Quranic Governance and the Theory of Political Participation; the Wali-Agent Model (Conditional Maximalist)

Political participation is among the most challenging issues in political science, particularly in conjunction with the logic of religious theory. Accordingly, the main research question is: in Quranic governance, which approach to political participation is desirable and endorsed by the Quran? Employing the method of thematic interpretation and the theoretical framework of the Wali-Agent Model of political participation, the research proposes the hypothesis of "conditional maximalist participation. This approach lies between the two main approaches to political participation, the delegative (conditionalist) approach and the agentive (maximalist) approach and is closer to conditional maximalist participation; a participation which, from a legal-religious (sharʿī) perspective, is a condition for both the emergence and the survival of the religious state. The verses affirming the conditionality of political participation include the verses on Ulu al-Amr (those in authority), Imamate (leadership), Awlawiyyah (priority) and the proclamation of divine rulings. In contrast, the verses affirming the maximal nature of participation include the verses on Shūrā (consultation), Bay'ah (pledge of allegiance), fulfillment of covenants, Amr bi al-Ma'ruf wa Nahy 'an al-Munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil), general Quranic addresses, Khilafah (vicegerency), and Amanah (trust). These have been assessed in this research within the framework of the agentive model of participation. The desirable Quranic participation is an authentic participation (intrinsic and partial cause), yet bound by prior conditions. The pillars of this approach are: the authoritative validity (ḥujjiyyah) of the political contract between the ruler and the people; the institutional obligation of consultation (shūrā) in the public sphere; active political participation as enjoining good and forbidding evil; the public right to select; graded divine vicegerency (khilāfah) in line with the right to participate; and the delegation of governance to the competent as a divine trust (amānah). This theory differs from certain other views, particularly in the interpretation of the verses on consultation and pledge of allegiance. In the selection of the leader, although divine text (naṣṣ) and appointment (naṣb) are accepted, the political participation of the people also holds intrinsic significance. Consultation is obligatory, and collective commitment to its outcome is necessary. Allegiance (bayʿah) also has a semi-institutive nature. In the Age of Occultation (ghaybah), the textual designation and the rightfulness of the leadership of the jurist (walāyat al-faqīh) exist potentially (bil-quwwah); for their actualization (bil-fiʿl), they require the people's pledge of allegiance. This conditional maximalist approach is evaluated as the most compatible model of political participation with Quranic teachings.