Islamiat Model Answer – The Concept of Shura (Consultation) in Islam
Intro: This is an original model answer for an Islamiat question. It is not an FPSC official answer, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC. Subject: Islamiat (Compulsory, 100 marks). Question type: 20-mark subjective question. Time: ~35–40 minutes. Length: 900–1,100 words + outline. This question rewards definition, basis, scope and method, objections answered, and relevance today. Do not write a one-sided “Islam commands democracy” essay with no discussion of scope or limits. Do not memorise word-for-word. Learn structure, arguments, and evaluation, then write in your own words under timed conditions. Teachings are paraphrased; no wording of scripture or hadith is invented.
Question: “Discuss the concept of Shura (consultation) in Islam and its relevance in the modern age.”
Outline: 1. Introduction — thesis: Shura in Islam is the commanded practice of collective deliberation before decision; it is neither rule by one will nor rule by mere numbers, but decision-making disciplined by consultation, and it remains the Islamic answer to authoritarianism and to decision by impulse. 2. Definition — shura: mutual consultation; mashwarah. 3. Basis — 3: commanded in revelation, practised by the Prophet, practised by the early community. 4. Scope and method — 4: who is consulted, on what matters, how disagreement is handled, the binding question. 5. Objections answered — 3: “shura is only moral advice”; “shura slows decisions”; “shura equals Western democracy”. 6. Relevance today — 4: governance, institutions, family and organisations, personal life. 7. Conclusion — restate thesis.
Model Answer — Introduction: Shura — mutual consultation before decision — is one of Islam’s most distinctive political teachings. This answer argues that Shura in Islam is the commanded practice of collective deliberation before decision; it is neither rule by one will nor rule by mere numbers, but decision-making disciplined by consultation, and it remains the Islamic answer to authoritarianism and to decision by impulse. Shura is duty — it is commanded. Shura is discipline — it governs decision. Shura is mercy — it protects from the errors of one mind.
Definition: Shura — from the Arabic root meaning to extract or draw out (as honey is drawn from the hive): the drawing-out of opinions before a decision. Mashwarah — the act of consultation itself. Shura is collective — it involves others. Shura is deliberative — it weighs opinions, not counts heads blindly. Shura is pre-decision — it happens before the decision, not after it as a formality.
Basis: 1. Commanded in revelation. The Quran describes the believers as those who conduct their affairs by mutual consultation, and the Prophet is instructed to consult his companions in matters of common concern — even though he received revelation, which shows consultation is a standing principle, not a concession to weakness. Command is clear — consultation is ordered. Command is general — it covers the community’s affairs. 2. Practised by the Prophet. The Prophet’s life, as reported, shows repeated consultation: on the battlefield, on treaties, on community disputes — he asked, listened, and sometimes followed the majority view against his own inclination. Practice is documented — it is part of the Sunnah. Practice is consistent — it was a habit, not an exception. 3. Practised by the early community. The early caliphs, as reported, chose consultation in selecting leadership and in great decisions of state. Precedent is early — it belongs to the founding generation. Precedent is political — it governed the state, not only the mosque.
Scope and Method: Who is consulted? Those with knowledge, experience, and stake in the matter — the qualified, not the crowd; consultation is of the competent. On what matters? On matters of discretion — strategy, policy, administration — not on settled divine commands, where obedience, not opinion, applies. How is disagreement handled? Opinions are weighed on merit; the leader decides after listening, and the community then stands behind the decision — consultation without discipline becomes deadlock. Is the outcome binding? The classical discussion: the leader must consult, and the strong view is that he should honour the outcome of genuine consultation — a leader who consults and always ignores has made a ritual of a command.
Objections Answered: “Shura is only moral advice.” The basis shows command and state-level practice — it governed armies and treaties, not only manners. “Shura slows decisions.” Consultation takes time, but it prevents the greater cost of wrong decisions made in haste and of decisions the community will not own. “Shura equals Western democracy.” There is overlap — both reject rule by one will — but shura is bounded by divine guidance and by consultation of the qualified, while democracy is rule by majority will alone. Overlap is real — both consult. Identity is false — the bounds differ.
Relevance Today: Governance. Shura is the Islamic case against authoritarianism: no ruler, however pious, is exempt from consultation — and modern Muslim states can institutionalise it through parliaments, councils, and judicial review. Institutions. Boards, cabinets, and committees are modern shura: decisions by deliberation, recorded and accountable. Family and organisations. The head of a household or a manager who consults earns ownership of decisions and avoids the resentment of the dictated. Personal life. Marriage, business partnership, migration — the Prophet’s practice teaches: consult the knowledgeable, then decide and trust.
Conclusion: Shura in Islam is decision-making disciplined by consultation: commanded, practised at the highest level, bounded in scope, and urgently relevant. The definition is mutual consultation. The basis is revelation, Prophetic practice, and early precedent. The method is consultation of the qualified on matters of discretion. The objections fail. Relevance is governance, institutions, family, and self. Shura is commanded — it is not optional.
Data Bank (use 3–4): Quranic teaching (paraphrased): believers conduct their affairs by mutual consultation; the Prophet is instructed to consult his companions in matters of common concern. Prophetic practice (paraphrased): consultation on military strategy, treaties, and community matters; at times the majority view was followed. Early community (paraphrased): the selection of leadership and great state decisions involved consultation of leading companions. Classical principle: consultation is a duty of the ruler; the community’s affairs are decided by deliberation, not by one will.
Closing line: These are original model answers written for csspastpapers.pk. They are not FPSC official answers, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC.
Related: Islamiat past papers, CSS syllabus, Tolerance in Islam model answer, Human Rights in Islam model answer, Seerat-un-Nabi model answer.