Institutionalization of the Comprehensive Guide to Islamic Governance in the Three Layers of the Body of Knowledge, Establishing a Discipline, and Training Governors

Islamic governance, as one of the most important requirements for the realization of the Islamic State and a prerequisite for the formation of the modern Islamic civilization, requires a coherent, systematic, and executable framework. Despite the passage of several decades since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the extensive production of theoretical texts in fields such as political Fiqh, Islamic political philosophy, public policymaking, and Islamic management, a significant gap between theory and practice is still observed in the arena of governance. One of the fundamental causes of
this situation is the lack of a “Comprehensive Guide to Islamic Governance” that can institutionally establish a bond among theoretical knowledge, specialized education, and the practical training of governors. In the current situation, the knowledge of Islamic governance is produced in a scattered, non-synergetic manner and lacks a common language in seminary (Ḥawzah) and academic resources; on the other hand, the country’s official educational system also lacks a specific, interdisciplinary discipline for the training of governors at the Islamic level. In addition to this, executive and managerial institutions predominantly content themselves with in-service training and do not possess deep, a priori, and identity-building processes for the nurturing of governors. These shortcomings have caused managers and policymakers, despite their individual commitment, to lack the necessary theoretical and skill coherence for the realization of the Islamic governance model. Therefore, the main problem of the present research is how the Comprehensive Guide to Islamic Governance can be designed and institutionalized in the form of an institutionalized and sustainable model across the three layers of the body of knowledge, establishing a discipline, and training governors, so that the gap between theory and practice in Islamic governance is reduced. The main objective of this research is to design and elucidate the model for institutionalizing the Comprehensive Guide to Islamic Governance across three interconnected layers. This research endeavors to show that the realization of Islamic governance is not possible merely through the production of theoretical texts or the issuance of upstream documents; rather, it necessitates the creation of a coherent system comprising the production of knowledge, scientific training, and the practical nurturing of governors. Among the secondary objectives of the research, one can point to identifying the existing gaps in the knowledge system of Islamic governance, elucidating the necessity of establishing the interdisciplinary discipline of Islamic governance or Wilāyī governance, and presenting a framework for the training of governors possessing epistemological, specialized, and ethical competencies. The research also seeks to elucidate the institutional and structural requirements necessary for the implementation of this model and to clarify the path of transforming the guide to Islamic governance from a theoretical concept into an executive mechanism. The current research is of a qualitative nature and has been conducted with an exploratory-analytical approach, utilizing the grounded theory method. The research data have been collected from two main sources: first, the study and analysis of documents, scientific texts, macro-policies, and works related to Islamic governance, public administration, governmental Fiqh, and the education of governors; second, conducting semi-structured interviews with a group of experts in the field of policymaking, university professors, seminary (Ḥawzah) researchers, and experienced executive managers. The data analysis process has been carried out through open, axial, and selective coding, and an effort has been made to extract the pivotal concepts, main categories, and the relationships among them. The validity of the research has been reinforced through theoretical saturation, data review by experts, and the alignment of findings with authoritative documents. The research findings indicate that the institutionalization of Islamic governance necessitates the design of a three-layered and synergetic structure. In the first layer, the “Body of Knowledge of Islamic Governance” is proposed as the theoretical foundation, which must include fundamental concepts, principles, objectives, values, and decision-making models in Islamic governance. This body of knowledge must be interdisciplinary, updated, and based on the intersection of Fiqh, political philosophy, social sciences, and indigenous governance experiences, and it must avoid conceptual scatter and contradiction. In the second layer, the establishment
of a specialized and interdisciplinary discipline in the field of Islamic governance is essential; a discipline that can transform this body of knowledge into coherent educational programs and train students with the capability of analysis, policymaking, and management within the framework of Islamic values. In this discipline, merely theoretical education
is not sufficient, and practical skills, case studies, and governance internships must
hold a special place. The third layer is the training of governors, which pertains to the process of identifying, empowering, and employing managers at the level of Islamic governance. The findings show that the training of a governor is a matter beyond academic education and requires specialized institutions, a merit system, continuous evaluation, and a close link with the arena of practice. In conclusion, it must be stated that without the systematic connection of these three layers, the guide to Islamic governance will not
reach the realization stage, and its institutionalization necessitates institutional will, long-term planning, and the creation of coordinating mechanisms at the macro level of governance.