Definition of Democracy And Democracy in the Qur'an

The discourse on democracy continues to roll, it seems to be a "savior" for the powerlessness of the people exploited by a totalitarian and repressive regime. Democracy is not only a scholarly discourse, but also a symbol of a government system, including when the human tragedy that struck the twin towers of the WTC and the Pentagon, last 11 September 2001. According to President George W. Bush, the tragedy was seen as an attempt to destroy democracy. Because he considers that America is the representation of a democratic country in the world. Thus, anyone who tries to interfere with and even more so dares to destroy America, is an opponent of democracy that must be fought and eradicated. Without democracy, a regime - no matter how strong - is difficult to obtain legitimacy from the people, if this happens then a country will not be able to move the wheels of its government. Democracy is often defined as respect for human rights, participation in decision-making and equal rights before the law. From here, the idioms of democracy emerge, such as egalite (equality), equality (justice), liberty (freedom), human right (human rights), and so on. In the Western tradition, democracy is based on the emphasis that the people should be the "government" for themselves, and the people's representatives should be the controllers who are responsible for their duties. It is for this reason that the legislatures in the Western world regard them as the pioneers and vanguard of democracy.

The legislative body truly becomes the people's representative and functions as an aspirational and distributive agent of the people. The existence of people's representatives is based on the consideration that it is impossible for all the people in a country to make decisions because their numbers are too large. Therefore, a representative council was formed. Here then the principles of trust and responsibility (credible and accountable) are mandatory for every member of the board. So that if there is government action that tends to ignore the civil and political rights of the people, it must be immediately reprimanded. That is the need for strong people's representatives to balance and control the government. Normatively, Islam also emphasizes the importance of enforcing amar ma'ruf nahi munkar for all people, both as individuals, members of society and as leaders of the state. This doctrine is an Islamic principle that must be upheld anywhere and anytime, in order to create a safe and prosperous society. So, what is the real concept of Islamic democracy? If normatively Islam has a concept of democracy that is reflected in the principles and idioms of democracy, what is the empirical reality of democracy in Muslim countries? Is it true that Samuel Huntington and F. Fukuyama stated that the empirical reality of Islamic society is not compatible with democracy? This paper wants to examine the principles or elements of democracy in an Islamic perspective and their implementation in Islamic governance.

Definition of Democracy

There are many definitions put forward by experts on democracy, among which as quoted by Hamidah1 are as follows: According to Joseph A. Schumpeter, democracy is an institutional plan to reach political decisions in which individuals gain the power to decide how competitive struggles over a people. Sidney Hook in the Encyclopaedia Americana defines democracy as a form of government in which important government decisions are directly or indirectly based on majority agreement freely given from the adult people2. According to Philippe C. Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl, democracy is a system of government in which governments are held accountable for their actions in the public sphere by citizens who act indirectly through competition and cooperation with their elected representatives3. From the three definitions above, it is clear to us that democracy contains values, namely the existence of an element of trust that is given by the government to the people, there is accountability for a leader. Meanwhile, according to Abdurrahman Wahid, democracy contains two values, namely primary and derivative values. According to Abdurrahman Wahid, the core values of democracy are freedom, equality, deliberation and justice. Freedom means individual freedom in the face of state power and there is a balance between the individual rights of citizens and the collective rights of society.4 Nurcholish Majid, as quoted by Nasaruddin5, said that a country is called democratic insofar as it guarantees human rights (HAM), among others: freedom of expression, rights of association and assembly. Because democracy rejects dictatorianism, feudalism and authoritarianism. In a democratic country, the relationship between the rulers and the people is not a power relationship but is based on laws that uphold human rights (HAM).

Democracy in the Qur'an

In the Koran, there are many verses related to the main principles of democracy, including QS. Ali Imran: 159 and al-Shura: 38 (which speaks of deliberation); al-Maidah: 8; al-Shura: 15 (about justice); al-Hujurat: 13 (about equality); al-Nisa ': 58 (concerning mandate); Ali Imran: 104 (on freedom of criticism); al-Nisa ': 59, 83 and al-Syuro: 38 (on freedom of opinion) and so on. 6 If we look at the empirical basis, according to Aswab Mahasin7, religion and democracy are indeed different. Religion comes from revelation, while democracy comes from the struggles of human thought. Thus religion has its own dialectic. However, according to Mahasin, there is no obstacle for religion to coexist with democracy. As explained earlier, the main elements of democracy in an Islamic perspective include: as-shura, al-musawah, al-'adalah, al-amanah, al-masuliyyah and al-hurriyyah. Then what is the meaning of each of these elements?

1. as-Shura Shura is a principle about how to make decisions which is explicitly stated in the Koran. For example, it is mentioned in QS. As-Shura: 38: "And their affairs are resolved by deliberation between them". In Surah Ali Imran: 159 it is stated: "And consult with them in this matter". In the practice of Muslim life, the institution best known for implementing shura was ahl halli wa-l'aqdi during the khulafaurrasyidin era. This institution is more like a formal team in charge of electing the head of state or caliph8. It is clear that deliberation is needed as a matter of consideration and shared responsibility in issuing a decision. That way, every decision issued by the government will become a shared responsibility. The attitude of deliberation is also a form of giving respect to others because the opinions conveyed are taken into consideration. So important is the meaning of deliberation in the life of society, nation and state, that the Prophet himself also submitted deliberation to his people.

2. al-'Is al-'adalah is justice, which means that in upholding the law, including recruitment in various government positions, it must be done fairly and wisely. No collusion and nepotism. The importance of upholding justice in a government is emphasized by Allah SWT in several of His verses, including in Surah an-Nahl: 90: "Verily, Allah commands (you) to be fair and do good, give to your relatives, and Allah forbids you to act heinous, evil and enmity ”. (See also, QS. As-Shura: 15; al-Maidah: 8; An-Nisa ': 58 etc.). The teachings on the absolute necessity of carrying out the law fairly without discrimination are much emphasized in the Qur'an, even once it is mentioned that it must afflict both one's own parents and their relatives. The Prophet also emphasized that the destruction of the previous nations was because if the "little people" violated they would be punished, while if those who violated were "big people" then they were allowed to pass How the principle of justice in a country is very necessary, so there is an "extreme" expression that reads: "A just country will be sustainable even though it is a kafir state, on the other hand an unjust country will be destroyed even though it is a state (in the name of) Islam" 10

3. al-Musawah al-Musawah is equality, egalitarian, meaning that no party feels superior to the other so that they can impose their will. The ruler cannot impose his will on the people, is authoritarian and exploitative. This alignment is important in a government in order to avoid the hegemony of the ruler over the people. In the Islamic perspective, the government is a person or institution that is given the authority and trust by the people through fair and fair elections to implement and enforce the rules and laws that have been made. Therefore, the government has a big responsibility before the people as well as to God. That way the government must be trustworthy, have attitudes and behavior that are trustworthy, honest and fair. Some scholars' understand these 11 al-musawah as a logical consequence of the principles of al-shura and al-'adalah. Among the arguments of the al-Qur'an that are often used in this regard is Sura al-Hujurat: 13, while quite a lot of the arguments for the Sunnah are included in the khutbah wada 'and the words of the Prophet to the family of Bani Hashim. In this case the Prophet had a message to the family of Bani Hashim as he said: "O Bani Hashim, do not let other people come to me with charitable achievements, while you come only with lineage. Your glory with Allah is determined by the quality of your fear ”.

4. al-Amanah al-Amanah is an attitude of fulfilling the trust that one gives to others. Therefore, this trust or mandate must be properly maintained. In the context of statehood, a leader or government who is given the trust of the people must be able to carry out this trust with a full sense of responsibility. The issue of trust is related to fairness. So that Allah SWT. affirmed in Surah an-Nisa ': 58: "Indeed, Allah instructs you to convey the mandate to those who have the right to receive it and (order you) when establishing laws among humans so that you determine it fairly". Because a government position is a mandate, it cannot be asked for, and people who accept the position should feel concerned, not even grateful for the position. This is Islamic ethics.

5. al-Masuliyyah al-Masuliyyah is a responsibility. As we know, that power and position are mandates to watch out for, not favors to be grateful for, so a sense of responsibility for a leader or ruler must be fulfilled. And power as a mandate has two meanings, namely a mandate that must be accounted for in front of the people and also a mandate that must be accounted for before God. As the Prophet said: Every one of you is a leader and every leader is held accountable. As stated by Ibn Taimiyyah12, the ruler is the representative of God in taking care of mankind and at the same time the representative of mankind in managing himself. With the understanding of the principle of responsibility (al-masuliyyah), it is hoped that each person will try to provide the best for the wider community. Thus, the leader / ruler is not placed in a position as sayyid al-ummah (ruler of the ummah), but as khadim al-ummah (servant of the people). Thus, the benefit of the people must always be a consideration in every decision making by the rulers, not on the contrary that the people or the people are left behind. 6. al-Hurriyyah al-Hurriyyah is freedom, which means that everyone, every member of society is given the right and freedom to express their opinions. As long as it is done in a wise manner and pays attention to al-akhlaq al-karimah and in the framework of al-amr bi-'l-ma'ruf wa an-nahy 'an al-'munkar, there is no reason for the ruler to prevent it. In fact, what must be watched out for is the possibility that there will no longer be parties who dare to criticize and social control for justice. If there is no longer control in a society, then injustice will be more rampant. It is worth paying attention to the words of the Prophet which reads: "Whoever sees evil, then it should be corrected by action, if not able to, then verbally and if not able then with the heart, even though the latter includes weak faith". If a country is consistent with upholding the above democratic principles or elements, the government will receive legitimacy from the people. Thus, the wheels of government will run stably.