtihad, and order the people to obey him accordingly, so he can draft financial laws for the Bayt Al-Mal at which point it becomes obligatory to obey these laws. Likewise, he has been given the leadership of the Army and the management of its affairs according to his opinion and Ijtihad, and the people are ordered to obey him accordingly. So he may draft laws regarding the leadership of the Army and for its administration at which point it becomes obligatory to obey those laws. Likewise, he has been given the right to manage the interests of the subjects according to his opinion and Ijtihad, and to appoint people to manage the interests and work with them according to his opinion and Ijtihad, and the people have been ordered to obey him accordingly. So he may draft laws for the Administration of the Affairs, and he may draft laws regarding the civil servants at which point it becomes obligatory to obey those laws. He may draft laws for every issue that has been left to the opinion and Ijtihad of the Khalifah in the issues which he has the mandatory powers, and it would be obligatory to obey those laws.