Identifying and Analyzing Qur’anic Teachings on the Policy Process: Continuity, Transformation and Stage-Based Logic

This study aims to identify and analyze Qur’anic teachings related to the “policy process” — a foundational component in public policy theories that explains the dynamics, transformations, and mechanisms through which policy goals are achieved. Using the thematic-research method in Holy Qur’an, the study seeks to address a gap in the policy literature by exploring the epistemic foundations of the policy process in the light of Qur’anic verses. The findings reveal that, in the Qur’anic perspective, the policy process is not a linear or mechanical sequence; rather, it is a gradual, multilayered, purposive, and value-oriented flow grounded in elements such as staged progression, balance, accountability, foresight, goal-directedness, contextual adaptability, and behavior-responsive feedback. Moreover, Qur’anic teachings emphasize that the policy process must embody continuity across stages, action-guidance, elevating discourse, and the capacity to manage discursive conflicts. Accordingly, this research offers a conceptual and structural reinterpretation of the “policy process” in the Qur’an, providing a basis for developing indigenous theoretical frameworks in public policy and governance within the Islamic Republic of Iran.