ABSTRACT
A visit to both classical and contemporary Islamic literature relating to the governance discourse is essential in this research to locate how Islamic ontology and epistemology is articulated throughout history in developing the notion and policies related to governance. It will illuminate the quest to trace how Islamic ontology and epistemology could contribute towards the subject. Due to it being a recently developed notion, specific research directly dealing with the relation with the concept and notion of governance in Islam is scarce. However, classical literature on Islamic polity and economics or anything that brings close meaning to the notion of governance would serve as references to this research, which can help to see how Islamic ontology and epistemology is articulated in historical knowledge. The long history of Muslim and Islamic civilization constitutes a long series of experience of Islamic polity. Long before Hobbes, Mills, Rousseau and other Western political thinkers and writers propelled their masterpieces the Muslim scholars had been dedicating themselves to producing literature related to political thought and the political system alike. Since the dawn of Islamic civilization, Muslims’ governance experience, which encompasses institutions and rulings, has been part of Muslims’ life. Cahen (1970: 2b: 531) suggests that political matters were conceived in terms of religious affairs since the dawn of Islam. Indeed, politics and economy have been part of the wide range teachings of Islam. Prophet Muhammad himself was both a ruler or administrator (of Madinah and the Muslim nation) and a prophet. Being part of Shari’ah rulings, political and economic issues were discussed by classical Muslim scholars under the shade of their epistemological sources. In tandem, Muslim empires, throughout the centuries also contributed in preserving the tradition and the system in varying manners. Some implemented the teachings literally, and some have been very selective, and some others chose to rationalize them with the context.
