The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c8.s1.2

c8.s1.2

Before analysing these two poles-apart views, let us first be clear about what theocracy means. According to the Oxford Dictionary the word theocracy is derived from the Creek *theos*, meaning God; and a state is theocratic when governed by God directly or through a sacerdotal class. Theocracy envisages direct intervention and authorship of God through revelation in government of society.¹⁰ The Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary defines theocracy as that constitution of a state in which the Almighty is regarded as the sole soverign, and the laws of the realm as divine commands rather than human ordinances, the priesthood necessarily becoming the officers of the invisible ruler.¹¹