ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the approach to quality in Islam in practice and in theory based on the holy Qur'an and the commentaries, before moving on to I. Theory. It focuses on Shura and other similar Islamic values, using two main approaches, the so-called Hisba system and the Dawaween system. The chapter explains the main functions of the Al-Hisba system that was applied by Al-Muhtasib. The Al-Dawaween system is related to documentation as a major element in management communication throughout Islamic states. It also discusses how, according to Hisham Sharabi, colonialism created a patriarchal system in the Islamic and Arab worlds, whereby freedoms, including the freedom of thought and expression, were constricted, with grave ramifications for society. Moreover, when Islamic civilisation was at its height, not only were systematic documentation and purposeful quality control clearly in evidence; they were also closely aligned with a culture that promoted the retrieval, sharing and indeed creation of knowledge.
