The Shariʿa institutionalized distrust of rulers and favored commoners

Evidence

Like modern legal systems, the Shariʿa developed a certain distrust toward executive political power, distrust that attested to its ability to command loyalty to and by the society and morality in which it functioned and lived. It mediated between the ruler and the masses, always tilting its preference distinctly toward the latter. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 164

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels modern constitutional distrust of executive power; connects to rule-of-law debates across legal traditions.