No, not at all! This is either a grave misconception or a deliberate attempt to force-fit a Quranic verse where it is not applicable. An interesting read on this is a debate of Shaikh Mufeed (may Allah have mercy on him) with Al-Warthaani, an opponent scholar who had asked him regarding the need for the Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his holy progeny) to consult others using the verse of consultation from the Holy Quran. The reply of Shaikh Mufeed (may Allah have mercy on him) makes it evident that the verse is nowhere related to the need for consulting others to decide any matter, let alone matters regarding appointing a caliph.
Debate with Al-Warthaani regarding the consultation of the Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his holy progeny) and the Verse of Consultation (Shura).
Among the words of the Shaikh, may Allah preserve his honour, is that he was present in the house of the Sayed Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Tahir, may Allah have mercy on him. Also present was a man among the jurists known as Al-Warthaani, one of their scholars.
Al-Warthaani asked him: “Is it not from your (Shia) doctrine that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was infallible, free from error, protected from lapses, safeguarded from forgetfulness and mistakes, perfect in himself, and not in need of his followers?”
The Shaikh, may Allah support him, replied: “Yes, that is indeed the case.”
Al-Warthaani then asked:
“What do you make of the words of Allah, Mighty be His Majesty:
وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللهِ
“And consult them in the matter. But once you have decided, put your trust in Allah”
[Surah Aal Imraan (3): Verse 159]
Did Allah not command him to seek their counsel in decisions, making him reliant on them? How can whatever you claim to be correct in light of the apparent meaning of the Quran and what the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) did?”
Shaikh, may Allah preserve his honour, replied to him:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) did not consult his companions due to any deficiency within himself regarding their opinions or any need that necessitated their counsel, as you presumed and imagined. Rather, there is another reason for this, which I will explain after clarifying what I have already mentioned.
We know that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was infallible from both major and minor sins, even if you disagree about his infallibility from minor sins. He was the most complete of all creation by the consensus of the people of the faith, the best in judgment, the most abundant in intellect, and the most perfect in planning. The connection between him and Allah, Glorified be He, was continuous, and the angels frequently came to him with guidance from Allah, Mighty, and Majestic be He, etiquette, and information regarding what was beneficial.
Given these attributes, it is not plausible that he would need to seek opinions from his followers, as none among them surpassed him in the qualities we enumerated. A wise person seeks the advice of another as a way of benefitting from and relying on the other’s opinion only when he is certain, or at least suspects, that the other person has better judgment, superior planning, or greater intellect. However, when one knows for certain that the other person is inferior in what we described, there is no meaning in seeking his counsel in matters requiring perfection – just as a knowledgeable person does not rely on an ignorant one for knowledge-based needs.
The verse is clear and supports this interpretation. Consider His saying: “And consult them in the matter. But once you have decided, put your trust in Allah”. The occurrence of the action is linked to his own resolve and not to their opinions or consultation. If he had been commanded to seek their counsel for reliance on their opinions, He would have said: ‘When they advise you, act accordingly,’ or ‘When they reach a consensus, carry it out.’ This would have tied the act to their counsel rather than to the resolve that was exclusively his. Hence, with the verse as it is recited, your assumption is disproven.
As for the reason behind inviting them to counsel with him (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), it is because Allah commanded him to engage them by consulting with them, so they would be inclined towards him and learn from his ways when making decisions, thereby adopting the etiquette taught by Allah, Glorified be He. He sought their advice for this purpose, not out of need for their opinions.
There is another clear reason for this. Allah, Glorified be He, informed him that there were those among his nation who harboured ill will, awaited opportunities to undermine him, secretly opposed him and concealed their animosity while striving to disrupt his mission and oppose him in religious matters. However, He did not make known their identities or reveal their names. Allah, Exalted be His name, said:
وَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ مَرَدُوا عَلَى النِّفاقِ لا تَعْلَمُهُمْ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ سَنُعَذِّبُهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّونَ إِلى عَذابٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And among the people of Medina are those who have become adept in hypocrisy; you do not know them, but We know them. We will punish them twice; then they will be returned to a severe punishment”
[Surah Taubah (9): Verse 101]
And He, Glorious is His name, said:
وَ إِذا ما أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ نَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلى بَعْضٍ هَلْ يَراكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفُوا صَرَفَ اللهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ
“And whenever a chapter is revealed, they look at each other (as if to say), “Is anyone watching you?” Then they turn away. Allah has turned their hearts away because they are a people who do not understand.”
[Surah Taubah (9): Verse 127]
He also said, Blessed is His name:
يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْا عَنْهُمْ فَإِنْ تَرْضَوْا عَنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللهَ لا يَرْضى عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْفاسِقِينَ
“They swear to you that you might be satisfied with them. But if you are satisfied with them, Allah is not satisfied with the defiantly disobedient people.”
[Surah Taubah (9): Verse 96]
And He said:
وَ يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللهِ إِنَّهُمْ لَمِنْكُمْ وَ ما هُمْ مِنْكُمْ وَ لكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ
“They swear by Allah that they are from among you while they are not from among you, but they are a people who fear (you).”
[Surah Taubah (9): Verse 56]
And, Glorious is He, said:
وَ إِذا رَأَيْتَهُمتُعْجِبُكَ أَجْسامُهُمْ وَ إِنْ يَقُولُوا تَسْمَعْ لِقَوْلِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ خُشُبٌ مُسَنَّدَةٌ يَحْسَبُونَ كُلَّ صَيْحَةٍ عَلَيْهِمْ هُمُ الْعَدُوُّ فَاحْذَرْهُمْ قاتَلَهُمُ اللهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ
“And when you see them, their bodies please you, and if they speak, you listen to their speech. They are like pieces of wood propped up; they think that every shout is against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?”
[Surah Munaafiqoon (63): Verse 4]
He, Glorious and Majestic, also said:
وَ إِذا قامُوا إِلَى الصَّلاةِ قامُوا كُسالى يُراؤُنَ النَّاسَ وَ لا يَذْكُرُونَ اللهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
“And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing (themselves) to the people and not remembering Allah except a little.”
[Surah Nisaa (4): Verse 142]
And
وَ لا يَأْتُونَ الصَّلاةَ إِلَّا وَ هُمْ كُسالى وَ لا يُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَ هُمْ كارِهُونَ
“They do not approach prayer except while they are lazy, and they do not spend except while they are unwilling”
[Surah Taubah (9): Verse 54]
Then He, Glorious and Exalted, said after informing him about them in general:
وَ لَوْ نَشاءُ لَأَرَيْناكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيماهُمْ وَ لَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ
“And if We willed, We could show them to you, and you would know them by their marks; and you will surely know them by the tone of (their) speech.”
[Surah Muhammad (peace be on him and his holy progeny) (47): Verse 30]
Thus, He guided him to recognize them through their words and made the path to identifying them visible through the signs of their hypocrisy in their speech.
He then commanded him to consult with them so that through what became apparent in their responses, he could come to know their inner reality. A person’s sincerity is evident in his advice, while a deceitful and hypocritical individual reveals his nature through his words. He (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) consulted them for this reason, and because Allah, Mighty be His Majesty, made consulting with them a means to discern their true nature.
Do you not see that when they advised him (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) at Badr regarding the captives, their counsel stemmed from intentions mixed with sincerity? Allah, the Exalted, revealed this to him and reproached them for it, exposing their deceit. He said,
ما كانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ أَسْرى حَتَّى يُثْخِنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْيا وَ اللهُ يُرِيدُ الْآخِرَةَ وَ اللهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ لَوْ لا كِتابٌ مِنَ اللهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيما أَخَذْتُمْ عَذابٌ عَظِيمٌ
“It is not for a Prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued (the enemy) in the land. You desire the commodities of this world, but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. If not for a decree from Allah that preceded, you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment.”
[Surah Anfaal (8): Verses 67-68]
Thus, the rebuke was directed at them, and He censured their opinion, making their true state known to His Messenger (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). Therefore, it is understood that his consultation with them was not due to any deficiency or need for their opinions but for the reasons we have mentioned.
A man known as Al-Jarahi, who was present, said:
“Glory be to Allah! Do you think that Abu Bakr and Umar were among the people of hypocrisy? By no means! We do not think that you, may Allah support you, would suggest such a thing. And we have not seen that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) consulted anyone at Badr besides them. If they were indeed among the hypocrites, this is something we cannot bear nor listen to. If they were not among the people of hypocrisy, then rely on the initial interpretation – that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sought to endear them with consultation and teach them how to manage their affairs.”
The Shaikh, may Allah preserve his honour, responded:
“This is not an argument, O Shaikh, but rather an expression of astonishment and enormity that has strayed from reasoned proof and evidence. We did not mention any individual by name. Rather, we presented a general statement, and it was unnecessary to specify further.”
At this, Al-Warthaani raised his voice, exclaiming loudly: “The companions are of a higher status than to be among the people of hypocrisy, especially Al-Siddiq, and Al-Farooq,” and he continued with remarks of the kind typically heard from common people, rabble-rousers, and those who incite turmoil and strife.
The Shaikh, may Allah preserve his honour, said to him:
“Leave off the clamour and address the argument I presented to you. Defend yourself and your people, for the truth has become clear, and falsehood has perished with the least effort. All praise is due to Allah.”
[Al-Fusool al-Mukhtaarah by Shaikh Mufeed (may Allah have mercy on him), pp. 31-34]