TADBIR - GOVERNANCE

ITS DEFINITION

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TADBIR - GOVERNANCE
 PRELIMINARY REMARKS
 The distinctive features of the religious,
intellectual and scientific tradition of Islam is
the utmost care given to the correct and precise
connotation and denotation of terminologies.
 This is possible because of the root system of
the Arabic language and the emphasis placed
on language and naming, in relation to thought
and knowledge in the Qur’an and ahadith of the
Prophet.

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 Governance or tadbir is not an exception.
 Governance is not a new concept.
 It is as ancient as human society.
 Eg. Prophet Adam, upon his dwelling on earth

Allah has outlined for him how to lead his life

– to achieve falah – (Al-Baqarah, 2:31-39; Al-
A`raf, 7:19-31; Ta Ha, 20:116-128) – Allah’s
decree is the result of man’s action.

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SOME DEFINITIONS OF TODAY

 GOVERNANCE
 Governance refers to the exercise of
economic, political and administrative
authority to manage a country’s affairs at all
levels, comprising the mechanisms, processes
and institutions through which citizens and
groups articulate their interests, exercise their
legal rights, meet their obligations and
mediate their differences – United Nation
Development Program (UNDP)
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 The manner in which power is exercised in the
management of a country’s economic and social resources
for development – Asian Development Bank (ADB)
 Governance encompasses all aspects of the way a country,
corporation or other entity is governed – International
Monetary Fund (IMF)
 Governance is a process of decision making and the process
by which decisions are implemented or not implemented –
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

 Those definitions stressed on:

◦ Objectives
◦ Concerns
◦ Orientations

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  In Islam the essential constituent of governance
is tadbir and is projected within the networks of:

◦ imamah - leadership siyasah - politic

◦ mulk - kingdom idarah - administrative agency
◦ hukumah- government imarah - admiral/authority
◦ wilayah - territory ri`ayah - custody/patronage
◦ wizarah - ministry khilafah - deputyship
◦ sultan - king

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TADBIR
 refers to:
 administration
 management
 governance
 when amr (affair) is suffixed to
tadbir (end or everything) it becomes
tadbir al-amr, it connotes one’s act
of relating an affair for its end result.

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 Literally tadbir al-amr refers:

 to mentally observe what its outcome is to be (Al-

Razi d. 666A.H.)
 the mental act of looking in the consequences of
the affairs so that a praiseworthy result will be
obtained (Al-Baidawi d. 791A.H.)
 the act of examining the outcomes by means of
knowing what is good or putting matters into
effect in accordance with the knowledge of what
will follow in the end (Al-Jurjani d. 816 A.H.)
 One’s disposing of or reflection pertaining to the
outcome of an affair (Al-Tahanawi d. 1158 A.H.)

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 Hence tadbir highlights:
 the mode of thinking
 the kind of thinking outcome oriented

 the kind of human action

 2 levels
- knowledge(ilm) + thinking(fikr)
- practice (`amal)

 the above 3 aspects must be in line with tawhid

(oneness, unique and unifying act)

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 At the level of knowledge and thinking it
comprises one’s act of deliberating about:

 what is good – purposive thinking

 foresight
 prudence
 sagacity
 far-sightedness
 choose for the better
(ikhtiyar)
Refer: Ibn Manzur (d.711A.H – Lisan al-`Arab) and Al-Firuzabidi
(d. 817 A.H – Al-Qamus al-Muhit)

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 At the practical level it involves the act of
executing something in order to obtain good
result.
 So both knowledge and practice involved in

the process of tadbir do not simply aim at

any goal but at goals which are of:
 praiseworthy results
 noble ends
 desirable outcomes
 good consequences

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 Tadbir or tadabbur at epistemic level denotes
a particular mode of thinking which is
specifically directed towards an outcome or
result with the intention of knowing what is
good, praiseworthy and noble.
 Hence any act of governance, management or

administration referred to tadbir needs not

only involve in thinking but in practicing and
thus nurturing the good results

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TADBIR IN AL-QUR’AN
 Although tadbir itself is not used in al-
Qur’an, the present tense of its verbal form,
yudabbir is repeated four times (Yunus,10:3
and 31; Al-Ra`d, 13:2 and Al-Sajadah, 32:5).
 In all of the occasion the verb is accompanied

with al-amr (Divine Act, Decree, Command)

 One reads yudabbir al-amr as “He (Allah)

governs the affairs”

 Yudabbir al-amr is also mentioned alongside

the facts of creation – celestial or terrestrial.

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 From the verses we may infer that Allah not only
He brings all the creatures and events into
existence according to a comprehensive design
predetermined in His Perfect Knowledge but He
also generously sustains and governs all of them.
 Al-Razi (d.604A.H – Tafsir al-Kabir) says that
Allah Decrees and foreordains according to the
requirement of wisdom and He also does things
which is always appropriate.
 Al-Baihaqi (d.458A.H – Al-I`tiqad wa al-Hidayah)
explains that Allah as the Governor is both
Omniscient – His knowing of the outcome of
everything and Omnipotent – His deciding in
accordance with His Knowledge and acting just as
He decides.

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 Shah Waliyullah (d.1176 A.H – Hujjat Allah al-
Balighah) argues that tadbir is the last in the
order of three (3) intimately-related Divine
Attributes; the other two being ibda` and
khalq.
 The Divine Governance of the entire cosmos is
indeed His Pattern of Recurrent Acts (Sunnat
Allah) which is all inclusive, appearing partly in
the modes of Cause- Effect correlation and of
the rise and decline of nations and civilizations
in the theatre of history, holding sway not only
over the physical domain but also over the
ethico-spiritual realm, regulating not only
socio-political life but also individual and
family lives.
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TADBIR IN THE AHADITH
 Tadbir and tadabbur signify the mental act of
probing in the consequences of an affair so
that a praiseworthy result may be worked out
and obtained. In a hadith the Prophet says:
◦ “If you happen to want something, reflect
(tadabbur) then upon its consequences
(`aqibatuhu); if its outcome is good (khayr) perform
it. Otherwise, stop doing it.”

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 Umar al-Faruq declares:
◦ “An intelligent person (al-`aqil) is not merely one
who is able to distinguish what is good ( khayr) from
what is bad (sharr) but one who is able to recognize
the better of the two (2) evils ( khayr min al-
sharrayn)”

It means that intelligence is as pertinent in the

evaluation of one’s goals and action plans as it is in
assessing any current state of affairs. This is known
as having a purposive reflection

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Purposive reflection consists of serious
endeavor to sort out:
◦ qualities and virtues
◦ measures
◦ methods
◦ ways
◦ tactics
◦ strategies and plan
to identify qualified manpower and resources
which would guarantee the achievement of noble
ends.
Such process is not a static one but a dynamic
one for it integrates virtues such as integrity and
accountability.

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 In other hadith the Prophet says:
◦ “There is no equivalent of reason (`aql) as
purposive reflection (al-tadbir), no piety (wara`) as
abstinence (al-kaff) and no nobility (hasaba) like
good character (husn al-khuluq).

◦ Here in single saying the Prophet informs that

purposive reflection incorporates:
◦ piety emotional
abstinence intellectual
good character spiritual maturity

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ETHICO-TELEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

The Qur’an is explicit about Allah being the

One who governs the entire universe -
Al-Mudabbir (The Governor), a Divine Name
and Attribute.
In a hadith the Prophet says:
“takhallaqu bi akhlaq Allah”
which means that man has to emulate such
Divine Names and Attributes as befit man
according to his real ability.

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 In truth the Names and Attributes of Allah
constitute the standard of manners and
praiseworthy deeds for Muslims.
 A Muslim must try his level best to be a

governor or administrator in its

comprehensive sense covering as many
spectrums and layers of existence as
possible.
 Since Allah is the Real Governor and man is

merely His servant and vicegerent the latter is

governor only in derivative and relative sense.

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 Man has to govern and manage according to
the laws set by the Real Governor, which are
no other than His customary way of acting –
within which is subsumed the Divine Pattern
of Recurrent Acts in governing the affairs of
His entire creation.

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