The Error of Political Islam

ultimate power. However, this power is fundamentally supernatural, as fulfilling the expectations that lead a person to worship necessitates supernatural control, not legal or political authority. Nevertheless, as will be further elaborated, there are numerous implications for recognizing someone as divine ( ,) الٰه which may vary based on the circumstances of the believers. This necessarily includes the expectation that those who believe in God align their collective affairs with His will and do not adopt an attitude of rebellion in any of their matters. Understanding ‘Rabb’ () رب Secondly, there is the term “Lord” (Rabb). While the literal meaning of (Rabb) is accurately explained in this text, the interpretation seems to go awry when it attempts to define the Quranic concept of Lord. It becomes apparent that there is an effort to mould the concept into a particular framework. Since the original Quranic understanding does not accommodate this interpretation, a similar deviation occurs as noted above in the discussion of the term “Ilah” (.) الٰه The discussion begins with the following lines: “The root of this word is , ر ب ب primarily meaning ‘nurturing.’ From this root, ideas of control, supervision, managing affairs, and