The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c8.91

c8.91

device of obtaining general homage for their nominee in their lifetime.¹ But throughout the history of the Caliphate, political thinkers and jurists maintained that the office was elective. The same ideas underlie the rules regarding the election of a sultan.² The legal aspects of the election have been worked out by the doctors of law with their wonted thoroughness and logic. The majority are of opinion that a monarch elected by the most influential men in the capital is entitled to the allegiance of the people, but they are not unanimous regarding the qualifications of these electors.³ The failure to work out a satisfactory method of general election resulted in mere logical quibbles about the minimum number of electors, thus reducing the election to a mere formality.