Ahlul Bayt (AS) International News Agency - ABNA: Brother Murtaza Ali Velayati, a researcher and international propagator on Islamic matters in Pakistan and the United Kingdom, was among the speakers at the 9th International Pre-Meeting of the 6th Imam Reza (AS) Global Congress. He presented a paper titled “Analysis of Imam Reza’s (AS) Role in Defining Political Legitimacy,” in which he examined the concept of legitimacy through political theory, Shia theology, and the historical stance of Imam Reza (AS).
At the beginning of his remarks, Murtaza Ali Velayati thanked the audience present at the venue as well as those watching online. He explained that before addressing Imam Reza’s (a.s) role, it was necessary to clarify what political legitimacy itself means. In general terms, he said, political legitimacy, or mashruiyat-e-siyasi, refers to the widespread belief that a government or authority has the right to rule, that its power is justified, and that it deserves obedience.
He elaborated that political legitimacy refers to the extent to which a government, political system, or authority is recognized by its citizens as rightful, justified, and deserving of obedience. While a government may use power and law, legitimacy does not rely solely on coercion. Instead, it rests on shared beliefs that rulers govern according to accepted principles such as consent of the governed, fairness, legality, tradition, or effectiveness. When political legitimacy is strong, he said, people comply with authority voluntarily, but when it is weak, governments rely more on coercion and instability becomes more likely.
Turning to the Shia school of thought, Murtaza Ali Velayati explained that political legitimacy is understood primarily as divine legitimacy rather than popular sovereignty. He cited Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi as one of the clearest contemporary proponents of this view. According to this perspective, legitimate political authority originates solely from Allah. In Shia doctrine, Allah grants authority first to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), then to the infallible Imams, and during the occultation of Imam Mahdi (AJF), to a qualified Islamic jurist through Wilayat al-Faqih. This, he said, forms the basis of guardianship of the jurist.
He outlined three key points of this theory. First, legitimacy comes only from divine appointment, not from the people. Second, public acceptance or popular support is important for the effectiveness and stability of a government, but it does not create legitimacy. This, he noted, is a major difference between Shia political thought and other democratic models. Third, democracy and elections may help discover or actualize legitimate authority, but they cannot be its source. From this perspective, he said, any government anywhere in the world that is not grounded in divine authorization lacks true Islamic legitimacy, even if it enjoys majority support.
Summarizing Shia political legitimacy, Murtaza Ali Velayati stated that Allah grants legitimacy, while people enable its implementation. He explained that during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and Imam Ali (AS), public acceptance allowed them to implement their political legitimacy and form a government. However, apart from the six-month period of Imam Hasan (AS), the other Imams were unable to establish governments due to lack of public support. This, he emphasized, did not mean they lacked political legitimacy, but rather that legitimacy was not implementable without public acceptance. He identified two main pillars of political legitimacy in Shia thought: divine authorization and public acceptance, noting that most Imams lacked the latter for much of their lives.
Murtaza Ali Velayati then turned specifically to Imam Reza’s (a.s) definition of political legitimacy, focusing on the Imam’s dialogues with the Abbasid caliph Mamun regarding the offer of the position of crown prince. From these narrations, he said, Imam Reza (AS) challenged the very logic of political power. Quoting a well-known narration, he explained how Imam Reza (a.s) articulated legitimacy in a single, decisive argument. Imam Reza (a.s) stated that if the caliphate rightfully belonged to Mamun by God’s command, then Mamun had no right to remove a garment Allah had clothed him with and give it to another. And if the caliphate did not rightfully belong to Mamun, then he had no authority to grant it to Imam Reza (a.s).
Murtaza Ali Velayati noted how clearly this statement denied Mamun’s legitimacy while simultaneously defining the legitimacy of the infallible Imams. Mamun’s response, he said, was to insist that Imam Reza (a.s) must accept the position regardless. As a result, Imam Reza (a.s) was forced to accept the title of crown prince, but only under strict conditions. He publicly announced that his acceptance was under compulsion and that he would not intervene in political or governmental affairs. He explained that had Imam Reza (a.s) willingly accepted the role, his conduct would have been entirely different, including active participation in governance.
He added that Imam Reza (a.s) even foretold his own martyrdom during these discussions, making it clear that worldly power was never his ultimate aim. Ultimately, Imam Reza (a.s) accepted the position only under coercion and threat of death, and even then imposed highly restrictive conditions, including refraining from involvement in appointments, dismissals, judicial matters, or altering existing laws. According to Murtaza Ali Velayati, these conditions reflected a clear rejection of the ruling authority’s legitimacy and a refusal to assume responsibility within its political structure.
He explained that a careful study of these narrations offers deep insight into Imam Reza’s (a.s) political responses. Within the Shia framework of divine legitimacy emphasized by Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi, Imam Reza (a.s) clearly defined political legitimacy as authority granted by Allah, not by the people. Imam Reza (a.s) viewed political authority, including Imamah and Wilayah, as divinely appointed, transmitted through the Prophet and the infallible Imams, and independent of public acceptance or political power.
Murtaza Ali Velayati emphasized that for Imam Reza (a.s), obedience is due to the Imam because God has appointed him, not because people choose him or because he controls a state. While public support determines whether governance can be implemented, it does not determine whether authority is legitimate. He concluded that this distinction closely aligns with Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi’s theory and is especially evident in Imam Reza’s (a.s) refusal to recognize the Abbasid caliph Mamun as legitimate, despite his political dominance, and in his conditional and coerced acceptance of the title of crown prince.
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