Fazlur Rahman’s Notion of Shura and Its Implications for Democratic Education

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine the centrality of shura as a deliberative practice in relation to the political, social, economic and private. As such, we show that shura is as necessary in matters of political governance as it is between spouses in relation to the rearing of their children. Thereafter, we examine some of the implications of Rahman’s elucidation of shura for democratic education. Democratic education should remain open-ended and inconclusive as there is always more to know and to be deliberated on. That is, democratic education relies on forms of human engagement where the possibility is expanded for participants engaged in such practices to remain in potentiality. Likewise, Rahman’s cooperative view of shura accentuates the need to include all people engaged about matters of public concern—most notably, those voices, who might be in disagreement, and who would be most likely to be excluded from any consultation and participation.