Saturday, December 28, 2013

Shura (Consultation): Islamic Method for Western Countries


In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
(Following is a paper I wrote for Islamic Management course, and like to share.)

Organization:            Islamic Center of Windermere

Vision:            Establish a practicing Muslim community in Windermere inviting Non-Muslims to Islam.

Mission:         Provide a platform for Muslims, and Non-Muslims to learn, share, and socialize to bring them closer to the path to success in this life and success in hereafter.

Objectives:    1) Establish Islamic, fair, and inclusive administrative system.

                        2) Make the facilities accessible to all, regardless of age, gender, religion, language, and ethnicity, without breaking any laws established by Quran and Sunnah.

                        3) Encourage Muslims to practice Islam (in worship, and in other matters), and introduce Non-Muslims to Islam with accuracy, sincerity, and wisdom.

“And those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend.” ( Quran 42:38)

Every action of our lives should seek guidance from the message and the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and building the local Masjid or establishing an Islamic Organization shouldn’t be different. In addition, building a Masjid in a non-Muslim country has been proven to be a very difficult task, because it takes a lot of effort to bring Muslims from different background together, and because it takes wisdom to get approval from the local community and government where non-Muslim residents are usually cynical about the prospect of Islamic Organization in their area.

Islam provides a solution for this in a form of the practice of shura (consultation). In any organization, there is always one person who leads the organization named as Ameer, President, or CEO. However, the Prophet (PBUH) taught us that the leader should not make major decisions without consulting with a group of individuals who represent different opinion that may exist in the community or organization, which he is leading. In this light, let us look at how this method can be practiced in an Islamic organization existing in a non-Islamic country.

Prophet (PBUH) reported to have said “It is I who invited you to this discussion, and you have insisted on going out. So be fearful to Allah and patient at misfortune. And look at what Allah has commanded you and do it.” (Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Fiqh-us-Seerah, p 280, who quoted from ibn Kathir as a narration from Mursi ibn ‘Aqabah as Mu’addal)            

One of the most important reason and advantage of shura is to bring different group and philosophies together and support the decision that would be made. This aspect of shura cannot be emphasized enough. If the matter is discussed openly, and all opinions have heard, it removes any possibility of descent on the basis of minority opinion not being considered. Moreover, it provides the manager or leader to gauge the level of support from a specific group. Prophet (PBUH) used this method very wisely to unite Muhajireen and Ansaar during the time of big decisions. He also showed them that he is willing to accept their opinion even if he didn’t agree with them. During the battle of Uhud, Makkan army was on their way to attack Medina, and the Prophet (PBUH) took consultation, where Ansaar wanted to meet the forces outside the city, and the better option was to stay and fight them inside the city due to low numbers of Muslims. Many leading companions supported his opinion of staying within the city. However, he chose the advice of young masses from Ansaar because he saw that they will be more motivated to fight in open. So, one of the most important aspect of making consultation is the unity that comes out of it because everyone feels inclusive and valued. As a word of caution that the leader should accept the opinions of minority sometimes, when it doesn’t go against Islamic principles to keep the integrity of the process of consultation.

Practice of shura, before making decisions, ensures that due diligence is done, and decision was made after being informed from all perspectives. Usually, the Islamic shura is setup to represent each group from the community, as was the practice of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Caliphs after him. A representative from each tribe was chosen, and ranking companions were chosen who were wise and provided different way of thinking. One such incident is recorded in the seerah of the Prophet (PBUH). When the overwhelming enemy force surrounded Medina to finish off Islam, a shura was done, where Salam Al-Farsi shared a unique technique from Persia where a ditch is dug to prevent the army to cross a certain area, and the Prophet (PBUH) accepted his suggestion, which lead to Islam survive until today (According to Muhammad Al-Ghazali Fiqh-us-Seerah p 324). So, Allah allowed this to happen to teach us the correct method of management, where a consultation is done before major decision by the leader is made, and where the leader accept the better suggestion even if it is from a minority group.

It is reported that Umar (RA) also consulted with, women, such as Layla aka AshShifa bint Abdullah  on many occasions, and gave preference to her opinion due to her level of knowledge and wisdom, which shows us that women can be part of this process. In fact, nowadays, women have shown to go toe to toe with men on seeking knowledge and skills, and it becomes compulsory to have a women representative, in the case of building an Islamic Organization in non-Islamic countries, where women converts are high, and women rights issues are in forefront. (Economy Conference, Jeddah Feb 8, 2008). This practice will provide the perspective from women to the board and to the leader of the community, which is the most common short fall in the Islamic organization in non-Muslims countries leading to frustration and alienation.

Umar reported to have said "O people, whoever among you sees any crookedness in me, let him straighten it." A man stood up and said: "By Allah, if we see any crookedness in you we will straighten it with our swords." Umar said: "Praise be to Allah Who has put in this ummah people who will straighten the crookedness of Umar with their swords." [Dr Muhammad as-Sallabi, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, His life and Times,' vol. 1, p. 213]

Another big advantage of shura is to make the leader of the community humble and more aware of the will of the people. Most often, an Imam becomes disconnected from issues within the community, or attain aloft attitude, and his decision may be according to Islam, but not appropriate for the populous he serve and manage. Having shura with others bring him to humility and show him that he is not above reproach from the people. We can see this from an event during the Caliphate of Umar, when he announced that if anyone finds him crooked in his affair, they should correct him with their hands, and a person told him that he will use sword to correct Umar if necessary. After hearing that, Umar became happy and said that it is a blessing to have people who don’t hesitate to correct their leaders if they deviate. So, if the shura is done properly, the leader or Imam will get the feedback on how his decisions are perceived within the community, and it will provide him opportunity to correct any deviations within his administration. Although this is not the direct purpose of the shura, it is nevertheless an important advantage.

In essence, Islamic organizations like other organizations are led by a single person and not by a shura council, but it is imperative for that leader to establish a shura council or board who can advise him on major decisions. This practice will make the decisions more informed, increase the unity within the organization, and keep the leader connected and grounded. In western countries, this practice of shura also becomes critical as Muslims from different part of the world are present, and there are differences that exist among them. If the decisions are made after discussion and consultation, the outcome is agreed upon or at the least understood. So, it is an obligation of Islamic organization in west to setup shura for the Imam or the President to prevent any disunity, ill-informed decision, or bias administration. May Allah bless any decision that is done with consultation.

JazakAllahuKhairin
A Student of Knowledge
AbuArman Jumani
 

References

·         Al-Quran

·         Dr Muhammad as-Sallabi, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, His life and Times,' vol. 1, p. 213

·         Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Fiqh-us-Seerah, p 280, International Islamic Publishing House

·         "Muslim Heritage in the Knowledge-Economy Conference in Jeddah". http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=854. MuslimHeritage.com. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 2013-09-08.