Synergistic Analysis of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil, Consultation, and Institutional Supervision in the Systemic Model of Oversight in Islamic Governance

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to move beyond the prevailing isolated and fragmented analyses found in the literature on Islamic political thought and to develop a conceptual-systemic model that explains the mechanisms of supervision and accountability in Islamic governance. Although Islamic thought has introduced diverse supervisory instruments, such as enjoining good and forbidding evil, consultation (shūrā), and institutional supervision, existing studies have largely examined each of these instruments in isolation, thereby overlooking their organic interconnections. The present article seeks to fill this research gap. The central problem of this research is to demonstrate that these mechanisms are not separate and isolated elements, but rather interconnected components of a unified and synergistic supervisory ecosystem designed to restrain political power. In other words, the main question is how, through a functional and systemic analysis of these doctrines, a comprehensive, multi-layered model can be developed that illustrates the evolutionary process of supervision—from a cultural-social foundation to a formalized political-institutional structure. To address this problem, the article employs a conceptual and documentary analysis methodology. In this approach, the key concepts (enjoining good and forbidding evil, consultation, and institutional supervision) are first reduced to their fundamental supervisory functions. Subsequently, by referring to religious texts and Islamic sources, their mutual relationships and operational mechanisms are extracted and formulated within a coherent systemic model. The findings of the research culminate in the presentation of a dynamic three-layered model for supervision. The foundational layer of this model is general supervisory culture, which, through the religious obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil, institutionalizes public accountability and the demand for transparency throughout society, thereby generating the social capital necessary for effective oversight. The intermediate layer is participatory ex-ante supervision, which, by means of the consultation mechanism, channels supervisory culture into macro-level decision-making processes and, by making policymaking transparent, prevents arbitrary rule and autocratic decision-making. The final layer of the model is ex-post supervisory structure, which, through specialized and legal institutional bodies, evaluates the performance of rulers after actions have been taken and ensures effective legal accountability. One of the most important and key findings of this research is the explication of the synergistic interaction and cyclical reinforcement among these three layers. The analysis demonstrates that a strong supervisory culture leads to more effective consultative councils; transparent councils, in turn, provide the tools and information required for effective institutional oversight; and finally, efficient institutional supervision – by fostering a sense of accountability among rulers – once again strengthens the general supervisory culture, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of transparency and accountability. By linking individual responsibility, collective wisdom, and structured control, this model delineates a comprehensive supervisory system that encompasses both horizontal (people-centered) and vertical (institution-centered) oversight, ultimately offering an effective framework for realizing desirable Islamic governance.

Keywords

References

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Islamic Political Studies
Volume 7, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 157-176

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