Islam and Democracy

M Rehman, Cheam

Sadly, many Muslim countries are branded as dictatorships by non Islamic nations, meaning they are ruled by a single group or individual who has absolute power. Examples include Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Afghanistan [1]. This style of leadership is said to be a reason for the internal crises in such nations, leading to the worst refugee crisis in modern history.

However, neither the rebels nor the rulers of these ‘Islamic’ nations have been able to follow the complete and kind example of leadership that was set by the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This has fed into the widespread notion that Islam is an oppressive religion, incompatible with democracy. And thus, many people have not realised that it was in Islam, that complete democracy was established.

For a successful administration, Islam describes two fundamental principles to be maintained within any form of leadership. The Holy Qur’an states “Verily, Allah commands you to make over the trusts to those entitled to them, and that, when you judge between men, you judge with justice. And surely excellent is that with which Allah admonishes you! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing “[3]. This verse describes the first principle ‘aadl’, also known as absolute justice. This means that all decisions need to be made with complete fairness towards all members of a community and with no selfish motivation.

The second principle ‘shura’, meaning mutual consultation is described in the following verse “And those who hearken to their Lord, and observe Prayer, and whose affairs are decided by mutual consultation, and who spend out of what We have provided for them.” [4].

Most importantly, Islam is a religion for all times and all people. It therefore, allows for all forms of leadership including democracy, tribalism and monarchy, as long as these principles are observed, thus allowing people to develop a form of governance best suited to their culture. Consequently, dictatorships, theocratic, communist and fascist form of ruling are rejected by Islam because they discard this basic guidance [2].

In the Holy Qur’an Allah the Almighty states “Verily, Allah commands you to make over the trusts to those entitled to them…” [8]. Here, it is made clear that sovereignty over the universe belongs to Allah alone. However people are given authority in certain domains. They are entrusted to discharge a duty towards mankind for which they will be questioned on the day of Judgement [5].

It is important also to note that no mention is made whether such individuals are male or female, nor is it stated that the person must be a Muslim. The only criterion for selecting a ‘trustee’ is suitability to discharge a role. Thus, humanity is commanded to entrust some with a responsibility only if they are deemed suitable to discharge it. And thus, a ruler or leader of a nation should not be arrogant about his authority, but should in fact consider himself as a humble servant of the people who have elected him or her [5].

In many places, the Holy Qur’an repeatedly emphasises justice in making decisions (which appears to have been entirely ignored in some Muslim nations). The Qur’an states “Oh Ye who believe, be steadfast in the cause of Allah, bearing witness in equity, and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that it is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is aware of what you do.” [3]

Thus justice is amongst the overarching principles of Islamic governance, which cannot be emphasised enough [5]. Moreover, a crucial and often overlooked principle in Islamic governance is the freedom of religion. Once again the Qur’an states ‘There should be no compulsion in religion…’ [7]. However those so-called Muslim states who lead by extremist ideologies are in grave error, as they sometimes force civilians to convert to Islam, enabling extremist organisations to control them.

However, this was not always the case. Up until a few hundred years ago, Christian Europe looked upon Islam as having a tolerant governance. This was due to the example of our beloved Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He distinguished his authority as a religious leader from his position as a governor, which enabled a religiously diverse and free society from the onset. This was completely opposite to the Christian world, which was governed by the churches and the Bible with the motto ‘One State, One Law, One Faith’. In fact in 16th century Europe, when authoritative persecutions became unbearable, Christians advocated tolerance by using the Muslim Ottoman Empire as an example and model that they encouraged to adopt [5].

Thus, given the example of the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the guidelines laid out by the Holy Qur’an, it is safe to conclude that democracy is not only compatible to, but also encouraged in Islam. And that a successful democratic government, not only shares but is dependent on the Islamic principle of governance.

References:
[1] http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/dictatorship-countries/
[2] https://www.alislam.org/question/islam-and-democracy/
[3] Holy Quran Chapter 4, verse 59
[4] Holy Quran Chapter 42, verse 39
[5] http://www.jalsasalana.org/usa/2011/Civic-Order-Jalsa-USA-2011-Speech.pdf
[6] Holy Qur’an Chapter 5, verse 9
[7] Holy Qur’an Chapter 2, verse 257
[8] Holy Qur’an Chapter 4, verse 59