Introduction

The Quranic principle of social change is based on the continuing struggle of right against wrong, on the establishing of the righteous path in all functions of life, and on the promise of a victory for truth over error. The Quran thus invokes mankind to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. The standard of right and wrong is taken by the Quran from the scale of Universal Godly Laws that it claims have been passed down by the great prophets of antiquity to all humankind. These laws have set unique standards of truth, justice and fair dealing for all nations of the world over time. These laws are developed in detail to apply to all functions of life and, in the Islamic context, they are further extended by authoritative Islamic research (ijtehad) and ratified by consensus (ijma). The medium for ijtehad and ijma is the Islamic consultative body, known as the shura.