To what extent does Islam support democratic rule? Discuss by referring to the rule of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Mark according to the levels of response marking grids for AO1 and AO2. Answers may refer to any religious theory or teaching. Students may propose, analyse and evaluate some of the following arguments. All relevant arguments must be credited.
2. Candidates could start by describing what democracy is and what democratic rule is, so for example a government where the power is indirectly with the people, directly or by their elected representatives.
3. Candidates could explain that Islam fully embraces democratic principles and concepts such as consultation (shura), public interest (maslaha), and justice (adl) which justify representative government institutions that are similar to Western democracy.
4. Candidates could agree and explain with examples all the steps that the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs took which are compatible with a democratic rule, for example their election.
5. They can start by explaining how shura which is mentioned in the Qur'anic verse: 'and consult with them on the matter' (3:159) demands the participation of society in running the affairs of the government, was upheld by all four Caliphs. They could show instances in the rule of any of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs where they carried out shura, consulting the senior Companions on major decisions.
6. They can also write about the changes brought about by Umar specifically during his Caliphate. He organised the judiciary and separated it from the executive. There was a separate department to look into complaints against the officers of the State. No one was exempt from the law, not even the Caliph himself.
7. Another example could be Umar's use of independent reasoning (ijtihad) in order to suit the specific situation of the time, e.g. he abolished the punishment law for thieves at the time of famine as they were victim of circumstances, rather than doing it for greed.
8. The concepts of welfare and pension were introduced in early Islamic law as forms of charity tax (zakat), one of the Five Pillars of Islam, under Umar in the 7th century. The taxes (including zakat and jizya) collected in the treasury of an Islamic government were used to provide income for the needy, including the poor, elderly, orphans, widows, and the disabled.
9. Candidates could argue that while Islam accepts democracy, however it does not approve the liberal secular ideas of the West.
10. Candidates could also show that shura remains non-binding while democratic process and laws are binding. There were times where the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs did not abide by the shura, for instance Abu Bakr who has in some situations taken decisions on his own, for example when he sent the army under the command of Usama bin Zaid even though the other Companions were against this decision.
11. Even the selection of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs of Islam was done according to the social and political situation and not always done by the voice of the people, for example, the choice of Umar was done by Abu Bakr, and the election of 'Uthman and 'Ali was done by senior Companions.
12. Conclusions should make a personal judgment about the extent to which Islam encourages democracy based on the lives of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs and an opinion about its application on Muslims today might help to analyse the significance of this issue.