On Comparing Democracy and Parliament with Shūra and Ahl al-Ikhtiyar in Islam

Part I

19 April 2024

Discussions about the democratic aspects of the political system in Islam, including juxtaposing Shūrā to Western democratic systems, and comparing ahl al-hall wal’ aqd with parliaments and representative councils, have sparked debates and controversy between opposing factions. This two-part study impartially and empirically evaluates this claim.

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Part II

6 May 2024

As previously established in the first part of this study, hai’at al-ikhtiyar or ahlul hall wal ‘aqd in Islam is not the origin of the parliament of the Western democratic system, and its work does not resemble the work of a parliament. The historical reasons that led to the emergence of the parliament in the West is different from the emergence of the council of ahlul hall wal ‘aqd.

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