<![CDATA[The question of who is entitled to lead the Muslim community, and on what grounds, was among the earliest and most consequential debates in Islamic history, and it gave rise to distinct schools of political theology. This library research study uses a historical-critical approach and critical content analysis to describe, analyze, and compare the concepts of leadership developed by the Shi'a, Khawarij, and Murji'ah during the formative period of Islam. It addresses three questions: the basic concept of leadership (imamah or khilafah) in each school, the historical and sociopolitical factors behind its emergence, and the points of comparison among the three. The findings show that the Shi'a ground leadership in divine designation (nash) and the spiritual authority of the ahl al-bayt, which yields an absolute-charismatic model. The Khawarij treat leadership as a conditional trust open to any qualified Muslim and revocable when the leader departs from justice, which yields a radical-egalitarian model. The Murji'ah defer judgment on the faith of those involved in political conflict and give priority to communal unity, which yields a moderate-accommodative model. These models are best understood not merely as doctrines but as intellectual responses to the struggle over political legitimacy that followed the death of the Prophet, the arbitration (tahkim) between Ali and Mu'awiyah, and the political conflicts of the early Islamic caliphates.]]>
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