The subversion of Khilafah by the Ummayyad dynasty has led to two divergent memories in the Ummah. The Muslim masses yearn for memory based on Prophetic and Khilafah history while the ruling elites continue to push the memory of mulukiyya.
Once King Muawiyah had usurped the Khilafah, the issue of power and authority was gradually removed from Muslim consciousness and Islam reduced to mere rituals. The sorry state of Muslim rulers today is the direct result.