In Islam, power and authority are derived from the Qur'an and thus from Allah (God); more specifically, power is derived from the Shahada, or declaration of faith that there is no higher authority than Allah. In reality, however, some members of the religion engage in Islamic practices and interpret Islamic law. The structuring and organization of Shia Islam is a good example of this. Shia Muslims, who follow a hierarchical system, believe that authority is manifested through the Imams or prayer leaders in mosques, and that the Imams can interpret the Qur'an and Hadith. Furthermore, Sharia law refers to the entire system of principles and rules that Muslims must follow and is based on Muhammad's teachings and examples. Sharia law, on the other hand, gives Islam institutional power because it combines the government and the religion's underlying principles.
Dissent is frowned upon in Islam, as the Qur'an and Allah's revelation are not open to interpretation. However, because there is no living person with authority to interpret the religion through the Qur'an, and because there is no living person who has authority to interpret the religion through the Qur'an, different ways of living according to the Qur'an have emerged. For example, the Sunni-Shiite split in Islam, which occurred around 680 BC, exemplifies dissent in Islam. The disagreement between these two Islamic sects centers on who should have led the movement after Muhammad's death. Sunnis believe it should have been done by capable leaders, while Shia believe it should have been done by Muhammad's relatives. Sunni Muslims now account for 85 to 90% of the Muslim population globally. This impacts the rejection of Islam because of the different interpretations they give to all the people, which makes them argue and brings the religion as a religion of violence and misinterprets the religion. However, it impacts the acceptance of Islam as power and authority in Islam promotes rights for women, and gives basic human rights which were mentioned within the Qur'an.
Power and authority in Islam impact the acceptance and rejection of Islam because it also promotes education for women and gives a woman the right to have children and take care of them. Islam also gives women the right to get money from their husbands. It gives men the right to have 4 wives, but nowadays, unfortunately, many leaders of Islamic countries have changed rules and have taken those basic rights away.
Such is the understanding of power and authority in the context of Islam, which has been covered in this essay.