Author: Muhammad Dawood Yusufi Eshaqzahi
Islam and Democracy (The 47th and Final Part)
Freedom in the Light of Sharia (Continued…)
The Outcome of Islamic Freedom
The purpose of freedom in Islam is not to give a person permission to perform every kind of action. Rather, its purpose is to enable a person to choose the right path toward true happiness and prosperity.
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Islamic freedom is a divine blessing founded upon monotheism and the worship of Allah (SWT).
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This freedom is a divine means of removing the internal and external obstacles faced by human beings.
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This freedom elevates human beings to higher levels of perfection and closes the path to misery before them.
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The legal framework of Islam brings freedom into harmony and alignment with human interests.
In conclusion, Islam seeks a form of freedom that guides human beings toward eternal happiness. Therefore, only freedom that remains within the framework of the principles of Sharia can be considered true freedom. Freedom that goes beyond the framework of Sharia not only provides no benefit to human beings but also leads them toward humiliation, misery, and servitude.
The concept of democracy is one of the important subjects that is currently discussed in contrast to religious government and other political systems, and it has become a subject of discussion, research, and exchange of views.
In recent years, this debate has once again emerged in the field of ideologies and political theories and, within religious thought, has raised numerous questions and controversies among researchers and scholars.
In the contemporary world, democracy, as one of the main pillars of government and one of the methods of administering the state, should be discussed, examined, and evaluated from the perspective of political science.
Classical theorists of democracy have examined this concept as a comprehensive and general political theory. However, thinkers from Hobbes to Schumpeter have analyzed democracy more as a socio-historical reality and as a method for the distribution of power and reforming society, rather than as a coherent ideology. These issues have been examined in detail in previous discussions.
Within the framework of Sharia-based government in Muslim societies, the issue of democracy and Western civil systems has a long historical background. Muslims’ familiarity with the ideas of Plato and Aristotle, their attention to aristocratic systems (aristocracy), democracy, oligarchy, and dictatorship, as well as the various dimensions of this debate, have all formed part of religious and political thought.
The issue of legislation in democracy, free public participation, and the formation of independent institutions emerged in the Muslim world when the Ottoman Empire entered into political and military interactions with European countries. This debate became broader through the intellectual efforts of the educated classes in Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, giving rise to discussions concerning the understanding and application of the relationship between religion and democracy.
In the late twentieth century, the fundamental question for many Islamic thinkers concerning the concept of democracy was, “Can religious government be compatible with modern democracy?”
Democracy is presented not merely as an ideology or political theory but also as a method for the distribution of power, oversight, and the regulation of affairs. If it is assumed that democracy can be reconciled with religious government, how would such compatibility be established, and under what conditions would it be possible?
Acceptance or rejection of this compatibility depends entirely on the answers to these questions: What is the definition of democracy as the most effective and practical method of governance? Are methods and mechanisms inherently neutral and impartial? And can they be applied equally within secular and religious systems?
Some Islamic scholars and thinkers interpret democracy in terms of public participation, rejection of tyranny, and the rule of law, and, without considering its intellectual foundations, support the possibility of compatibility between Islam and democracy.
Islam is a complete religion that possesses principles, rulings, and clearly defined practical systems for all areas of life, particularly in the field of government and politics. Therefore, there is no need to use terms such as democracy, because even within Western thought itself, this concept is accompanied by considerable ambiguity and complexity. Likewise, imitating Western democratic models is not permissible. Rather, it is appropriate to understand our own identity, maintain intellectual independence, and recognize our cultural, geographical, and social characteristics while benefiting from the useful experiences and material achievements of others. At the same time, the Islamic model of government should be presented to the world as a coherent and comprehensive political philosophy.
Based on these principles, the best system for the Muslim Ummah, and indeed for humanity, is the political system of Islam, defined in the form of the Caliphate, the Islamic Emirate, and Islamic government. Under this system, human rights and freedoms are guaranteed in a just and equitable manner. Muslims, possessing such a comprehensive and complete religion, have no need for another political system.
It should also be noted that some Muslim thinkers and researchers who speak of a degree of compatibility and harmony between Islam and democracy do not claim that democracy, in its Western form, is completely consistent with Islam. Rather, they regard democracy as a non-Islamic system that cannot be fully imitated by Muslims.
Nevertheless, they maintain that certain practical aspects of democracy can be utilized in Muslim countries in two ways:
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It should be explicitly declared that sovereignty belongs exclusively to Allah (SWT), and that the head of state may legislate only in matters that are permissible (mubah) and within the sphere of discretionary punishments (ta’zirat), provided that such legislation does not contradict Sharia.
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The form and structure of the state should resemble the government of the Noble Prophet (PBUH) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
