What is the Shariah's ruling on voting in a secular democracy, and on the establishment of Muslim political parties?

Answer

The very first fact to always remember is that obedience to Allah Ta'ala is compulsory. Anything which conflicts with the Shariah is rejected and haraam.

All systems of government besides the Shariah are systems of kufr. It is not permissible for Muslims to participate in any system of kufr. The western system of democracy is a kufr system. Thus, the ruling is that participation in a kufr political system is not permissible.

However, if Muslims living in a non-Muslim country need to form a political party to safeguard their Deen, and if in this process they do not violate the Shariah, then it will be permissible. Such participation in the politics of the non-Muslim country will be permissible only to the degree of absolute need. It will be haraam to exceed this absolute need. It will be haraam for Muslims to engage in the law-making process in general. Their political efforts and endeavours must be restricted to only Deeni issues.

If Muslims living in a non-Muslim country are confronted with a hostile political party which threatens their Deen, then it will be permissible for Muslims to vote for a political party which is favourably inclined to Muslims or which does not threaten the Deen and the Muslim community. But in the process of voting, if they are constrained to violate the Shariah, e.g. women have to abandon Hijaab, then it will be haraam to vote.

The determinants in this issue for permissibility are the Deeni interests of the Muslim community and the ability to abstain from Shar'i violations. Again we emphasize, if in this process Muslims lose themselves and indulge in all the haraam activities which are associated with kuffaar politics and political parties, then it will not be permissible to engage in such politics. In that case the only alternatives are Sabr and Dua. But Sabr and Dua minus moral reformation and spiritual elevation are ineffective, and these could be accomplished only by submission to the Immutable Divine Shariah of the Camel Age – the Sunnah of Muhammadur Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).