Understanding ‘Ilah’

THE CONCEPT OF RELIGION But even then the argument did not hold. This was because the primary concern of the perspective under discussion is political authority, whereas—even after this shift in the “logical connection”—what was established was only supernatural authority. All the matters connected with the divine being on the basis of which the concept of authority was included in its direct sense are matters that have no relation whatsoever to legal or political authority. The reasons linking the concept of power with divinity have no connection to legal or political authority—things like hearing prayers, fulfilling needs, helping in times of difficulty, and bringing benefit or harm are all actions requiring dominion over the cosmos, necessitating a power that governs the natural order. Clearly, this authority exists in a supernatural sense. However, authority of a purely supernatural kind could not serve the purpose of the political revolutionary mindset under discussion. At this point, another adjustment was made. Taking advantage of the semantic overlap of the word “power,” the author under discussion introduced the notion of political and civil authority alongside supernatural power. Arguing that anyone who designates a being as ilah (deity) in a supernatural sense must also attribute power and authority to it, the author under discussion writes: “Similarly, if a person views someone’s