Majority Will and Islamic Political System

        

Political scholars’ views regarding role of principle of majority in the process of political decision-making in an Islamic state are polarized into two extremes. One group opines that political decision-making in an Islamic state is to be done by only eligible people/ the people showing sufficient knowledge and piety. The other group advocates the right of common people to participate in the process of political decision-making. In the succeeding lines, we would thrash out this issue in the light of Islamic injunctions.

In fact, in Islam, the process of political decision-making is mainly divided into two stages. The first stage is pertaining to common people without discrimination; and the second stage is relating to specified persons/people.

In respect of first stage i.e. relating to common people’s decision-making, we have seen in "Islamic Political System-its main contours (1)" that primarily decision-making in an Islamic political system is to be done on the basis of principle of majority, but the majority opinion has to be in line with Quran and sunnah. In other words, Islam does not debar majority people from taking part in the process of decision-making, rather makes it compulsory for the people to take part in the process of decision-making. However the opinion reached at by the majority people has to be in accordance with Islamic injunctions. All texts/ sayings of our Nabi (saw) in favor of principle of majority, quoted in that article, are reiterated below to elaborate this point.

“Whatever the Muslims hold to be good is good before Allah”;

“My followers will never agree upon what is wrong”;

“It is incumbent upon you to follow the most numerous body”;

Form these above quoted texts, it is clear that principle of majority has been given sanctity in Islam (if decision reached at is not contradictory to Quran and sunnah). But what is to be noted is that people’s participation is a must to constitute a majority; majority cannot be formulated without participation of all (at least majority) people in the process. In other words, a majority (of all Muslims) emerged without participation of at least majority people in the process would not be a majority given sanctity in Islam. It means in order to avail blessings attached with the majority (of all Muslims), Muslims are obliged to formulate majority by taking part in the process of decision-making, directly or indirectly, through the political system. In other words, decision-making is a sacred trust given to Muslims which have to dispense with this trust by constituting majority in the process of decision-making. Islam makes it compulsory for the Muslims to take part in the process of decision-making through formulating majority under the political system.

Many Quranic texts also make it compulsory for the Muslims to take part in the process of decision-making. For instance all verses stating about ‘mutual consultation’ bind the Muslims to get into process of political decision-making.

“So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]” (al-imran-159).

Allah has mentioned identity of Muslims as “And those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves…”  (al-shura-38).

These above mentioned verses make it mandatory for the Muslims to give their input (directly or indirectly) in the process of political decision-making. 

Similarly all verses stating about ‘amr bil maroof wa nahe anil munkar’ and sura al-asr actually bind the Muslims to become part of process of political decision-making. Obviously political field may not be left out of performance of obligation of 'amr bil maroof wa nahe anil munkar' and performance of 'tawasau bil haque and tawasau bil sabr'.

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong…” (al-imran-110).

The individual aspect of this obligation has been mentioned in Sura Luqman in which Hazrat Luqman advises his son as follows:

“O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination(Luqman-17).

“By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy” (al-asr).

It is important to note that No Quranic verse states about exclusion of less wise/ less pious people from the process of mutual consultation or absolves wicked persons from the duty of  performance of ‘amr bil maroof wa nahe anil munkar’ or performance of 'tawasau bil haque and tawasau bil sabr'. Muslims are under obligation to perform these duties in the field of political system as well. The reason is that even the most wicked person happens to be good in some matters; and the most noble person may be bad in some matters. In short, Quran and hadith allow/bind all Muslims to participate in the political decision-making which involve all types of matters. Actually, there is another special reason for not excluding any specific class from the process of political decision-making at the first stage. That special reason is the provision of second stage i.e. relating to decision-making by specified people. Because all people may not be equal in piety and knowledge, decision-making at the first stage may be defective. In order to remove deficiencies in the decision-making at the first stage, the second stage of political decision-making is confined to only special people/ people having required standard of piety and knowledge. 

This second stage in political decision-making has been provided in the following texts:

“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result” (al-nisa-59).

In this above quoted verse, basic principle of conduct of Islamic state and Muslims has been given. Whether the difference of opinion is between the Islamic state and the Muslims or it is among the Muslims, the dispute will be resolved according to Quran and Sunnah.

Quran says: "  And of the people is he who disputes about Allah (His words) without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening book [from Him]" (al-hajj-8). From this verse, it is inferred that in order to declare any thing from Allah ( to declare Allah's intention), the declaring person must be having knowledge; he must be rightly guided; and his opinion must be based on Quran and Sunnah. 

 Our nabi (saw) states " in a situation where you confront a matter of which no solution you find in Quran and Sunnah, refer such matter to pious and Allah's obedients among you, and it must be decided through consultation, and you must not decide it on the basis of a single person's opinion". 

 From the above quoted authorities, we may infer that,  in order to make up inequalities among Body of Muslims in terms of piety and knowledge, and deficiencies reflected at the first stage of decision-making, a second stage for the decision-making has been provided, in which most pious and scholar  persons would participate.  According to above mentioned hadith, the decision-making at the second stage also would be based on consultation; the word 'consultation' implies that majority has the option not to accept the decision/solution made at the second stage (if there exist more than one Islamic solutions), but majority cannot adopt what has been declared wrong by the learned and pious people at the second stage. 

During the initial period of Islamic history, first and second stages were not distinguished; decision-making was made at the single stage in which people of city state of Medina were allowed to participate in the process of decision-making without any discrimination in terms of piety and knowledge.  There was no second stage of decision-making at that time and decisions reached at were not reviewed at the second stage. The reason is obvious; our Nabi (saw) himself participated in and endorsed the decisions made at the first stage; there was no need to review them at the second stage.  The same practice of decision-making at single stage continued during periods of four Caliphs, and the second stage was not resorted to for the reason that Caliph, along with men of piety and knowledge, himself participated in and endorsed the decisions made at single stage. In other words, the decisions made by the common people and rectification of such decisions by men of piety and knowledge was done in the same single stage. This practice of decision-making at single stage was possible at that time because all common people could not be involved in the process of decision-making due to limited and inefficient means of communication at that time. The decisions reached at by limited number of common people which were able to participate in the process of decision-making could be rectified by men of piety and knowledge at the same single stage. But now that number of common people able to participate in the process of decision-making is huge and decisions made by those common people cannot possibly be rectified by men of piety and knowledge at the same single stage, it is crying need of time to distinguish clearly and functionally first and second stages of political decision-making.

It may also be noted that any political system, not drawing strength from the common people, cannot survive long enough. We have seen collapse of USSR only after seventy years of its inception; this political system was relying on a specific class and not exacting power from the common people. Similarly capitalist system is also bound to collapse due to the same reasons.  Islam remained a dominant power of this world for one thousand years, because monarchy/khilafah was backed by common people; monarchy/ khilafah was not only a system of selecting ruler/caliph but also a system of governance drawing strength from common people.

We may conclude that Islam allow/ bind common people to participate in the process of political decision-making without any discrimination in terms of piety and knowledge. However defective decisions made by common people are liable to be rectified by men of piety and knowledge. The parliament and assemblies may be taken as symbol of common people’s participation in the political decision-making; similarly ‘shura’ –as mentioned in my article "Islamic Political System-its main contours (3)" may be taken as symbol of men’s of piety and knowledge participation in this process. That model of Islamic Political System, as delineated in that article-i.e. Islamic Political System-its main contours (3)- may also lend continuity to the Islamic political system envisaged by it, which cannot be lent for long enough period, if political system is relying on a particular class (religious or secular class).