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Concept of Public Administration

The document discusses the concept of public administration in Islam. It defines public administration as the implementation of government policy and management of all aspects of human life to fulfill Allah's commands. In Islam, public administration is a responsibility given by Allah to humans as stewards of the land. Early Islamic administrators emphasized simplicity, morality, and reasoning to determine rulings. They established justice, upheld sharia law, maintained order, and ensured basic needs and education were provided to citizens.

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Hamza Bilal
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6K views

Concept of Public Administration

The document discusses the concept of public administration in Islam. It defines public administration as the implementation of government policy and management of all aspects of human life to fulfill Allah's commands. In Islam, public administration is a responsibility given by Allah to humans as stewards of the land. Early Islamic administrators emphasized simplicity, morality, and reasoning to determine rulings. They established justice, upheld sharia law, maintained order, and ensured basic needs and education were provided to citizens.

Uploaded by

Hamza Bilal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Concept of Public Administration in Islam

(1) Introduction:

Public administration can be defined as ‘the implementation of government policy’ or ‘translation of


politics into reality that citizens see every day’. It’s a wide field in scope ranging from politics and
legislation to economic and foreign affairs. In Islam Public administration is a kind of responsibility owed
by humankind to Allah, Who made him his vicegerent on land. And this responsibility is the management
of all aspects of human life that fulfills the functions of Allah’s servants. In detail, the purpose of
administrators includes to order for good, to reduce in equity, to look after minorities, to establish worship
etc. Simplicity, morality and Ijtihad were the key characteristics of administrators in early period of Islam.

(2) Definition of Public Administration:

i. Modern concept of Public Administration:

The word administration has been derived from the Latin words ‘ad’ and ‘ministiare’ which means to
serve.

According to American Historian L D White

Public administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfillment or
enforcement of public policy.

According to George G. Gorden Public administration may be defined as

All processes, organizations and individuals associated with carrying out laws and other rules adopted or
issued by legislatures, executives and courts.

ii. Islamic Concept of Public Administration:

Although there is no specific word regarding administration or management in Quran, but the use of
Arabic word ýudabbir’ in it refers to giving instructions, managing, implementing, administrating,
navigating and handling business matters.

According to Muhammad Afandi Hassan

Islamic administration complies with the criteria of human responsibility owed by mankind to Allah, in
which humans as servants and caliphs of Allah must implement saleh practices based on the principle of
cooperation and shura in activities associate with management.

According to Muhammad Shukri Salleh

Islamic administration is management of all aspects of human life that fulfills the function of Allah’s
servants and vicegerents by using all avenues according to Islam, at the individual, family, society and
organization, national and international level.
(3) Concept of public administration in Islam:

In Quran: Allah verifies the concept of Public administrator in following verse:

Those who, should We establish them in land, will keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and enjoin good
and forbid evil; and Allah is the end of affairs. (al-Hajj)

In Hadith: Holy Prophet PBUH once said:

When there are three on a journey they should appoint one of them their commander or (a guide leader,
administrator, and supervisor). (Muslim)

At another time He PBUH warned about the appointment of unworthy people in public offices:

If the offices were assigned to unworthy people, which would mean the end of this world. (Bukhari)

In Life of Rightly Guided Caliph:

The following advice to a Governor contained in a letter of Hazrat Ali (R.A) gives in a nutshell the qualities
and responsibilities of an administrator.

1. He should be an ideal for his staff and fellow citizens and choose the most qualified yet pious, honest,
truthful and God-fearing men for his administrative structure.

2. He should be impartial and dispense justice with equity and should be very careful about the back
biters, sycophants, corrupt and scandal-mongers.

3. He should strike against corruption, injustice and evil usages of authority against citizens and take
responsibility for any defect in his subordinates and staff.

(4) Basic Elements of Public administration in Islam:

Dr. Muhammad al-Buraey in his book Administrative Development: An Islamic Perspective said that
implementation of Islamic administration involves a well-coordinated process having these seven
elements:

i. Intention

ii. Planning

iii. Organizing

iv. Implementing

v. Monitoring

vi. Controlling

vii. Evaluation
(5) Purpose of Public administrators in Islam:

In an Islamic state, the real purpose of the administrator is to enforce the directives of God, conveyed
through the Quran and Sunnah and to bring about these directives and practical application in its life. The
administrator in an Islamic state has following objectives to fulfill:

i. To uphold Islamic religion and Sharia.

ii. To dispense justice.

iii. To maintain law and order.

iv. To enforce criminal code of Islamic Law.

v. To aid the state and its leader in defending its frontiers.

vi. To collect zakat and other taxes.

vii. To protect weak against the strong.

viii. To ensure rule of law.

ix. To initiate works of public affairs.

x. To establish and maintain educational institutions.

xi. To ensure price control.

xii. To enforce public morality.

xiii. To do amr bil maruf wa nahi anil munkar.

xiv. To carry out whatever the functions, state and its rule assign to him/her.

(6) Characteristics of Public administration in early era of Islam: (R1)

i. Administrative system in early days of Islam was simple and free from the bureaucratic mess:

ii. Instead of Changing foreign institutions to Islamic ideology, they were kept intact:

iii. Fear of God was prevalent in whole political atmosphere:

iv. In those administrative issues where Quran and Sunnah were silent, system of legal Ijtihad was
adopted:
(7) Conclusion:

Hence it is rightly said that Islam is a complete code of life. Like all other aspects of life i.e. political, social,
economic Islam is complete source of Guidance for administrative system. It considered administrative
system as a duty assigned by God on humans, who are His vicegerents on earth. It not only assigned
responsibilities to administrators like to uphold Islamic religion and Sharia, to dispense justice or to
maintain law and order, but also set boundaries on their authority and warn them of punishment if they
exceed limits. Holy Prophet PBUH once said

Authority is a trust. And on the Day of judgment, it is a cause of humiliation and repentance except for
one who fulfills its obligations and (properly) discharges the duties attendant thereon. (Sahih Muslim)

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