«El título de Amīr al-Muʾminīn no tiene sentido»: La legitimación de los gobernantes en ausencia del Califa

Abstract

Historically, the caliphal institution was central to Islamic political doctrine. The caliph who was responsible for applying the divine Law and overseeing its fulfilment, with the rest of the rulers being his delegates. But how could all this be carried out in the absence of the caliph, or without his support? This article discusses and analyses the many and varied responses to this problem by Sunnī Muslims in the Middle Ages. The cases considered –the 5th/11th century in al-Andalus, the collapse of Almoravid power (mid-6th/12th century), the disintegration of the Almohad caliphate (early 7th/13th century) and the downfall of the ʿAbbāsid caliphate of Baghdad (656/1258)– saw the development of new models and ideological articulations that enabled various dynasties to justify their position and legitimacy outside of, or in relation to, the caliphal institution. The article provides insight into how power was legitimised when the caliphate’s authority was absent, defunct or diminished.