Rational Reasons for the Necessity of Consultation in Islamic Government, with Special Reference to Imam Khomeini's Precept

Consultation in management of affairs which is recommended by rational people, means enjoying the viewpoints of others in taking a decision that is closer to an appropriate one. There is no doubt that consultation is useful, but whether consultation is obligatory for the Islamic ruler who has religious and legal prerogatives is under investigation.
The advocates and opponents of the necessity of consultation have relied on textual (the Book and Tradition) and non-textual reasons to support their arguments. The present paper is an attempt to study the rational reasons for the necessity of consultation in governmental decision-making. The findings of this paper indicate that the ruler is bound to follow the viewpoints of the advisors after consultation when their viewpoints qualitatively and quantitatively override his own viewpoints. This is a different understanding of the Holy Quran’s verse on consultation. Consultation in the government system is in contrast with religious dictatorship, referred to by Allamah Naini.