Consultation (Istishāra) in Madinah state administration

Muslim countries face structural problems in the current world. Examples of this include a lack of the establishment of justice, a lack of transparency in administrations, a lack of holding administrators accountable, and the absence of prioritizing the rule of law. Another example is the inability of Muslim countries to make the Islamic tradition of, istishāra, into an institution. Not giving istishāra its proper due by including knowledgeable and experienced individuals from education to local administration, internal and international politics, stands in the way of our finding permanent solutions. Because professionals’ opinions do not have enough of a place in the decision-making mechanism, it leaves the country’s fate to the preferences of a narrow clique within the government or a certain group that has taken over governmental authority. In turn, this causes deep political, economic, and social problems. This study analyzes the relationship between Islam and consultation, the need for consultation in the postmodern world, the importance that the Prophet (saw) gave to the mechanism of istishāra as well as his application of it.