Question:
In the book The Institutions of State (Al-Ajhizah) on page 16, the phrase occurs: "The system of ruling in Islam is not democratic in the true sense of democracy," as if there is some ambiguity in the expression... what is the benefit of mentioning "the true sense"? We hope for clarification, and may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
What was stated in the book The Institutions of State on page 16 is as follows:
"The system of ruling in Islam is not democratic in the true sense of democracy, in terms of legislation belonging to the people, where they permit and prohibit, and judge what is good and bad. And in terms of not being bound by the Sharia rulings in the name of freedoms. The Kuffar realize that Muslims will not accept democracy in its true sense; therefore, the colonialist Kafir states (especially America today) try to market it in the Muslim lands by introducing it to them through deception, claiming that democracy is merely the mechanism for electing the ruler... They bypassed the fundamental part of it, which is that legislation, permitting, and prohibiting belong to humans and not to the Lord of humans... moving away from the true meaning established by its own people, which is that it means sovereignty belongs to the people who legislate whatever they wish by majority opinion, permitting and prohibiting, and judging what is good and bad. It also implies that the individual is 'free' in his actions to do whatever he wants—drinking alcohol, committing adultery, apostatizing, or insulting and cursing the sanctities—under the name of democracy and its freedoms. This is democracy; this is its reality, its connotation, and its truth. So how can a Muslim who believes in Islam dare to say that democracy is permissible, or that it is from Islam?!
As for the matter of the Ummah choosing the ruler, i.e., choosing the Khalifah, it is a matter explicitly stated in the texts..." End quote.
It is clear from this that mentioning the "true meaning" was to distinguish democracy in its true technical sense from the meaning they promote for democracy as being merely elections. This is because some people mistakenly believe it is just an electoral process, while this is not the true meaning of democracy.
As for electing the ruler and the Bay'ah (pledge of allegiance), it existed in Islam centuries before the West ever knew of it.