Editing Political aspects of Islam (section)

====''Majlis ash-Shura''====
Deliberations in the politics of the early caliphates, most notably the [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rāshidūn Caliphate]], were not "democratic" in the modern sense of the term; rather, decision-making power laid with a council (''[[shura]]'') of notable and trusted [[Companions of the Prophet|companions of Muhammad]] (''ṣaḥāba'') and representatives of different [[Tribes of Arabia|Arab tribes]] (most of them selected or elected within their tribes).<ref>Sohaib N. Sultan, [http://www.islamonline.net/English/introducingislam/politics/Politics/article04.shtml Forming an Islamic Democracy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041001023746/http://www.islamonline.net/English/introducingislam/politics/Politics/article04.shtml |date=2004-10-01 }}</ref> Traditional Sunnī Muslim jurists agree that the ''shura'', loosely translated as "consultation", is a function of the Islamic caliphate. The ''[[Majlis-ash-Shura]]'' advise the caliph. The importance of this is premised by the following verses of the Quran:
<blockquote>{{Cite Quran|42|38|expand=no|quote=...those who answer the call of their Lord and establish the prayer, and who conduct their affairs by Shura. [are loved by God]}}</blockquote>
<blockquote>{{Cite Quran|3|159|expand=no|quote=...consult them (the people) in their affairs. Then when you have taken a decision (from them), put your trust in Allah}}</blockquote>

The ''[[majlis]]'' were also the means to elect a new caliph. Al-Mawardi wrote that members of the ''majlis'' should satisfy three conditions: they must be just, they must have enough knowledge to distinguish a good caliph from a bad one, and must have sufficient wisdom and judgment to select the best caliph. Al-Mawardi also stated that in case of emergencies when there is no caliphate and no ''majlis'', the people themselves should institute a council of ''majlis'', select a list of candidates for the role of caliph, then the ''majlis'' should select from the list of candidates.<ref name=2muslims/>{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2019}}

Some modern political interpretations regarding the role of the ''Majlis ash-Shura'' include those expressed by the Egyptian Islamist author and ideologue [[Sayyid Qutb]], prominent member of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], and the Palestinian Muslim scholar and propagandist [[Taqiuddin al-Nabhani]], founder of the [[Pan-Islamism|pan-Islamist]] political party [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]].<ref name="Shavit 2010">{{cite journal |last=Shavit |first=Uriya |date=August 2010 |title=Is ''Shura'' a Muslim Form of Democracy? Roots and Systemization of a Polemic |journal=[[Middle Eastern Studies (journal)|Middle Eastern Studies]] |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=349–374 |doi=10.1080/00263200902917085 |issn=1743-7881 |lccn=65009869 |oclc=875122033 |s2cid=145304876}}</ref> In an analysis of the ''shura'' chapter of the Quran, Qutb argued that Islam requires only that the ruler consult with at least some of the ruled (usually the elite), within the general context of [[Sharia|divine laws]] that the ruler must execute. Al-Nabhani argued that the ''shura'' is important and part of "the ruling structure" of the Islamic caliphate, "but not one of its pillars", and may be neglected without the caliphate's rule becoming un-Islamic. However, these interpretations formulated by Qutb and al-Nabhani are not universally accepted in the Islamic political thought, and [[Islamic democracy|Islamic democrats]] consider the ''shura'' to be an integral part and important pillar of Islamic political system.<ref name="Shavit 2010"/>