Shariah Ruling on Parliamentary Elections in Lebanon (2000)

مقدمة / Introduction

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of God, Muhammad, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance with goodness until the Day of Judgment. These days, there is much talk about a vital issue that presents itself to Muslims in Lebanon, which is the issue of parliamentary elections. What concerns us here is to clarify the Sharia ruling that we see as the Islamic position that Muslims, especially those carrying the call (da'wah), must adhere to. Giving any Sharia ruling primarily requires knowing the reality from which the ruling is to be derived, that is, it requires establishing its rationale, and after that, the Sharia ruling taken from the Sharia evidences is applied. The rationale for the ruling here is the "legislative council" in the Lebanese state and the nature of the tasks and powers of its members, who are the deputies. The first thing to consider is whether the deputy is a ruler who applies the constitution and regulations of the state, which are man-made systems, or not? The answer to this question determines the cornerstone of the Sharia ruling related to this issue; because if the answer is that the deputy is one of the rulers - that is, he applies the state's systems - then the answer will undoubtedly be that the position of deputy is forbidden according to Sharia.