Introduction
Allah has placed mankind as managers for this Earth. Allah says
“And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.’ They said, ‘Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?’ He [Allāh] said, ‘Indeed, I know that which you do not know.’”(Al Baqarah, 2:30).
And Allah says elsewhere
“And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” ( Al-An’am, 6:165)
Whether we like it or not that is our role. Logically one can see it, because it’s only man who’s outside the natural balance of the ecosystems of this Earth. When we follow Allah’s guidance then we work within these ecosystems, but when we go against His guidance we disrupt and destroy these ecosystems. In this paper I will discuss the foundations of Islamic leadership, the Prophetic method, the method of the rightly guided Caliphs as well as some of the key traits of a great leader.
Foundations of Islamic Leadership
The foundation of strong leadership are two. Accountability to Allah and servitude to Him. In the hadith of Jibreel, Jibreel Alayhi-Salaam, he asked Muhammad peace be upon him, what is ihsan. The Prophet PBUH explained, “that you fear Allah as if you are seeing Him, and though you see Him not, verily He is seeing you.” (Muslim, Book 1, no. 6) This Ihsan is related to taqwa. Everything we do should be an act of worship, whether it’s maintaining the house, maintaining our family, working, traveling, eating or even sleeping. They should all be acts of worship.
Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allāh, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.” (Al-An’am, 6:162-163)
As such they should be done with awareness that Allah is watching us and that is taqwa. Taqwa shields the believer from committing sins because he’s always thinking and reminded of Allah. A person who’s always aware of Allah and does everything with Ihsan has reached the height of human capabilities. “We have certainly created man in the best of stature;Then We return him to the lowest of the low.” (At-Tin 95:5)
The best leaders in Islam are those who are the best servants to Allah. Because whatever Allah commands is good, and whatever he prohibits is bad. By becoming a righteous servant of Allah you would reach the height of morals, which would earn you respect from the people. When you’ve gained the respect of the people, then you’ve gained their ears and oftentimes their hearts.
Prophetic Model of Leadership
The Prophet PBUH was the best leader and the best example. “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allāh an excellent pattern1 for anyone whose hope is in Allāh and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allāh often.” (Al-Ahzab 33:21) He embodied the Quranic teachings.
Qatadah reported: I said to Aisha, “O mother of the believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.” Aisha said, “Have you not read the Quran?” I said, “Of course.” Aisha said, “Verily, the character of the Prophet of Allah was the Quran.” (Muslim)
He practiced what he preached. In preparation for the battle of the trench the prophet PBUH was digging the trench just like everyone else. Many leaders don’t do the work of their regular workers. Some may have done it in their youth, but now that they’re successful businessmen they find it beneath them to do. Yet the Prophet PBUH served his household, sometimes mending his own clothes, and worked to build the trench just like his companions. He didn’t stay far away, secluded and protected with security. He was in the trench like everyone else, getting dirty like everyone else. It’s much easier to follow someone who’s in the trenches with you.
He listened to others’ input. In preparation for the battle of Uhud he listened to his companions who preferred fighting out of the city even though he himself preferred fighting within. He listened when a sahabi instructed him on where they should place their army.
These are the qualities of a great leader, which is why he was able to do what no other person in history was. He, by the Mercy of Allah, took tribalistic backwards people, united them, and made them leaders of most of the world.
Historical and Contemporary Leaders
The Caliphs were among the people. They didn’t have an elitist attitude. They were down to earth people such that someone who didn’t know who Omar was wouldn’t recognize him in a gathering. For instance when Caliph Omar took over Jerusalem, he took turns with his servant as to who rides. So by the time they arrived, Omar was leading the camel into the city. The people mistook the rider as the caliph and Omar as the servant!
In keeping with the Prophetic teachings the Caliphs didn’t seek positions of power.
Abdur Rahman ibn Samurah reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to me, “O Abdur Rahman, do not ask for authority! If it is given to you at your request, you will be held fully responsible for it. If it is given to you without your request, you will be helped by Allah in it.” (Muslim)
Instead they were chosen on their good merit. A huge problem to day is career politicians. These are people who vie for power most of their lives. They’ll cheat and bribe their way into their positions. As such the best person for the job is not hired, and only people with evil intentions are chosen.
Leadership Traits in Islam
The traits of a good leader are the traits of the Prophet and his companions. They are our role models. They were patient, optimistic, brave, God fearing and more. By Allah’s mercy they were a light in the darkness of this world. A world of evil and misguidance. It’s by their efforts that the rights of men, women, orphans, the elderly, animals and more were preserved and spread. Other nations copied the methods developed by Muslims. Unfortunately, we have left that way and are now trying to copy the methods of the kuffar which can only lead to destruction.
The Impact of Islamic Leadership
We must take the Prophet and his companions as our role models. They were the best of generations. Rather than looking up to Elon or Mark we should look at Ali and Uthman. Allah has given us a role of being maintainers of this Earth and it’s time we remember to take this role seriously. May Allah grant us success.
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