KEDAULATAN RAKYAT DALAM PERGULATAN KONSEP ISLAM DAN BARAT: ANALISIS PEMIKIRAN AL-MAWARDI DAN JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Abstract

This study discusses the comparative thinking of Al-Mawardi and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on popular sovereignty, to see how the concept is understood in the context of classical Islam and modern Western philosophy. Al-Mawardi, through his work Al-Ahkam al-Sulthaniyyah, emphasized that sovereignty originates from Islamic law, not from the people directly. The role of the people is limited and carried out through an elite group (ahl al-halli wa al-‘aqdi) who are tasked with electing leaders. Meanwhile, Rousseau in Du Contrat Social emphasized that the people are the holders of the highest sovereignty, and the general will (volonté générale) is the basis for the legitimacy of power. This study uses a descriptive-comparative approach with a literature study method, to explore the differences and similarities between the two and their relevance to the political reality of Indonesia. The results of the study show that the practice of sovereignty in Indonesia reflects a combination of the two views: modern democracy with popular participation through elections, as well as the influence of religious values ​​in public policy. This shows the ambiguity in the application of people's sovereignty in Indonesia. From there, the concept of people's sovereignty in Indonesia is hybrid, not entirely secular like Rousseau's view, and not entirely theocratic like Al-Mawardi's concept. Therefore, a reformulation of the concept of people's sovereignty is needed that is able to balance the principles of democracy and religious moral values, so that the government system can run fairly, contextually, and reflect the identity of the nation.