The Principles of Leadership in Islam

 

The Quran gives attention for directing a man towards knowing himself with what Allah has bestowed him with a huge innate power. He’s more knowledgeable about God’s names, more than angels, which makes them prostrate before him. Man is the highest of all beings, with everything created to serve his interests. “He is the one who created for you all of what on this earth”[1]. “Don’t you see that Allah has manifested for you all what is in heaven and on earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors, apparent and unapparent.[2]”

 

A man differs from animals by desires and their nature, where a man has less instincts than animals for animals are equipped by a group of instincts that drive, guide, and organize their lives, without exceeding them. On the contrary, a man has greater and more numerous powers than animals, but God did not bestow as many instincts upon them. Instead, humans are tasked with self-guidance. They lack the internal instincts that lead them, necessitating external guidance. This is the philosophy behind the sending of prophets. Prophets were sent to nurture these instincts, reveal the hidden treasures within humans, teach them how to use and benefit from them correctly, guide human powers along the right path, and encourage action. Thus, wise leadership of human powers is achieved.

 

There are a set of laws and principles that govern human behavior and actions. Anyone who sets themselves up as a leader must understand these governing laws, as they are the key to winning people's hearts. They must chart a course for others to follow and encourage the correct use of these laws. The Quran's description of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is striking: "Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them.”[3] These burdens are none other than traditions and superstitions, and these shackles are the spiritual habits that stifle the abundant potential within humans, leading to stagnation, misery, and despair. The role of the Prophet, from a social leadership perspective, is to release these bound forces, infuse them with vitality, guide them on the right path, and transform the weakest of peoples, through wise leadership, into a powerful nation unrivaled in strength.

  

[1] Surah Al Baqarah verse 29

[2] Surah Luqman verse 20

[3] Surah Al A’raf verse 157