and corresponds to him in a certain respect. Whoever takes refuge in the shade is sheltered by the one who casts it—the owner of the shade. Thus, the ruler is Allah’s servant, a created being dependent upon Him, unable to do without Him even for the blink of an eye. He possesses a measure of power, authority, protection, support, and other qualities of leadership and being a recourse for others upon which the welfare of creation depends, such that he may be likened to Allah’s shade on earth. He is the most powerful means by which Allah sets right the affairs of His creatures and servants.

When the ruler is upright, people’s affairs are set right; when he is corrupt, they deteriorate in proportion to his corruption. Yet they do not deteriorate in every respect; some benefits necessarily remain, for he is Allah’s shade. Sometimes, however, the shade is complete, shielding against all harm, while at other times it shields against only some harm. But when the shade is absent, affairs fall into ruin, as they would in the absence of the secret of lordship by which human society is sustained. And Allah Most High knows best.