Democracy simply gives the people the authority to choose their own leader, and the people’s choice are known through voting. So it’s left to the people to either choose a trustworthy leader or a tyrant who doesn’t have the fears of God.
It is high time the Muslims who want to be ruled by the Shari’ah stop complaining and come together to appoint their trusted leaders in all parastatals – following the due process. Democracy does not stop the leaders from practicing the Shari’ah; unless the Shari’ah you are talking about is that which you lack its full understanding.
Voting is a major distinguishing hallmark of democracy and if your revered scholars have permitted election and voting, they have equally permitted democracy, because there’s no other system of government that solely gives the citizens the electoral right aside democracy.
So if the many people of the majority Muslim countries wants to rule by the laws of Allah, democracy will not prevent them, since it is the rule of the majority.
That is why the enemies of Islam always scuttles the will of the majority in the Muslim populated countries because they knew they will rule by the law of Allah, which is allowed by Democracy; but rather they finance monarchy, autocracy or doctorial regime of one person they can easily control and impose their unislamic agenda in the majority Muslim countries.
So these dictatorial and autocratic regimes contracted their gullible stooge Islamic scholars to advocate against democracy so that they can continue to impose their unilateral unilsamic policies.
If it is claimed that democracy is alien, then monarchy is more alien to Islam and it is the basis by which the four first caliph were Khilafatu Raashidah.
But as for the one who nominates himself or nominates others in this system in order to join the parliament and enjoin good and forbid evil, and establish proof against them, and reduce its evil and corruption as much as he can, so that people of corruption and disbelievers in Allaah will not have free rein to spread mischief in the land and spoil people’s worldly interests and religious commitment, this is a matter that is subject to ijtihaad, according to the interests that it is hoped will be served by that.
Some scholars are even of the view that getting involved in these elections is obligatory.
Shaykh Muhammad bn Saalih Al-‘Uthaymeen was asked about the ruling on elections, and he replied:
“I think that elections are obligatory; we should appoint the one who we think is good, because if the good people abstain, who will take their place? Evil people will take their place, or neutral people in whom there is neither good nor evil, but they follow everyone who makes noise. So we have no choice but to choose those who we think are fit. If someone were to say: We chose someone but most of the parliament are not like that, We say: It does not matter. If Allaah blesses this one person and enables him to speak the truth in this parliament, he will undoubtedly have an effect. But what we need is to be sincere towards Allaah and the problem is that we rely too much on physical means and we do not listen to what Allaah says. So nominate the one who you think is good, and put your trust in Allaah.” End quote. From Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh, no. 210.