Characteristics of Mahdawī Governance from the Perspective of the Qurʾān

The discussion of governance in recent years has transformed into one of the key concepts in the fields of political science, public administration, and Islamic studies; however, in the space of Islamic studies, especially in relation to the doctrine of Mahdavism (Mahdawīyah), many dimensions of this concept still require theoretical re-reading and elucidation. Mahdavism in Islamic thought is not merely a theological belief or a promise related to the future, but rather it is considered a comprehensive horizon for understanding the desired social, political, cultural, and religious order on a global scale. From this perspective, "Mahdawī governance" can be considered as a complete and ultimate model of administering human society; a model that not only pursues the realization of justice and security but also seeks to guide humanity toward material and spiritual transcendence and the establishment of the divine religion throughout the entire world. Nonetheless, despite the abundance of verses and discussions related to Mahdavism in Islamic resources, the examination of these verses with a governance approach and with the aim of discovering the characteristics pertaining to the nature, domain, ultimate goal, and attributes of this type of governance has been conducted less methodically. The main problem of the present article stems from this very research gap; meaning that an exact elucidation of what fundamental characteristics Mahdawī governance possesses from the perspective of the Qurʾān and how it differs from other models of governance has not yet been presented independently and systematically. Hence, it is necessary to identify and elucidate the main characteristics of this type of governance by directly referring to the verses of the Qurʾān and in the light of conceptual analysis, so that both its theoretical foundations become clear and the horizon of Islamic studies in the field of governance expands. The main objective of this research is to identify and elucidate the characteristics of Mahdawī governance from the perspective of the Noble Qurʾān; in such a way that through these characteristics, the nature, domain, scope, and ultimate goal of this model of governance can be clarified. The author intends to demonstrate that Mahdawī governance
is not merely a religious government in its limited and common sense, but rather a comprehensive, global, and teleological model of political and social order that is formed based on definitive divine traditions (Sunan Ilāhīyah), and its ultimate horizon is the establishment of justice and religion throughout the world. In this regard, the article endeavors to present a clear picture of the pivotal characteristics of this governance and introduce it as the latest and most complete model of Islamic governance; a model in which global justice, global welfare, global security, and the all-dimensional transcendence
of humanity are intertwined. This objective, at the same time, also pertains to the reinforcement of the theoretical literature of Islamic governance; because identifying the characteristics of Mahdawī governance can be effective in delineating preparatory models and better understanding the relationship among religious government, justice, divine leadership, and the global society. The main question of the article is that what are the characteristics of Mahdawī governance from the perspective of the Qurʾān? This question implicitly encompasses several sub-questions as well: what relationship does Mahdawī governance have with divine traditions in terms of nature and realization? How far is its domain and scope, and what societies and groups does it encompass? What are its intermediate and ultimate goals, and what components distinguish it from other models of governance? The fundamental issue is that if we look at Mahdavism merely at the level of an individual belief or a historical promise, its civilizational and governance capacities will remain neglected; therefore, the article attempts to present a coherent answer to this question from within the verses of the Qurʾān by transforming this doctrine into an issue in the field of governance. This research has been conducted with a qualitative method and based on library and documentary data collection. The required data have been collected from resources related to the verses of Mahdavism, exegeses (Tafāsīr), and research works, and have then been examined with a descriptive-analytical approach. In this method, the author has first attempted to formulate the concept of Mahdawī governance within the framework of Islamic studies, and then, by citing the verses of the Qurʾān and analyzing their implications, extract the pivotal characteristics of this type of governance. The advantage of this method is that instead of relying on subjective or merely rhetorical interpretations, it attempts to provide a conceptual and arguable picture of Mahdawī governance from the text of the Qurʾān and documented religious literature. Thus, the method of the article is not merely descriptive, but pertains to discovering the conceptual relations among Mahdavism, divine tradition, justice, religion, and the global domain of governance. The most important finding of the article is that Mahdawī governance possesses several fundamental and distinct characteristics. The first characteristic is the inevitability and certainty of this governance. The author demonstrates that Mahdawī governance is founded upon divine tradition, and since divine tradition possesses attributes such as immutability, universality, and eternity, the realization of this type of governance will also be an indubitable and definitive matter. In other words, the triumph of truth over falsehood and the entrusting of the reins of the world's affairs to the righteous and the believers is not a mere possibility, but a certain promise in the logic of the Qurʾān. The second characteristic is justice-centeredness. The article specifies that the intermediate goal of Mahdawī governance is the expansion of justice throughout the world. Justice here is not only an administrative or judicial element, but rather the main axis of social order and the basis for regulating human relations at the global level. The third characteristic is religion-centeredness; meaning that the long-term goal of Mahdawī governance is the establishment of religion throughout the entire world and providing the ground for divine servitude on a global scale. In addition to these three main characteristics, the article emphasizes that
the domain of Mahdawī governance is global and transcends ethnic, religious, and geographical borders; in such a way that it encompasses various sects and religions as well. As a result, Mahdawī governance is not a limited and local model, but is considered an inclusive system for the realization of justice, welfare, security, and the material and spiritual transcendence of humanity at the global level. Based on the findings of this research, Mahdawī governance from the perspective of the Qurʾān must be considered the ultimate and complete model of divine governance; a model the realization of which is certain, its scope is global, and its ultimate goals are justice-expanding, religion-centered, and human-building. This governance not only leads to the establishment of social order and stability but also, by linking justice, guidance, security, welfare, and spirituality, delineates a new horizon of human existence. From this aspect, Mahdavism in the Qurʾān is not merely a promise for the future, but a theoretical foundation for understanding the most supreme form of desired Islamic governance. The final conclusion of the article is that any theorization regarding Islamic governance, if it wishes to correctly recognize its ultimate horizon, is inevitably bound to pay attention to the characteristics of Mahdawī governance; because these characteristics present a comprehensive picture of the end of history, the triumph of truth, the globalization of justice, and the establishment of the divine religion. Consequently, Mahdawī governance must be considered both a certain Qurʾānic promise and an important conceptual framework for rethinking models of Islamic governance.