The Council (Shūrā) in Sunni Thought, with an Emphasis on Iranian Sunnis

This research aims to examine and elucidate the place of the concept of "shūrā" (counsel) in Sunni political thought and to analyze how it is reflected and formulated among Iranian Sunnis. As one of the fundamental concepts in Islamic sources, shūrā has always been regarded in Muslim political thought as a mechanism for consultation, participation in decision-making, and the management of public affairs, and throughout various historical periods, diverse interpretations and models of it have been presented. Given this background, the main question of this research is: how does the political rationality of Iran's Sunnis understand and explain the concept of shūrā in connection with the intellectual tradition of Sunnism in the broader Islamic world, and what configurations has this concept assumed within the framework of Iran's social and political conditions? This research has been conducted using a qualitative approach and employing the method of content analysis of written sources, and alongside this, some field observations have also been used to supplement the data. Within this framework, the views of Sunni scholars regarding shūrā in classical and contemporary texts have been examined, and subsequently, the manner in which these views are reflected among Iranian Sunnis has been analyzed. The research findings indicate that shūrā in Sunni political thought is regarded as a concept grounded in religious teachings and as a mechanism for harnessing collective wisdom in the administration of community affairs. In contemporary Sunni literature, this concept has likewise been formulated largely within two general frameworks: "general/public shūrā" and "elite shūrā." An examination of the views and experiences of Iran's Sunnis shows that this concept, in interaction with the intellectual tradition of the broader Islamic world and while taking into account the social and institutional requirements of the country, has been re-examined and interpreted in forms appropriate to the local context. Accordingly, it can be said that Iranian Sunni thought, in continuity with the intellectual tradition of Sunnism in the broader Islamic world, has regarded the concept of shūrā as a mechanism for consultation and participation in the management of public affairs, and has sought to interpret and apply it within the framework of Iran's social and institutional conditions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Shūrā ، Islamic political thought ، Sunni Political Thought ، Iranian Sunnis ، Islamic Governance ، Political Participation