Political Institutions and Governance: An Arabo-Islamic Perspective

Abstract

Societies need political institutions with governance structures to achieve stability and ensure justice for societal progress. The research analysed Arab-Islamic political institutions and governance through Islamic principles drawn from teachings and Arab political traditions to resolve modern structural conflicts with their original political ideals in Islamic law and Arab historical contexts, especially within Muslim-majority states struggling with governance breakdowns. Textual analysis of Islamic primary resources composed of the Qur'an and Hadith together with traditional Islamic legal and political concepts formed the research method. The study examined historical governance during the time of Rightly Guided Caliphs together with modern political systems. Islamic governance requires three fundamental elements which include Shūrah for consultation and 'Adl for justice together with accountability for governance. The Quranic verse Q3:159 says "And consult them in all affairs" which shows how participatory governance matters and how the Shūrah concept matches democratic principles. The early Caliphates showed an example of transparent ethical leadership which remains relevant today for dealing with modern governance issues. Modern political systems can improve their operations by implementing the Arab-Islamic principles of multilateral input and moral leadership establishment according to the research findings. Shūrah as an inclusive governance system needs improvement together with increased leader accountability and adoption of Islamic ethical values for public institution corruption reduction and political institution trust enhancement. The structure offers a foundation for cultural governance transformation in Muslim-majority governance systems.
Keywords
Arab-Islamic perspective, concept of Shūrah, governance, political institutions, Qur'an and Hadith