Consultation is a great principle among the principles of governance in Islam. What are the conditions that must be met by the people of consultation, that is, the members of the Consultative Council?
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The second question says: Consultation is a great principle among the principles of governance in Islam. What are the conditions that must be met by the people of consultation, that is, the members of the Consultative Council?
The Shaykh : What I believe and testify to Allah is that this council must, above all else, be established upon the people of knowledge of the Book and the authentic Sunnah, and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors. However, this does not prevent there being other individuals with their various specializations, as it is necessary to seek their assistance in managing the Muslim state. For example, there may be economists, military experts, and the like. But the condition is that these members who are sought for assistance in managing the Muslim state must be in harmony with the broad, general circle of Islamization, such that they submit their sciences and specializations to what agrees with the Book and the Sunnah. It is necessary to cooperate with these individuals as long as they submit their ideas and sciences to what the people of expertise consider regarding the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner : I mean, is it a condition that he has knowledge? I mean, does he have to strive to have knowledge of the principles of Islam?
The Shaykh : They are of two categories, as we said regarding those who judge by the Book and the Sunnah. These people cannot be followers of a scholar without knowing his evidence; rather, they must be scholars qualified to derive rulings who derive the rulings, especially those new, emerging rulings for which the Muslim scholars have not previously expressed an opinion. These people must be scholars of the Book and the Sunnah with true knowledge, not figurative knowledge. As some contemporary doctors have said, the scholars who follow a scholar without knowing his evidence today are scholars in a figurative sense, not scholars in a true sense. Therefore, those who should be consulted in the Consultative Council of the Muslim state should be scholars in a true sense, not scholars in a figurative sense, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Knowledge: Allah said, His Messenger said, / The Companions said; it is not deception.
Knowledge is not: you setting up foolish disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist
No, nor denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of denial of the divine attributes and likening Allah to creation.
As for the second category of specialists in other sciences, as we mentioned earlier, in economics, politics, and the like, it is not assumed, nor is it possible, for these people to be like the first category of scholars, knowing the Book and the Sunnah. Just as the first category is not able to be specialists in economics, politics, and the like of the modern sciences known today. But it is obligatory for all of them to cooperate to implement the Islamic rulings in light of the Book and the Sunnah.
The Shaykh : What I believe and testify to Allah is that this council must, above all else, be established upon the people of knowledge of the Book and the authentic Sunnah, and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors. However, this does not prevent there being other individuals with their various specializations, as it is necessary to seek their assistance in managing the Muslim state. For example, there may be economists, military experts, and the like. But the condition is that these members who are sought for assistance in managing the Muslim state must be in harmony with the broad, general circle of Islamization, such that they submit their sciences and specializations to what agrees with the Book and the Sunnah. It is necessary to cooperate with these individuals as long as they submit their ideas and sciences to what the people of expertise consider regarding the Book and the Sunnah.
The questioner : I mean, is it a condition that he has knowledge? I mean, does he have to strive to have knowledge of the principles of Islam?
The Shaykh : They are of two categories, as we said regarding those who judge by the Book and the Sunnah. These people cannot be followers of a scholar without knowing his evidence; rather, they must be scholars qualified to derive rulings who derive the rulings, especially those new, emerging rulings for which the Muslim scholars have not previously expressed an opinion. These people must be scholars of the Book and the Sunnah with true knowledge, not figurative knowledge. As some contemporary doctors have said, the scholars who follow a scholar without knowing his evidence today are scholars in a figurative sense, not scholars in a true sense. Therefore, those who should be consulted in the Consultative Council of the Muslim state should be scholars in a true sense, not scholars in a figurative sense, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Knowledge: Allah said, His Messenger said, / The Companions said; it is not deception.
Knowledge is not: you setting up foolish disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist
No, nor denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of denial of the divine attributes and likening Allah to creation.
As for the second category of specialists in other sciences, as we mentioned earlier, in economics, politics, and the like, it is not assumed, nor is it possible, for these people to be like the first category of scholars, knowing the Book and the Sunnah. Just as the first category is not able to be specialists in economics, politics, and the like of the modern sciences known today. But it is obligatory for all of them to cooperate to implement the Islamic rulings in light of the Book and the Sunnah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.