Islam and Good Governance

Abstract

In this chapter, I shall propose a broad model of good governance that seeks to realize the highest virtues in Islamic ethos—Ihsan. At the outset, I want to touch upon a simple ‘level of analysis’ issue. The concept of Ihsan, the highest state and virtue that a believer can aspire for, is one that has tradi-tionally been conceived of and understood at an individual level. Here I am proposing that we realize Ihsan not just at an individual level but also at a collective level. Thus, we seek to establish social and structural conditions that can facilitate the emergence of a society of Muhsins—those who have attained the personal state of Ihsan and wish to establish a community or State of Ihsan. It is possible to imagine a society composed of and led by virtuous individuals and all religious and normative political theories did so. Al-Farabi’s vision of a virtuous republic too imagined a society of individuals with laudable virtues. But here I am arguing that we also need to envision a state that is virtuous and to do so we need virtuous governance and we need to identify the structural characteristics of this virtuous state. Therefore, in this chapter, I will discuss what constitutes a State of Ihsan and advance an alternate vision of Islamic governance that goes beyond the elementary idea that Islamic governance is just the implementation of Islamic laws, but rather that Islamic governance is the realization of virtuous outcomes such as social justice, tolerance, acceptance, compassion and peace.