A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
The philosophy of the theory of sovereignty.
Legal scholars initially defined sovereignty
as a characteristic inherent to authority,
implying that there is no other authority higher than the existing one,
nor any authority equal to it.
Thus, the concept of sovereignty in this sense was negative,
meaning it did not assign specific contents or attributes to sovereignty,
but rather relied on stripping this quality
from anything other than the ruling authority.
Thereafter, it did not take long for legal scholars
to define sovereignty as the supreme commanding authority of the state itself,
rather than merely a characteristic of authority.
They subsequently established specific contents and attributes for it,
and attributed it to the Ummah or the people,
albeit with detailed differences regarding this.
In doing so, they wrested sovereignty away from the monarch or the ruler,
and reduced him to a mere official executing the will of the Ummah or the people.