The Sultan is the Shadow of God on Earth

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

Allah جلّ جلاله says:

قُلِ اللّٰہُمَّ مٰلِکَ الۡمُلۡکِ تُؤۡتِی الۡمُلۡکَ مَنۡ تَشَآءُ وَتَنۡزِعُ الۡمُلۡکَ مِمَّنۡ تَشَآءُ

Say, ‘O Allah, King of the Kingdom, You give the kingdom to whomsoever You wish and You take away the kingdom from whomsoever You wish’

(Surah 3:26)

This blessed Ayah teaches that the great empires, kingdoms, and rulers of this world have been established in their place by the will of Allah. The implication is that respect for or at the very least acknowledgment of the powerful states, kingdoms and rulers of this world is expected and a means of submitting to Allah Himself. This pure Islamic narrative is rejected and challenged by certain deviated tendencies within the Ummah and without, such as the Kharijites, Shi’ites, and various revolutionary political movements (many of the so-called “Islamists”). Outside the Ummah, the anarchists, Leninists, Maoists, and all other revolutionary, secessionist and terrorist movements likewise reject and challenge the aforementioned narrative. Liberation theology may also be said to be a rejection and challenge of the aforementioned narrative. Undoubtedly, a time comes when the powerful states, kingdoms and rulers of this world, who despite having been established in their place by Allah, reach the heights of arrogance, tyranny and oppression. But it is then Allah Himself Who sets into motion that which erodes their establishment and finally finishes them, relegating them to the dustbin of history:

وَتَنۡزِعُ الۡمُلۡکَ مِمَّنۡ تَشَآءُ

It is not the duty of the ordinary Believers to take it upon themselves to clash with the powerful states, kingdoms and rulers of this world for the purpose of dethroning them, as Allah says:

وَلَا تُلۡقُوۡا بِاَیۡدِیۡکُمۡ اِلَی التَّہۡلُکَۃِ

And cast not yourselves into ruin with your own hands

(Surah 2:195)

Hence, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is reported to have said:

‌السُّلْطَانُ ‌ظِلُّ ‌اللَّهِ ‌فِي ‌الأَرْضِ

The Sultan is the shadow of Allah on the Earth

(Musnad al-Bazar)

Al-Albani has declared the following Hadith sound:

السُّلْطَانُ ‌ظِلُّ ‌اللَّهِ ‌فِي ‌الأَرْضِ فَمَنْ أَكْرَمَهُ أَكْرَمَ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ أَهَانَهُ أَهَانَهُ الله

The Sultan is the shadow of Allah on the Earth, so whoever honors him is honored by Allah and whoever insults him is insulted by Allah (as-Sunnah li-Ibni Abi Asim wa ma’ahu Zilal al-Jannah lil-Albani; v.2, p.492, #1024):

Some may object that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم referring to a ruler with the title the Sultan is anachronistic as such a title was not conferred upon any ruler until much after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم departed this world. But in fact this is yet another proof of the veracity of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in his claim to prophesy. It may also be that Muslim rulers adapted this title because of the Hadith in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم referred to powerful rulers with this word, which otherwise was not used to refer to persons but simply meant authority.