This is an extract from my latest book Productivity Principles of ʿUmar II. You can learn more about the book here.
The Shūrā Committee of ʿUmar II
When ʿUmar II was governor of Medina, he surrounded himself with a panel of pious and experienced consultants. When he became king, he maintained this system, and once again put
together a team of experts to consult with on every major decision.
The practice of consulting experts has
always been a recommended practice for Muslims. In the Quran, there is an entire chapter titled the Chapter of Shūrā (Consultation) which includes the
verse, “And their affairs are decided through consultation among themselves,”[1]
Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “If your brother
requests your consultation, let him give counsel.”[2] It was also the practice
of the Rightly Guided Caliphs to have a committee of
consultants to discuss all important issues.
In Islam, such committees are called shūrā committees and are very important
for success in any project.
ʿUmar II wanted to emulate the leadership style of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Rightly Guided
Caliphs. Based on their example, he set up shūrā committees to consult whenever he
was in a position of power. He first established such a committee when he was
governor of Medina. His committee at that time included ten of Medina’s leading scholars.
This included ʿUrwa b. al-Zubayr, ʿUbaydullāh b. ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUtbah, Abū Bakr b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, and many other leading scholars
from the second and third generation of Muslims.[3]
This council was given several tasks,
which included giving ʿUmar their opinion on any action he planned to take,
informing him of any misconduct in his region, and advising him on matters of
policy. Based on the advice of this council, he made several
improvements to the social structure of Medina. This resulted in a large number of people migrating to Medina during
his short reign.[4]
When he was appointed caliph of the Muslim world, ʿUmar again set in place a shūrā council to guide his decisions.
This committee included leading scholars from across the Muslim world including
Sālim b. ʿAbdullāh, Muhammad al-Qurṭubī, Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywa and Yazīd b. al-Muhallab.[5]
Surrounded by such exemplary
individuals, and in contact with various others throughout the Muslim Empire
via letters, ʿUmar’s policies and decisions were guided by sincere advice, experience, and piety. This led to some of the most important
decisions that shaped the history of the Muslim world.
Because of the wise and righteous
advice of these consultants, ʿUmar II was able to set up various
long-term projects that benefited the Muslim community for centuries.
Some of the decisions that resulted
from consultation include the removal of various unjust
taxes, increasing the salaries of religious scholars, sending scholars to teach
Islam to the newly conquered regions,
and the compilation of hadith into books. Each of these
decisions played an important role in improving the lives of the Muslim community.
ʿUmar II’s High Regard for Consultation
ʿUmar II once said, “Nobody is entitled to
be a judge unless he has five qualities. He must be chaste, gentle and patient,
knowledgeable of the past, accustomed to seeking the consultation of others, and indifferent to
criticism from others.”[6]
Among the five most crucial qualities
of a judge, ʿUmar II included seeking consultation. A judge cannot always rely on his own opinion or view of a matter, and
neither can he always trust his own ability to remain unbiased. A just judge
will seek the opinion of righteous experts before making a decision.
ʿUmar II advised his governors, judges,
and contemporary scholars to seek consultation on every important issue.
He once wrote to ʿUrwah a letter in which he mentioned,
“You have written to me asking about the practice of issuing legal rulings and
settling people’s dispute. That heart of the judicial practice is adherence to
what you find in the Book of God, the issuing of rulings based on the example set by the Messenger of
God as well as the judgments handed down by the Rightly-Guided leaders, and
consultation with the learned whose points of
view can be trusted.”[7]
In these two quotations, we can see the
high status ʿUmar II gave to consultation. He considered it among the most important sources of decision making,
policy making, deduction of laws, and application of principles. He would not
make any major decisions without consulting experts on the topic, and he
advised others to do the same.
Consultation is one of those principles
that ʿUmar both practiced and preached, and
it is one of the most important principles that led to his success in various
fields.
The Benefits of
Consultation
There are many benefits of seeking the
counsel of experts. Ahmad al-Raysuni, in his book al-Shūrā, lists ten major benefits of consultation.
These are:
- Choosing the most correct opinion
- Protecting the decision from bias and desire
- Preventing tyranny
- Promoting humility
- Giving people their due
- Promoting an atmosphere of freedom
- Improving one’s thinking and planning capabilities
- Building support structures
- Promoting unity and goodwill
- Increasing the ability to deal with unwanted
consequences.[8]
Each of these is important for
achieving maximum productivity from one’s goals.
When we consult others, we increase the chance of arriving at the correct
opinion and therefore increase our chances of succeeding at our goals.
Sometimes when we make decisions on our
own, these decisions are clouded by bias or desire. Seeking the counsel of
someone unbiased helps us see past these distortions and helps us arrive at a
better conclusion. In doing so, we also protect ourselves and others from any
unintentional tyranny that our biased opinions may cause.
It takes humility to seek the counsel
of others. This makes consultation an act that strengthens humility
and reduces arrogance. This increases the chance of success, as humble people
are far more likely to excel than the arrogant.
Consultation with specialists actively
demonstrates appreciation and respect for the experts. This is a way of giving
people their dues, promoting an atmosphere of freedom and discussion, as well as
promoting unity and goodwill among people.
The more we discuss our ideas with
others, our thinking and planning capabilities grow accordingly. Each
discussion teaches us a new way of looking at things and refines our thinking
process.
Finally, consultation is a team task. When you consult
others, they become invested in your outcome, which gives you a stronger
support structure and an increased ability to deal with any obstacles or
problems that may arise.
These are just ten benefits of consultation.
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[1] Quran 42:38
[2] Ibn Mājah 3747
[3] As-Sallabi, ʿUmar Bin
ʿAbd al- ʿAzīz, pp. 77-78
[4] Ibid. pp. 78-81
[5] Ibid. pp. 115-118
[6] Ibn Ḥajar
al-ʿAsqalānī, Fatḥ al-Bārī, vol. 15, p. 50
[7] Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Jamiʿ Bayan al-ʿIlm,
vol. 2, p. 30
[8] Al-Raysuni, al-Shura, pp.24-40
