The Meaning of Council in the Iranian Experience

The concept of the council, an Islamic instruction along with the other religious instructions, enjoys appropriate conceptual and theoretical potential which are along the discussion of the religious democracy. Although in the religious texts the concept of the council has been in the center of the attention and theories of the Muslim scholars for a long time, the Iranians thinkers revisited it in their reflections once again through the Iranians’ acquaintance with the modernity and such concepts as the parliament, election, voting and representation. This theoretical attempt formed for the first time in the period of constitutionalism. Also in the experience of the Islamic republic, the theoretical participation of the people extended from the level of decision making and law making to the level of developing systems and structures; practically as well, the necessary mechanisms were provided for the realization of a consultative life at the general and specialized levels. This experience, along the way of the religious democracy, has taken effective steps. The present article is the study of the Iranian experience of the council, especially in the Islamic republic regime.To this end, the position of the concept of the council in the religious texts, the first consultative life experience in the period of constitutionalism, and the Iranian experience of the council in the Islamic republic will be studied.