Islam and the concept of royalty

by drrafick

1. My daughter asked me once on how a person can become a Sultan, King, Maharajah, Raja and Emperor (SKRE). She said that it is not fair that since she was not born among the royal blood she do not get the chance to lead a lavish lifestyle. Many times she asked for something expensive I had to turn her down because I can’t afford it.
   

2. Other than TLC, the most she got from me is a Samsung Galaxy S2 after scoring 8A’s in her exams and that to my standard is lavish. It’s a difficult question which I could not find a reasonable answer. My conclusion is that the present Royal family worldwide can trace their ancestry to the first fellow who probably declared himself to be SKRE because he was the strongest, the ruthless and the people at that time was scared of him. He was probably the chief mafia at that time.
   

3. Prophet Mohamed never declared himself as a SKRE and yet today he has more than 2 billion followers around the world today. He earned the respect of his followers and yet led an ordinary life. His GG grandfather, Abd Manaf was the governor of Mecca. After the demise of the Prophet, the subsequent Caliphs were leaders among man. They were chosen by the people via a shura. From the 1^st Caliph Abu Bakar to the 4^th one Ali, none was decided by the incumbent but was selected at a Shura. They are leaders that lead an empire. From what I read none of them ever declared themselves as a Royalty.
   

4. Worldwide, in many (both Muslims and non Muslim) countries, we see plenty of SKRE. They do not lead the nation or administer countries and yet they are remunerated lavishly. Many are nothing more than a symbolic figure and perform ceremonial duties. Their children and their grandchildren continue to live with silver spoons. Many countries around the world have removed their SKRE. Most of the time these happen when people are hungry, oppressed and became rebellious.
   

5. Countries like India did it when it gained independence. They felt it is an unfair concept to the society. China removes their Emperors when communism sets in. The world and the people are changing today. More people around the world are asking whether the concept of SKRE is in line with Islamic principles. Personally I am not sure but I am inclined to believe that it isn’t so.