The Council (Shūrā) in Sunni Thought, with an Emphasis on Iranian Sunnis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD, Political Science, Faculty of Law, Theology, and Political Science, SR.C., Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Theology, and Political Science, SR.C., Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Law and Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, Theology, and Political Science, SR.C., Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This research aims to examine and elucidate the place of the concept of "shūrā" (counsel) in Sunni political thought and to analyze how it is reflected and formulated among Iranian Sunnis. As one of the fundamental concepts in Islamic sources, shūrā has always been regarded in Muslim political thought as a mechanism for consultation, participation in decision-making, and the management of public affairs, and throughout various historical periods, diverse interpretations and models of it have been presented. Given this background, the main question of this research is: how does the political rationality of Iran's Sunnis understand and explain the concept of shūrā in connection with the intellectual tradition of Sunnism in the broader Islamic world, and what configurations has this concept assumed within the framework of Iran's social and political conditions? This research has been conducted using a qualitative approach and employing the method of content analysis of written sources, and alongside this, some field observations have also been used to supplement the data. Within this framework, the views of Sunni scholars regarding shūrā in classical and contemporary texts have been examined, and subsequently, the manner in which these views are reflected among Iranian Sunnis has been analyzed. The research findings indicate that shūrā in Sunni political thought is regarded as a concept grounded in religious teachings and as a mechanism for harnessing collective wisdom in the administration of community affairs. In contemporary Sunni literature, this concept has likewise been formulated largely within two general frameworks: "general/public shūrā" and "elite shūrā." An examination of the views and experiences of Iran's Sunnis shows that this concept, in interaction with the intellectual tradition of the broader Islamic world and while taking into account the social and institutional requirements of the country, has been re-examined and interpreted in forms appropriate to the local context. Accordingly, it can be said that Iranian Sunni thought, in continuity with the intellectual tradition of Sunnism
in the broader Islamic world, has regarded the concept of shūrā as a mechanism for consultation and participation in the management of public affairs, and has sought to interpret and apply it within the framework of Iran's social and institutional conditions.

Keywords

References

The Holy Quran.
Abū Fāris, M. (1987). Ḥukm al-shūrā fī al-Islām wa-natījatuhā [The rule of consultation in Islam and its outcome]. Amman: Dār al-Furqān. [In Arabic]
Al Sulami, M. F. (2002). Comparing western liberal democracy and the concept of Shura in moderate Islamist movements. Degree of Doctor of Philosiphy in Middle East Studies. University of Exeter.
Al-Banna, H. (1991). Rasā’il al-imām al-shahīd Ḥasan al-Bannā: Risālat niẓām
al-ḥukm [Epistles of the martyred Imam Hasan al-Banna: The epistle on the system of governance]. Alexandria: Dār al-Da‘wah. [In Arabic]
Al-Bouti, M. (2017). Al-Shūrā fī al-Islām [Consultation in Islam]. Damascus: Dār
al-Fikr. [In Arabic]
Alikhani, A. A., et al. (2011). Political thought of Muslim thinkers (Vol. 14). Tehran: Research Institute for Cultural and Social Studies. [In Persian]
Al-Qaradawi, Y. (2002). Recognizing religious priorities in light of the Qur'an and Sunnah (R. Vakilzadeh, Trans.). Tehran: Nashr-e Ehsan. [In Persian]
Al-Shāwī, T. (1992). Fiqh al-shūrā wa-al-istishāra [The jurisprudence of consultation and seeking counsel]. Cairo: Dār al-Wafā’ li-l-Ṭibā‘ah wa-al-Nashr
wa-al-Tawzī‘ – al-Manṣūrah. [In Arabic]
Al-Turabi, H. (1989). Al-Bu'ad al-Islami li-Lharakah al-Islamiyah: al-Tajrubah
al-Sudaniyah. In: al-Harakah al-Islamiyah: Ru'a Mustaqbaliyah. Maktabt Maddbuli, A. al-Nafisi (ed.). Al-Qahirah: Maktabat Madbuli.
Al-Turabi, H. (1983). The Islamic State' in Voices 'of Resurgent Islam. J. Esposito (ed.). New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Anbarmoo, M. (2020). Epistemology of Salafism in Iran: A case study of the approach of Sunni religious currents in the country. Journal of the History of Islam and Iran, 30(47). [In Persian]
Anbarmoo, M., & Tavasoli Roknabadi, M. (2025). An analytical study of the place of consultation and consultocracy in the thought of contemporary Iranian Sunnis]. Journal of Transcendental Politics, no. 25. [In Persian]
Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: thematic analysis and code development. Sage Publications.United States.
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2).
Dehkhoda, A. A. (1993). Lughatnāma (Vol. 2). Tehran: Institute of Publications and Printing, University of Tehran. [In Persian]
Enayat, H. (2005). Political thought in contemporary Islam (B. Khorramshahi, Trans.). Tehran: Khwarazmi Publications. [In Persian]
Feirahi, D. (1996). Foundations of Sunni political thought. Qom: Tebyan Cultural and Informational Institute. [In Persian]
Feirahi, D. (2005). Shiism and consultative democracy in Iran. Journal of the Faculty of Law and Political Science, 67(516). [In Persian]
Feirahi, D. (2009). Tawfīq Muhammad al-Shāwī and the general theory of consultation in Islam. Politics Quarterly (Journal of the Faculty of Law and Political Science), 39(1). [In Persian]
Ghannouchi, R. (2006). Ummah, not government: A reflection on the political philosophy of Islam (J. Moradi, Trans.). Khardnāma-yi Hamshahrī, (6). [In Persian]
Ghazizadeh, K. (1995). The role of consultation in Islamic government. Kayhān-i Andīsha, (61). [In Persian]
Ibn Manẓūr, M. (1988). Lisān al-‘Arab (Vol. 7, 4, p. 4). Beirut: Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth
al-‘Arabī. [In Arabic]
Maududi, A. A. (1985). Caliphate and kingship (K. Ahmad, Trans.). Tehran: Bayan Press. [In Persian]
Mirahmadi, M. (2014). Islam and consultative democracy. Tehran: Nashr-e Ney. [In Persian]
Mirmousavi, A. (1999). A reflection on the jurisprudence of consultation and counsel. Journal of Political Science, Baqir al-Olum University, no. 4. [In Persian]
Moftizadeh, A. (1978). A brief discussion on Islamic government. Sanandaj: Maktab-i Qurʾān Maangement Council. [In Persian]
Moftizadeh, A. (1980). Problems of the revolution. Tehran: Nās Publication and Distribution Institute. Available at the Maktab-i Qur'ān website. [In Persian]
Nafisi, A. A. (1976). Nafīsī's dictionary (2nd ed., Vol. 5). Tehran: Khayyam Bookstore. [In Persian]
Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥ. (n.d.). Mu‘jam mufradāt alfāẓ al-Qur’ān [Dictionary of Quranic terms]. Cairo: Maṭba‘at al-Kitāb al-Miṣriyyah. [In Arabic]
Rashīd Riḍā, M. (1922). Bāb al-akhbār wa-al-ārā': Al-shūrā fī al-bilād Fāris [The section on news and opinions: Consultation in the land of Persia]. Al-Manār, 9(7). [In Arabic]
Rashīd Riḍā, M. (2005). Al-Waḥy al-Muḥammadī [The Muhammadan revelation]. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah. [In Arabic]
Ṭaḥḥān, M. M. (2009). Consultation and its role in the reform of individuals and societies from the Sunni perspective (J. Bahraminia, Trans.). Tehran: Ehsan Publications. [In Persian]
Ṭurayḥī, F. (1988). Majma‘ al-baḥrayn wa-maṭla‘ al-nayyirayn (Vol. 2). Beirut: Dār wa-Maktabat al-Hilāl. [In Arabic]

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics