The primary source of Islam, the Quran, does not propose a rigid and clearly defined model of governance for politics. Rather, it provides a general framework based on fundamental moral principles such as justice, meritocracy, and consultation. This flexibility suggests that the political model is determined by historical conditions and societal initiatives, thereby establishing the foundation for both a rich tradition of thought and practical debate. This entry first examines the practical evolution of the caliphate institution from its theoretical religious-political ideal to the monarchy that emerged after the Umayyads. The text then goes on to address the tension between the theorization of the state as a social necessity and a vehicle for moral virtues by thinkers such as al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Khaldun, and the power-centered approach of Abu Ya’la al-Farra. The section focusing on the modern era examines political Islam and Islamism as ideologies that emerged in the nineteenth century as a reaction to the decline and secularization process in the face of the West. The argument is made that these ideologies reinterpret traditional concepts in a modern discourse and present Islam as an inclusive political system. However, concrete examples, such as Iran and Afghanistan, have been posited to demonstrate that political Islam has not successfully built the just society it promised and has frequently resulted in authoritarian rule. In the context of Olivier Roy’s seminal thesis on the “failure of political Islam,” it is concluded that this movement has undergone a transformation, ceasing to function as a revolutionary geostrategic factor and instead adopting a social rhetoric.