Islam Question and Answer - Proportional representation in Islamic centers

Sun 5/4/1431 - 21/3/2010

» What are lamam (“small faults”)? And what is the ruling on a disobedient Muslim who repeatedly commits them?.

» It is not permissible to say that you were present at a lecture from which you were absent.

» His boss gave him the job of following up on some technical drawings, and he managed to save some money on that.

» Should a man listen to his wife’s suggestions and consult her about matters?.

» Is there more reward if the congregation is greater?.

» He has a partnership in a commercial venture on the basis that every time they buy a dozen with his money, he will have ten riyals.

» How children can honour their parents.

» He got to know a girl through the internet and he wants to marry her but her father is refusing.

» The earliest time for Jumu‘ah prayer.

» Taking a sample of clothing from a store and making something similar with the intention of selling it.

361

Islamic politics

Proportional representation in Islamic centers

Is proportional representation in Islam alowable or not.The situation is thus, if there are say 10 Muslim organisations(each with a differant number of members) and they all join together to form one mother organisation so that they can co-ordinate between the Islamic work between each other. Is it permissible that we catogorise the organisation according to their membership. That is if one organisation has 1-100 members they get one vote, 101-200 members they get two votes and so on, Is this permissible in Islam? I hope you can answer this thank you

Praise be to Allaah.

There is no problem with this because it is a way of organizing things in order to reach the right or better opinion, by using points to represent groups according to their size or number of members. But you should know that a "one man one vote" system may be unfair if the people involved are not equal in trustworthiness, ability, knowledge and experience that are necessary for the kind of decision-making that you want to undertake. If they are equal or close enough, then "one man one vote" is fair and wise. The people of authority (ahl al-hall wa’l-’aqd) in this ummah are those who have knowledge and virtue, who are rational and wise, and who are prominent and distinguished. These, not the ignorant masses whose opinion is worthless, are the ones who select the khaleefah. May Allaah help you to do that which will please Him.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid