Ma`rifat Siyasi

Power is one of the most important elements of the state and government and the axis of unity of society and people, and the survival of every state and nation depends on it. Therefore, the discussion of power, how to acquire it, and how to control and restrain it is considered one of the most important topics in political and legal thought. Using a descriptive-analytical method, this research seeks to answer the question of what are the mechanisms for controlling and restraining power in the secular and Islamic systems? The findings show that, contrary to the view of some scholars in the secular system, in the Islamic system, power is not considered good and perfect in itself; rather, it has an instrumental nature and its desirability is not inherent, but depends on how it is used and the people who have it at their disposal. However, in the Islamic perspective, power is not inherently evil and is even considered a divine blessing for the realization of the noble goals of Sharia. Accordingly, in the Islamic system, in addition to external supervision, which is common in other societies, there is also a great emphasis on internal control of power. There is also a complete interaction and connection between these two types of supervision, and they are necessary and indispensable to each other. This feature is considered one of the important differences between the Islamic system and the secular system.