Leadership - IAIS Malaysia

EDITED BY
Dr. Azman Hussin
CO-EDITOR
Dr. Rozhan Othman
PATRON
Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan
DESIGNED BY
Zainuzzaman A Samad
CONTRIBUTORS
Dato’ Mustafa Kamal
Dr. Abdul Rahim Md Ghouse
Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdullah
Ahmad Zuhdi
Izzati Iznan
Kamarudin Sohit
Md Taib Pardi
Mohd Nazri Mohd Nor
Wan Naim Wan Mansor
Zainal Adnan
A collaborative project of
MISG USA & Canada Alumni
A humble effort to map the
various laws, principles and
roles of modern leadership
theories with examples from the
history and biography of Prophet
Muhammad (SAW).
a
Table of Contents (of the actual book)
Dedication
i
Foreword From Editor
ii
Chapter 1: Introduction
1
Section 1: The Truth About Leadership
2
Section 2: Combining Modern Leadership Science and Leadership Examples From Muslim
History
Chapter 2: Leadership Truth: You Make A Difference
3
9
Section 1: The Most Influential Person in the History of Mankind
10
Section 2: Summary of the Success and Impact of the Prophet’s (SAW) Mission
11
Section 3: Abu Bakr (RA) Showed Leadership On The Day Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Died 15
Section 4: 'Umar (RA) Introduced Many Innovations
18
Section 5: ‘Umar (RA) Confirms Four Great Companions As Equal To A Thousand
21
Section 6: Mus’ab ibn Umair Did All The Hard Work To Prepare For The Eventual
a
Migration Of Muslims To Madinah
Section 7: The Last Sermon from Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
Chapter 3: Leadership Truth: Credibility Is The Foundation Of Leadership
23
26
29
Section 1: Khadijah Entrusted Her Trade With Muhammad (SAW) When He Was Only 25
Years Old
Section 2: The Evil An-Nadr bin Al-Harith Confirms the Credibility of the Prophet (SAW)
30
31
Section 3: Even Abu Sufyan Affirmed The Truthfulness of Muhammad (SAW) When He
Was Still Opposed To Islam
33
Section 4: Abu Bakar Confirms His Absolute Belief In The Prophet’s (SAW) Truthfulness
During The Incident of Isra’ and Mi’raj
39
Section 5: Even His Enemies Witnessed On His Honesty And Integrity
41
Section 6: The Prophet (SAW) Never Abused His Authority
42
Chapter 4: Leadership Truth: Values Drive Commitment
44
Section 1: Never Compromise on Matters of Principle
45
Section 2: Even If They Put The Sun In My Right Hand And The Moon In My Left…
47
b
Section 3: The Prophet Reprimands His Companions When They Overstep Fundamental
Values
Section 4: The Same Justice Applies To Those Closest To Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
48
51
Section 5: Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Exemplifies The Value of Mercy Even After He
Received The Worst Treatment at Taif
52
Section 6: Showing Mercy Even When The Enemy Was Adamant On Killing Him (SAW)
During Uhud
56
Section 7: Islam Values Freedom
58
Section 8: It Is About Freedom Of Choosing One’s Religion
61
Section 9: Unflinching Faith And Commitment To His Mission
64
Section 10: When The Enemy Transgresses The Prophet (SAW) Never Hesitated To Use
Force
Section 11: If It Be Sinful He Would Be As Far As He Could From It
66
68
Chapter 5: Leadership Truth: Focusing On The Future Sets Leaders Apart
70
Section 1: Painting a Vision of Future Greatness Despite Being In Difficulty
71
c
Section 2: ‘Adi ibn Hatim Confirms The Prophet’s (SAW) Vision
73
Section 3: Caliph Ali Insisted that the Vision of the Prophet (SAW) Must Be True
75
Section 4: Vision on the Conquests of Yemen, Sham and Iraq
77
Section 5: Umm Haram Longing To Fulfill The Vision As A Naval Fighter
78
Section 6: Vision on the Conquest of Constantinople
80
Chapter 6: Leadership Truth: You Can’t Do It Alone
84
Section 1: The Early Followers
85
Section 2: The Prophet’s (SAW) Followers Were The best of Followers and Companions
87
Section 3: Ja’far Ibn Abi Talib Becomes The First Foreign Emissary For Islam Even As The
Muslims Were Persecuted In Mecca
Section 4: The Companions’ Level of Good Deeds Are Phenomenal
88
91
Section 5: Tufail bin ‘Amr Embraced Islam and Led the Daus Tribe From Before Hijrah To
the Fifth Year After Hijrah
92
Section 6: The Ansar From Medina Were Prepared To Fight and Die For Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) and His Cause
94
d
Section 7: The Unique Brotherhood In The History Of The World
98
Section 8: The Fighters of Badr Showed That They Were Special
100
Section 9: The Companions' Extraordinary Love for the Holy Prophet
106
Section 10: Examples of Courage By The Martyrs of Uhud
109
Section 11: The Women Followers Displayed Their Love For The Prophet (SAW) After The
Calamities of Uhud
111
Section 12: Not Even A Thorn Can Hurt The Prophet (SAW) Except That I Prefer To Be In
That Place
113
Section 13: A Lion Of A Follower Takes On The Enemy Single Handedly
116
Section 14: The Prophet (SAW) Also Had False Followers
118
Section 15: But The Prophet (SAW) Never Abused Any Of His Companions
123
Chapter 7: Leadership Truth: Trust Rules
Section 1: Al-Ameen (The Trustworthy) Has Come
125
126
Section 2: The Christian Rulers of Najran Insisted That Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Send
To Them Someone Who Is Trustworthy
128
e
Section 3: Honoring Treaties To The Letter
130
Chapter 8: Leadership Truth: Leadership Truth: Challenge Is The Crucible For Greatness 136
Section 1: The First Open Call for Islam Challenged The Very Root of The Meccan Society 137
Section 2: In the Battle of Uhud The Prophet (SAW) and Some Companions Showed
Courage At The Critical Moment
139
Section 3: The Prophet (SAW) Even Accepted The Challenge To Wrestle As An Effort
In Da’wah
147
Section 4: The Greatest Challenge Came Upon The Conquest of Mecca When Revenge
Was Expected
Chapter 9: Leadership Truth: Either Lead By Example Or Don’t Lead At All
148
155
Section 1: Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Worked Hard Despite Hunger During The Battle
of Al-Khandaq
156
Section 2: Leading By Example During The Difficult Period at Al-Hudaybiyah
160
Section 3: The Servant Leader
162
Chapter 10: Leadership Truth: The Best Leaders Are The Best Learners
164
f
Section 1: The Prophet (SAW) Prepared His People Physically by Encouraging Good
Competitive Behavior and He Involved with Them 165
Section 2: Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Explained How Fellow Prophets Also Sought
For Knowledge
Section 3: Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Was Always Open To New Ideas
Chapter 11: Leadership Truth: Leadership Is An Affair Of The Heart
166
168
171
Section 1: The Prophet (SAW) Gave Everyone Some Material Gain From The Spoils of
The Battle of Hunain But Reserved The Best for The Ansar
Section 2: Amr bin Taghlib Attests To How The Prophet (SAW) Won Over His Heart
172
178
Section 3: Many of the Prophet’s (SAW) Speeches and Sermons Led His Followers
To Tears
Section 4: All True Believers Truly Love The Prophet (SAW)
Chapter 12: Prophet Muhammad (SAW): The Hallmark of Leadership
179
180
182
Section 1: Foundations of Leadership in Adversity
186
Section 2: Depersonalizing Leadership
194
g
Section 3: Keeping the Big Picture in Perspective
198
Section 4: Leading From the Front
202
Section 5: Lead by Learning
205
Section 6: Leveraging the Uniqueness of People
209
Section 7: Conclusion
211
Chapter 13: Conclusion
212
Reference
215
Appendix
219
Section 1: Brief Explanation on The Sealed Nectar (Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum)
220
Section 2: Natural Leaders From Among The Companions
221
Section 3: Imam Ibn Kathir on Khawarij
228
Best Selling Books by Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan
230
h
Contributors
Dedication
Kamarudin Sohit
Co-Editor
Patron
Dr. Rozhan Othman
Dato’ Mustafa Kamal
Dr. Azman Hussin
Wan Naim Wan Mansor
Izzati Iznan
Editor
Mohd Nazri Mohd Nor
Designer
Dr. Abdul Rahim Md Ghouse
Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan
Zainal Adnan
Zainuzzaman A Samad
Md Taib Pardi
Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdullah
i
Foreword From Editor
All great social movements leave behind a legacy. A
contribution to knowledge based on the interests
and experiences of the movement is indeed a very
valuable legacy. MISG of US and Canada offered
and continues to offer its activists something
extremely valuable, the chance to practice
leadership at various levels and in various
capacities at a young age.
Dr Azman Hussin
The importance of leadership is currently stressed by one of our
model. We intend to later on update and amend the model based
dearest brothers and teachers (while he was in the US and until
on better insights.
this very day), Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan. He came to conduct a
leadership workshop in Malaysia in February 2014. Following up
on his strong views about the importance of leadership, some of
us thought about a project to develop a reference work on the
leadership of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
We also took a collaborative effort to develop the original drafts of
the book. We invited our fraternity of former and current MISG
activists to contribute by providing one Hadith or one excerpt
from Seerah for the content, providing editing and layout inputs,
and other improvement ideas as the end product took shape. We
The ultimate vision of the project is to write a reference book(s) on
were inspired by the innovative approach of
leadership from an Islamic perspective especially the leadership
www.businessmodelyou.com.
of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Other objectives include:
We hope to set a small example of learning the state of the art
1. Creating and maintaining a repository portal of Hadith,
ideas and techniques from the West and applying it for the
excerpts from Seerah, excerpts from the history of the four great
interests of Islam. We hope this humble effort will be a lasting
Caliphs and other notable leaders throughout the history of Islam
legacy and contribution to knowledge on the important subject of
arranged based on some laws and principles of leadership based
leadership. We hope this book will make all of us better leaders to
on modern studies and research
help us personally and to help us provide much better leadership
2. Identify and pursue different areas of study and research on
leadership from an Islamic perspective
We thought of the obvious approach of synthesizing the
advanced knowledge in modern leadership science with
leadership examples of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the
history of the generation of the Companions. The approach taken
is to start with a known modern leadership reference model that
for the Muslim Ummah.
May Allah (SWT) accept this humble effort as a practical sign of
our love for His beloved Prophet and Messenger Muhammad
(SAW).
Wassalamualaikum.
Dr. Azman Hussin
is well documented. We then collected and collated evidences
from Hadith and Seerah based upon the classifications of the
iii
Chapter 1
Introduction
We are all aware that the Islamic civilization started
from the time of the Hijrah of Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) and the first generation of Muslims in the
year 632. Since then it has grown in strength and
provided leadership to the world despite some
periods of minor decadence during which the
Muslim ummah still showed political and civilization
leadership. Today, we are far from that position of
leadership in almost all aspects of civilization;
governance, justice and fairness, education, health,
wealth creation, individual freedom, and social
manners, science and innovation.
Section 1
The Truth About Leadership
It is obvious that we need to change and regain our position of being an exemplary
civilization as alluded to in Al-Quran,
And thus have We made you a group in the middle, so that you be an ultimate witness
(of God’s guidance) on (other) people and the Messenger be an ultimate witness (of
God’s guidance) on you. [2:143]
But what are the priority areas of change? Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan, a contemporary
Muslim scholar and activist, summarizes five major crisis factors that the Muslim
ummah faces today [16].
1.
Behavior and ethics
2.
Backwardness
3.
Effectiveness
4.
Leadership
5.
Thought/Ideology and Identity
Dr Tareq Al-Suwaidan
Upon further analysis, he concludes that the first three crises are a reflection of the
crises in thought and leadership. Poor leadership and some flaws in our thought and
ideology are the two cornerstones of our crisis. Thus the priority is to solve our
thought and leadership crisis. There needs to be a serious effort in developing quality
leaders among those committed to the Islamic work and the Islamic movement for
reviving the ummah. It is important to start with some theory or model of leadership.
2
Chapter 2
Leadership Truth:
You Make A
Difference
Kouzes and Posner assert, “You have to believe
that what you do counts for something” (p.1). They
assert that the reader already has the capability to
be a leader and make a difference, no matter his or
her age or experience.
Section 1
The Most Influential Person in the History of Mankind
The greatest accolade to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) making a difference is his
ranking as the most influential person in the history of mankind in the 1978 book
The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael H.
Hart, reprinted in 1992 with revisions. Hart asserted that Muhammad was
“Supremely successful" in both the religious and secular realms. Hart’s work
shows both similarities and differences in thrust from Skiena and Ward’s 2013
book Who’s Bigger: Where Historical Figures Really Rank. Hart and Skiena &
Ward both put two religious figures in the top three (Hart has Muhammad first,
Jesus third; Skiena & Ward the converse).
It is interesting to note that ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph of Islam and
one of the closest Companions of the Prophet (SAW), was ranked number 51 by
Hart (1992). This is another testimony of the great generation of people that were
trained and developed by Prophet MUhammad (SAW). They were leaders in their
own right and made a great difference in the history of mankind.
Excerpts from the Table of
Contents - The 100: A Ranking
of the Most Influential Persons
in History by Michael H. Hart
4
Section 2
Summary of the Success and Impact of the Prophet’s (SAW) Mission
A major source of reference in studying the leadership
of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is of course his life
story normally referred to Seerah (journey) in the
Islamic literature. There are many excellent references
on Seerah and in this book we will mainly refer to the
award winning book “The Sealed Nectar” due to its
authenticity and wide availability. The book provides a
beautiful summary of the Prophet’s (SAW)
achievements after almost 23 years of struggle and
sacrifice.
Allah (SWT) addressed His Prophet in some of the
earliest verses to be revealed:
O you wrapped in garments (i.e Prophet Muhammad
(SAW))! Stand (to pray) all night, except a little.” [73:1,2]
O you (Muhammad (SAW)) enveloped (in garments). Arise and warn!” [74:1,2]
So he arose and kept on like that for over twenty years. During those years he
undertook to carry the burdens of the great expectations on his shoulders for the
sake of the whole mankind and humanity.
5
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) undertook the burdens of struggle
who were seeking security through ceaseless toil and great
in the conscience of mankind which was then drowning in the
patience.
illusions of Al-Jahiliyah (ignorance and being astray) and its
images that were loaded with the ground weights and
gravitations. He took upon his shoulder to free man’s conscience
which was chained with desires and lusts. As soon as he had
freed the conscience of his Companions from the burdens and
The Companions acted perpetually and patiently by day and they
spent the night worshipping their Lord, reciting and memorizing
the Quran glorifying and magnifying Allah and imploring Him by
night; all that at the behest of their Lord, the All-Mighty.
heaps of Al-Jahiliyah and earthly life, he started another battle in
For over twenty years the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had been
another field or rather successive battles against the enemy of
leading that progressive steady battle, disregarding any other
Allah’s Call, and against those who conspired against it. It was a
affairs that kept him off that noble goal. He went on that way till
battle against those who conspired against the believers and
the Islamic Call proved to be successful on a large scale that
against those who were so careful to tend that pure plant in its
puzzled all men possessed of good reason.
implantation before it grew up and stretched its roots in soil and
extended its branches up into the air and thus dawned upon
The Islamic Call eventually prevailed all over Arabia. It removed all
other areas. No sooner had he finished the battles in the Arabian
traces of Al-Jahiliyah from the horizon of the peninsula. The sick
Peninsula than the Byzantines began preparations to destroy this
new nation on the northern borders.
The first battle, the battle of conscience, was not over yet. It was
in fact a perpetual one. Satan, who was its leader did not spare a
moment without exercising his activity in the depth of human
conscience. Muhammad (SAW), on the other hand was attending
on calling to Allah’s religion there and he was keen on fighting
that perpetual battle in all fields in spite of their hard
circumstances and the world’s conspiracy against him. He went
on calling effectively and actively surrounded by the believers
6
minds of Al-Jahiliyah grew healthy
“An Arab is no better than a non-
in Islam. They did not only get rid
Arab. In return a non-Arab is no
of idol-worship, but they also
better than an Arab. A red faced
knocked them down. The general
man was not better than a black
atmosphere began to echo “There
one except in piety. Mankind are
is no god but Allah.” The calls to
all Adam’s children and Adam
prayers were heard five times a
was created from dust.”
day penetrating space and
breaking the silence of the dead
desert and bringing back life
through the new belief. Reciters
and memorizers of the Quran set
out northwards and southwards
reciting verses of the Quran and
carrying out Allah’s injunctions.
Thanks to the Islamic Call, the
Arab unity had become a reality,
and so was the case with human
unity and social justice as far as
their earthly and heavenly affairs
were concerned. The time course
of events had changed, the
features on the earth’s surface
Scattered people and tribes were
and the crooked line of history
united and man moved from
had grown straight and the
man’s worship of man to man’s
mentality had been rectified.
worship of Allah. There were no
more oppressors nor oppressed; no masters nor slaves, nor
people bound to other people, nor aggressors that would practise
aggression. All people were slaves of Allah. They were beloved
brothers obeying Allah’s rules. Thanks to Allah they disposed of
arrogance and the boastful spirit:
The spirit and the corrupted conscience of people, the distorted
valand measures of Al-Jahiliyah had overwhelmed the whole
world during that period of Al-Jahiliyah. The prevalence of slavery,
injustice, extravagant luxury, adultery, depression, deprivity,
disbelief, stray from the straight path and darkness; all of those
were fait accomplis in spite of the existence of the heavenly
religions. The teachings of those religions had grown weak and
7
lost all influence on men’s souls and spirits and became mere
lifeless ritual traditions.
When this Call had accomplished its role in human life, it freed
mankind’s spirit of superstitions, illusions, white slavery,
corruption and man’s worship of man. Islam had freed the human
society of filth, dissolution, injustice and tyranny. There were no
more social distinctions, nor clergymen’s or governors’
dictatorship. Islam had set up a world built on solid virtuous and
clean foundations, it was based on positivity, righteous
construction, freedom and renewal. Truth, faith, dignity active
steady deeds, the development and improvement of means of
living and reclaim of rights were all bases upon which the Islamic
state was built.
Thanks to these evolutions, Arabia witnessed such an
unprecedented blessed resurrection, since construction and
establishment found its way to it. Never had its history been so
religious, pious and brilliant as it had been during those peculiar
days of its life.
8
Chapter 3
Leadership Truth:
Credibility Is The
Foundation Of
Leadership
Credibility is linked with a leader’s believability; if
people cannot find the leader credible, they will not
trust him or her. Without the trust created by being
credible, no leader can have relationships with his
or her followers, and leadership does not exist
without relationships. The importance of
credibility is said in simple terms by the
authors’; if you don’t believe the
messenger, you won’t believe the
message, and do what you say you
will do.
Section 1
Khadijah Entrusted Her Trade With Muhammad (SAW) When He Was
Only 25 Years Old
We reference here what was written in The Sealed Nectar. Ibn Ishaq reported that
Khadijah, daughter of Khwailid was a business-woman of great honour and
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fortune. She used to employ men to do her business for a certain percentage of
the profits. Quraish people were mostly tradespeople, so when Khadijah was
informed of Muhammad (SAW), his truthful words, great honesty and kind
manners, she sent for him. She offered him money to go to Syria and do her
business, and she would give him a higher rate than the others. She would also
send her hireling, Maisarah, with him. He agreed and went with her servant to
Syria for trade. When he returned to Makkah, Khadijah noticed, in her money, more
profits and blessings than she used to. Her hireling also told her of Muhammad’s
good manners, honesty, deep thought, sincerity and faith.
10
Section 2
The Evil An-Nadr bin Al-Harith Confirms the Credibility of the Prophet
(SAW)
An-Nadr bin Al-Harith once besmeared the Prophet (SAW) with animal entrails
while the Prophet (SAW) was praying in Makkah and was later on captured in the
Battle of Badr. The Prophet (SAW) later on ordered that two of the prisoners from
Muhammad grew
among you and a
Badr should be killed. They were An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and ‘Uqbah bin Abi Muait,
up here
lways
proved to be high
ly obliging,
the most truthful
a
nd
trustworthy youn
g man.
because they had persecuted the Muslims in Makkah, and harboured deep hatred
towards Allah and His Messenger (SAW).
Once the evil An-Nadr bin Harith addressed the Quraishites in the following
manner as reported in The Sealed Nectar: “O Quraish! You have experienced an
unprecedented phenomenon before which you have so far been desperately
helpless. Muhammad grew up here among you and always proved to be highly
obliging, the most truthful and trustworthy young man. However, later on when
he reached manhood, he began to preach a new faith alien to your society, and
opposed to your liking so you began to denounce him at a time as a sorcerer, at
another as a soothsayer, a poet, or even an insane man. I swear by Allah he is not
anyone of those. He is not interested in blowing on knots as magicians are, nor do
his words belong to the world of soothsaying; he is not a poet either, for his
mentality is not that of a rambler, nor is he insane because he has never been
witnessed to develop any sort of hallucinations or insinuations peculiar to
madmen. O people of Quraish, it is really a serious issue and I recommend that
you reconsider your attitude.”
11
It is narrated that An-Nadr, at a later stage, headed for Heerah
where he got conversant with the traditions of the kings of Persia
and the accounts of people like Rustum and Asphandiar, and
then returned to Makkah. Here he would always shadow the
Messenger’s steps in whatever audiences the later held to preach
the new faith and to caution people against Allah’s wrath. AnNadr would directly follow the Prophet and narrate to the same
audience long tales about those people of Persia. He would then
always append his talk with a question cunningly inquiring if he
did not outdo Muhammad (SAW). Ibn Abbas (RA) related that AnNadr used to purchase songstresses who would through their
bodily charms and songs entice away from Islam anyone
developing the least attachment to the Prophet (SAW); in this
regard, Allah says,
And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music,
singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah... [31:6]
12
Section 3
Even Abu Sufyan Affirmed The Truthfulness of Muhammad (SAW)
When He Was Still Opposed To Islam
Narrated Abdullah bin Abbas:
Abu Sufyan told me that Heraclius said to him, “When I enquired you what he
(i.e. Muhammad) ordered you, you replied that he ordered you to establish the
prayer, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to keep promises and to pay back
trusts.” Then Heraclius added, “These are really the qualities of a
prophet.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 3, Book 48, Number 846)
Narrated ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas:
Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to
him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were
merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at
the time when Allah’s Apostle had truce with Abu Sufyan and the Quraish
infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya
(Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior
Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating
Heraclius’s question said to them, “Who amongst you is closely related to
that man who claims to be a Prophet?” Abu Sufyan replied, “I am the nearest
Heraclius by Rossen Toshev (from ‘Rulers of the Byzantine Empire’
published by KIBEA)
relative to him (amongst the group).”
Heraclius said, “Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions
stand behind him.” Abu Sufyan added, “Heraclius told his translator to tell my
13
companions that he wanted to put some questions to me
He then asked, ‘Does anybody amongst those who embrace his
regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my
religion become displeased and renounce the religion
companions) should contradict me.” Abu Sufyan added, “By
afterwards?’
Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I
would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first
question he asked me about him was:
I replied, ‘No.’
Heraclius said, ‘Have you ever accused him of telling lies before
his claim (to be a Prophet)?’
‘What is his family status amongst you?’
I replied, ‘He belongs to a good (noble)
family amongst us.’
Heraclius further asked, ‘Has anybody
amongst you ever claimed the same
(i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?’
I replied, ‘No.’
He said, ‘Was anybody amongst his
ancestors a king?’
I replied, ‘No.’
I replied, ‘No.’
Abu Sufyan added, “By Allah!
Had I not been afraid of my
companions labeling me a liar, I
would not have spoken the
truth about the Prophet…”
Heraclius asked, ‘Do the nobles or the
poor follow him?’
I replied, ‘It is the poor who follow him.’
He said, ‘Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?’
Heraclius said, ‘Does he break his
promises?’
I replied, ‘No. We are at truce with him but
we do not know what he will do in it.’ I
could not find opportunity to say anything
against him except that.
Heraclius asked, ‘Have you ever had a war
with him?’
I replied, ‘Yes.’
Then he said, ‘What was the outcome of the
battles?’
I replied, ‘Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.’
Heraclius said, ‘What does he order you to do?’
I replied, ‘They are increasing.’
14
I said, ‘He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to
to a very noble family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble
worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our
families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you
ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be
whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your
chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin.’
reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the
Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, I
asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged
affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the
previous man’s statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of
his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it
had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man
The Hagia Sophia, a famous example of Byzantine Architecture.
wanted to take back his ancestral
kingdom.
I further asked whether he was ever
accused of telling lies before he
said what he said, and your reply
was in the negative. So I wondered
how a person who does not tell a
lie about others could ever tell a lie
about Allah. I then asked you
whether the rich people followed
him or the poor. You replied that it
was the poor who followed him.
And in fact all the Apostle have
been followed by this very class of
people. Then I asked you whether
his followers were increasing or
decreasing. You replied that they
were increasing, and in fact this is
15
the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects. I further
asked you whether there was anybody, who, after
embracing his religion, became displeased and
discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and
in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters
the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you
whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative
and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you
what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you
to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything
along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered
you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you
have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place
underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he
was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from
you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to
meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.”
committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants). (And I
recite to you Allah’s Statement:)
Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah’s Apostle
O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us
which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who
that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in
forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were
worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords
as follows: “In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This
beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we
letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to
are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah). (3:64).”
Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows
the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you
become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your
reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be
Abu Sufyan then added, “When Heraclius had finished his speech
and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal
Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions
that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad)
16
has become so
While they were
prominent that even the
discussing it, a
King of Bani Al-Asfar
messenger sent by the
(Byzantine) is afraid of
king of Ghassan to
him. Then I started to
convey the news of
become sure that he
Allah’s Apostle to
(the Prophet) would be
Heraclius was brought
the conqueror in the
in. Having heard the
near future till I
news, he (Heraclius)
embraced Islam (i.e.
ordered the people to go
Allah guided me to it).”
and see whether the
The sub narrator adds,
“Ibn An-Natur was the
Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the
Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while
Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning
messenger of Ghassan
was circumcised. The
people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised.
Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger
replied, ‘Arabs also practice circumcision.’
with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in
(After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the
that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He
‘Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in
replied, ‘At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader
Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius
of those who practice circumcision had appeared (become the
then left for Homs. (a town in Syria and stayed there till he
conqueror). Who are they who practice circumcision?’ The people
received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him
replied, ‘Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you
in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet and the fact
should not be afraid of them (Jews).’
that he was a Prophet. On that Heraclius invited all the heads of
‘Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.’
the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they
assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed.
Then he came out and said, ‘O Byzantines! If success is your
17
desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to
remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e.
embrace Islam).’
(On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the
gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed.
Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the
hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be
brought back in audience.
(When they returned) he said, ‘What already said was just to test
the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.’ The people
prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this
was the end of Heraclius’s story (in connection with his
faith).” (Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 1, Book 1, Number 6)
18
Section 4
Abu Bakar Confirms His Absolute Belief In The Prophet’s (SAW)
Truthfulness During The Incident of Isra’ and Mi’raj
The books of Seerah and Hadith provide abundant proof of the the event of the
Prophet’s Night Journey to Jerusalem and then Ascension through the spheres of
the heavens. In “The Sealed Nectar” it is mentioned that the ‘Night Journey’ raised
a good deal of stir among the people and the sceptical audience plied Muhammad
(SAW) with all sorts of questions. The disbelievers, however, found it a suitable
opportunity to jeer at the Muslims and their creed. They pestered the Prophet
(SAW) with questions as to the description of the Mosque at Jerusalem, where he
had never gone before and, to the astonishment of many, the Prophet’s replies
furnished the most accurate information about that city. He supplied them with all
the news about their caravans and the routes of their camels. However, all this
increased in them nothing but flight from the Truth, and they accepted nothing but
disbelief.
They turned to Abu Bakr and said, “But do you believe what he said, that he went
last night to the Hallowed House (in Jerusalem) and came back before morning?”
He replied: “Yes, and I do believe him regarding what is farther than that. I believe
the news of heaven he brings, whether in the space of a morning or in that of an
evening journey (na’am inni la usaddiquhu fima huwa ab’adu min dhalika usaddiqu
bi khabari Al-sama’i fi ghudwatin aw rawhatin).” Because of this Abu Bakr was
named Al-Siddiq: the Most Truthful, the One Who Never Lies.
19
In another excerpt from Seerah related to this event, Al-Mut’im
ibn ‘Adi (he died a disbeliever) said, “All of your affair before today
was bearable, until what you said today. I bear witness that you
are a liar (ana ashhadu annaka kadhibun). We strike the flanks of
the she-camels for one month to reach the Hallowed House, then
for another month to come back, and you claim that you went
there in one night! By Al-Lat, by Al-`Uzza! I do not believe you.”
Abu Bakr said, “O Mut’im, what an evil thing you said to the son
of your brother when you faced him thus and declared him a liar!
As for me I bear witness that he spoke the truth (ana ashhadu
annahu sadiqun).”
hat an evil
w
,
m
’i
t
u
M
O
“
,
Abu Bakr sa id
ur brother
o
y
f
o
n
o
s
e
h
t
thing you sa id to
declared
d
n
a
s
u
h
t
im
h
when you faced
ess that
n
it
w
r
a
e
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e
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him a liar! As fo
anna hu
u
d
a
h
h
s
a
a
n
(a
th
he spoke the tru
sadiqun).”
20
Section 5
Even His Enemies Witnessed On His Honesty And Integrity
Al-Bukhari reported part of this story on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (RA). He said,
“When the following verse of Al-Quran was revealed:
And warn your tribe of near kindred. [26:214]”
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) went to the foot of mount Safa to declare his
Mount Safa
prophethood to the people of Macca. He ascended Mount AsSafa and started to call: “O Bani Fahr! O Bani ‘Adi (two tribes of
Quraish).” Many people gathered and those who couldn’t, sent
somebody to report to them. Abu Lahab was also present. The
Prophet (SAW) said, “You see, if I were to tell you that there were
some horsemen in the valley planning to raid you, will you
believe me?” They said, “Yes, we have never experienced any lie
from you.” He said, “I am a warner to you before a severe
torment.” Abu Lahab promptly replied: “Perish you all the day!
Have you summoned us for such a thing?” (Sahih Al-Bukhari:
4971).
All the people of Makkah, without any exception swore to his
truthfulness and honesty, for he had lived an unblemished and
extremely pious life among them before his prophethood.
21
Section 6
The Prophet (SAW) Never Abused His Authority
He was a Prophet and he was their leader. When he wanted something that
rightfully belonged to others, even his followers, he would ask giving all the
reasons why. When they chose to have it their way, he would still respect it. This
particular incident involved the Hawazin delegation after the Battle of Hunain
and the invasion of Taif in the eighth year of Hijrah.
Hawazin’s delegation arrived as Muslims just after the distribution of spoils.
They were fourteen men headed by Zuhair bin Sard. The Messenger’s foster
uncle was one of them. They asked him to bestow upon them some of the
wealth and spoils. They uttered so touching words that the Messenger of Allah
(SAW) said to them: “You surely see who are with me. The most desirable
speech to me is the most truthful. Which is dearer to you, your wealth or your
women and children?” They replied: “Nothing whatsoever compares with
kinship.” Then when I perform the noon prayer, stand up and say: “We
intercede with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) to exhort the believers, and we
intercede with the believers to exhort the Messenger of Allah (SAW) to forego
the captives of our people fallen to their lot.”
So when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) performed the noon prayer, they stood
up and said what they had been told to say. The Messenger (SAW) then said,
“As for what belongs to me and to the children of Abdul Muttalib, you may
consider them, from now on, yours. And I will ask my folksmen to give back
22
theirs.” Upon hearing that the Emigrants and the Helpers said,
Later on he let her go back. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) gave
“What belongs to us is, from now on, offered to the Messenger of
every captive a garment as a gift.
Allah (SAW).” But Al-Aqra’ bin Habis said, “We will grant none of
what belongs to me and to Bani Tamim”. So did ‘Uyaina bin Hisn
who said, “As for me and Bani Fazarah, I say ‘No’.” Al-‘Abbas bin
Mirdas also refused and said, “No” for Bani Saleem and him. His
people, however, said otherwise, “Whatever spoils belong to us
we offer to the Messenger of Allah (SAW).” “You have undermined
my position,” said Al-‘Abbas bin Mirdas spontaneously.
Then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “These people have
come to you as Muslims. For this I have already tarried the
distribution of the booty. Besides, I have granted them a fair
option but they refused to have anything other than their women
and children. Therefore he who has some of theirs and will prefer
willingly to give them back, let them do. But those who favour to
keep what he owns to himself, let them grant them back too, and
he will be given as a recompense six times as much from the first
booty that Allah may provide us.” People then said, “We will
willingly offer them all for the sake of the Messenger of Allah.” The
Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “But in this way we are not able
to find out who is content and who is not. So go back and we will
be waiting for your chiefs to convey to us your decisions.” All of
them gave back the women and children. The only one who
refused to comply with the Messenger’s desire was ‘Uyaina bin
Hisn. He refused to let an old woman of theirs go back at first.
23
Chapter 4
Leadership Truth:
Values Drive
Commitment
This commitment refers to both the leader’s
commitment to a cause and the followers’ commitment
to the leader and the cause. Leaders must know their
own values and beliefs to truly understand what
motivates their followers. Leaders must work to help
their groups develop values and ensure that the work
they are doing aligns with those values. Leadership is a
relationship, and clarity of values helps strengthen that
relationship.
The message of Islam is centered on beliefs and values.
There are fundamental universal values like freedom,
justice, right of worship, upholding the truth, suppressing oppression, respect for the human
being and many others. Also there are universal behavioral values like truthfulness, honesty,
kindness and others. We highlight some of the values for which the Prophet (SAW) and the
Companions showed strict compliance.
Section 1
Never Compromise on Matters of Principle
When the Prophet (SAW) started to make an
impact in getting more converts to Islam while
preaching at Makkah, the Quraish resorted to
various tactics and approaches to stem the
tide of his influence. It was not successful
because Muhammad (SAW) and his early
companions stood firm with their beliefs. In a
fresh attempt to dissuade Muhammad (SAW)
from his principled stand, Quraish invited him
to compromise on his teachings and come to
terms with their pre-Islamic practices in such a
way that he quits some of his religion and the
polytheists do the same. Allah (SWT) says,
They wish that you should compromise (in
religion out of courtesy) with them, so they
(too) would compromise with you. [68:9].
On the authority of Ibn Jareer and At-Tabarani, the idolaters offered that
Muhammad (SAW) worship their gods for a year, and they worship his Lord for a
year. In another version, they said, If you accept our gods, we would worship
yours. Ibn Ishaq related that Al-Aswad bin Al-Muttalib, Al-Waleed bin Al-
25
Mugheerah, Omaiyah bin Khalaf and Al-As bin Wa’il As-Sahmy, a
constellation of influential polytheists, intercepted the Prophet
(SAW) while he was circumambulating in the Holy Sanctuary, and
offered him to worship that they worshipped, and they worship
that he worshipped so that, according to them, both parties
would reach a common denominator. They added, “Should the
Lord you worship prove to be better than
ours, then it will be so much better for us,
but if our gods proved to be better than
yours, then you would have benefit from it.”
Allah (SWT) was decisive on the spot and
revealed the following Chapter:
Say, O Al-Kafirun,
I worship not that which you worship,
nor will you worship that which I worship.
And I shall not worship that which you are
worshipping,
nor will you worship that which I worship.
To you be your religion, and to me my
religion (Islamic Monotheism). [109]
26
Chapter 5
Leadership Truth:
Focusing On The
Future Sets
Leaders Apart
According to the author’s research, when faced with the
scenario of a new leader entering their organization, the
second most common question followers asked was:
“What’s your vision?”. This question is not one that
followers ask of their teammates or peers, but only of
their leaders, emphasizing the importance of a leader’s
vision.
A vision is simply a mental picture of the future. An
inspiring vision paints future greatness related to the
ambitions of the individual, organization or community.
The hallmark of a visionary leader is that the followers truly trust and
believe in his visions. They continue to work and aspire to realize the
visions even long after his death. Such were the visions of the greatness
of Islam that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) described.
Section 1
Painting a Vision of Future Greatness Despite Being In Difficulty
While in conditions of great difficulties and oppressions from the enemies of Islam
in Makkah with some muslims under great tortures, the Prophet (SAW) predicted
the future victories where Islam will be on the upper hand.
Habbab ibn Arat Mentions The Vision of Future Peace Even
From The Early Days of Islam In Makkah
Imam Bukhari and Abu Dawud quote Habbab ibn Arat, who said, “Once, during
the days of trouble and torture in Makkah, I went to Allah’s Messenger, who was
sitting in the shade of the Ka’bah. I was still a slave in the hands of the Makkans
then. They inflicted on me severe tortures. Unable to endure those tortures any
more, I requested Allah’s Messenger to pray to Allah for help and salvation. But he
turned towards me and said, ‘By Allah, previous communities had to endure more
pitiless tortures. Some of them were made to lie in ditches and cut in two with
saws but this did not make them forsake their faith. They were skinned alive but
they never became weak against the enemy. Surely God will perfect this religion,
but you display undue haste. A day will come when a woman will travel alone by
herself from San’a to Hadramawt fearing nothing but wild beasts. However, you
show impatience.’”
Habbab concluded: “By Allah, what Allah’s Messenger foretold that day, have all
come true. I have personally witnessed it all.”
28
Another Vision of Peace and Safety
A verse of Al-Quran was revealed at this time of
the Muslim’s weakness and great difficulties,
promising the righteous victory,
Allah has promised to those of you who believe,
and do good deeds, that He will surely grant them
The Messenger of Allah, Allah
bless him and give him
peace, said, ‘It will not be
long before one of you will be
sitting unarmed amidst huge
numbers of people, none of
whom carries a weapon.’”
in the land inheritance of power as He granted it to
those before them; that He will establish in
authority their religion which He has chosen for
them. And that He will change their state after fear
to one of security and peace. They will worship Me
alone and not associate aught with Me... [24:55]
Al-Rabi’ ibn Anas related that Abu’l-’Aliyah said
regarding this verse:
“The Messenger of Allah (SAW), and his
Companions remained in Makkah, after the advent
of the revelation, for ten years in a state of fear sleeping at night and waking in the morning with
weapons at their sides. Then the Prophet was
commanded to migrate to Madinah. One of his
Companions asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah,
there is not a single day in which we feel safe such
that we can put down our weapons.’
29
Chapter 6
Leadership Truth:
You Can’t Do It
Alone
The leader is here to serve others, not the inverse. To
see if someone is a leader, look to see if they have
followers. Followers are integral to the process,
because leadership is about the relationship a leader
has with constituents.
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was blessed with great
followers who believed in the pure and noble cause of
Islam and were actively committed to it. This is
evidenced by their willingness to sacrifice their wealth
and lives while obeying his (SAW) commands. The
strongest proof of their commitment is to zealously
pursue the same mission after their leader went to meet his
Creator (SAW). The Companions assumed the leadership of
Islam after him and brought it to greater heights and influence.
Section 1
The Early Followers
We can learn much from the early followers of the Prophet (SAW). The later history
of Islam showed that all of them played significant roles and were leaders in their
own right. Khadijah (RA) gave all the wealth she had to support the new call of
Islam. She was a pillar of support to her husband, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and
to the cause until her death. Abu Bakar (RA), Uthman (RA) and ‘Ali (RA) later on
All of those professed Islam on the
very first day of the call. Abu Bakr,
became caliphs and led the growing Muslim nation. We provide this excerpt from
The Sealed Nectar.
The Prophet (SAW) naturally initiated his sacred mission right from home and then
and from the first day he embraced
moved to the people closely associated with him. He called unto Islam
Islam, proved to be an energetic and
fact, a host of people who nursed not the least seed of doubt as regards the
most zealous activist.
They are known in the Islamic literature as the early converts.
whomsoever he thought would attest the truth which had come from his Lord. In
Prophet (SAW), immediately responded and quite readily embraced the true faith.
Khadijah, the Prophet’s spouse, the mother of believers, was the first to enter the
fold of Islam followed by his freed slave Zaid bin Harithah, his cousin, ‘Ali bin Abi
Talib, who had been living with him since his early childhood, and next came his
intimate friend Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. All of those professed Islam on the very
first day of the call. Abu Bakr, and from the first day he embraced Islam,
proved to be an energetic and most zealous activist. He was wealthy, obliging,
mild and upright. People used to frequent his house and draw nigh to him for his
31
knowledge, amity, pleasant company and business. He invited
whomever he had confidence in to Islam and through his personal
efforts a good number of people converted to Islam, such as
‘Uthman bin ‘Affan Al-Umawi, Az-Zubair bin ‘Awwam Al-Asadi,
‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, Az-Zuhri and
Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullah At-Tamimy. Those eight men constituted
the forerunners and more specifically the vanguard of the new
faith in Arabia. Among the early Muslim were Bilal bin Rabah (the
Abyssinian), Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah from Bani Harith bin Fahr
(the most trustworthy of the Muslim Nation), Abu Salamah bin
‘Abd Al-Asad, Al-Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam from the tribe of
Makhzum, ‘Uthman bin Maz’oun and his two brothers Qudama
and ‘Abdullah, ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith bin Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd
For three underg
round years of
activism,
a grou p of believ
ers emerged sta
mped by
a spirit of frater
nity and coopera
tion with
one definite obje
ctive in their m in
d:
propagating and
deeply establish
ing the
call unto Islam.
Munaf, Sa’id bin Zaid Al-‘Adawi and his wife Fatimah - daughter
of Al-Khattab (the sister of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab), Khabbab bin
Al-Aratt, ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud Al-Hadhali and many others. These
were the Muslim predecessors. They belonged to various sects of
Quraish. Ibn Hisham, a biographer, counted them to be more than
forty.
For three underground years of activism, a group of believers
emerged stamped by a spirit of fraternity and cooperation
with one definite objective in their mind: propagating and
deeply establishing the call unto Islam.
32
Chapter 7
Leadership Truth:
Trust Rules
Increased trust in a leader leads to followers having an
increased willingness to be influenced by that leader. This
higher level of trust also motivates followers to work harder
for the leader. When people trust their leader they feel more
secure and can focus their energy on higher-level problems at
work, instead of being concerned with their own security. To
earn trust, the leader must take the first risk by placing trust in
their followers. Kouzes and Posner (2010a) mentioned that it
is also critical to trust that followers can and will improve,
even when they are having difficulties. The authors outline
four actions to help a leader build trust: behave predictably
and consistently, communicate clearly, treat promises
seriously, and be forthright and candid. Followers will also
trust the leader more if he or she shares information
appropriately.
Section 1
Al-Ameen (The Trustworthy) Has Come
The incident of the rebuilding of the Holy Ka’bah which happened before
the prophethood of Muhammad (SAW) confirms the trust that people had
in him, even those who later on opposed his mission to spread Islam. We
take this excerpt as reported in The Sealed Nectar.
Five years before Prophethood, there was a great flood in Makkah that
swept towards Al-Ka’bah and almost demolished it. Quraish was obliged
to rebuild it to safeguard its holiness and position. The chiefs of Quraish
decided to use only licit money in rebuilding Al-Ka’bah, so all money that
derived from harlotry, usury or unjust practices was excluded. They were,
at first, too awed to knock down the wall, but Al-Waleed bin AlMugheerah Al-Mukhzumi started the work. Seeing that no harm had
happened to him, the others participated in demolishing the walls until
they reached the basis laid by Abraham. When they started rebuilding its
walls, they divided the work among the tribes. Each tribe was responsible
for rebuilding a part of it. The tribes collected stones and started work.
The work went on in harmony till the time came to put the sacred Black
Stone in its proper place. Then strife broke out among the chiefs, and
lasted for four or five days, each contesting for the honour of placing the
stone in its position. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great
bloodshed seemed imminent. Luckily, the oldest among the chiefs Abu
34
Omaiyah bin Mugheerah Al-Makhzumi made a proposal which
was accepted by all. He said, “Let him, who enters the Sanctuary
first of all, decide on the point.” It was then Allah’s Will that the
Messenger of Allah (SAW) should be the first to enter the Mosque.
On seeing him, all the people on the scene, cried with one
voice: “Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) has come. We are content
to abide by his decision.” Calm and self-possessed,
Muhammad (SAW) received the commission and at once resolved
upon an expedient which was to conciliate them all. He asked for
a mantle which he spread on the ground and placed the stone in
its centre. He then asked the representatives of the different clans
among them, to lift the stone all together. When it had reached
the proper place, Muhammad (SAW) laid it in the proper position
with his own hands. This is how a very tense situation was eased
and a grave danger averted by the wisdom of the Prophet (SAW).
On seeing him, all the people
on the scene, cried with one
voice: “Al-Ameen (the
trustworthy) has come. We
are content to abide by his
decision.”
35
Chapter 8
Leadership Truth:
Challenge Is The
Crucible For
Greatness
The most admired historical leaders are
distinguished by their ability to lead through
major challenges. These challenges
provide the opportunity for the leader to
shine and demonstrate leadership by
taking the initiative to move the group
forward. According to Kouzes and
Posner (2010a), the key to leading
through this challenge is grit, the ability
to keep pushing and be resilient
throughout the stress of change. Great
leaders understand that even when the
challenge cannot be overcome, it is
important to learn from that failure.
Chapter 9
Leadership Truth:
Either Lead By
Example Or Don’t
Lead At All
Good leadership is about truthfully acting, not
simply saying or telling, as the leader wants others
to, communicating values through behaviors. This is
crucial because people believe what the leader
does over what he or she says. If the leader wants
his or her followers to change their actions, it is
crucial to change his or her own first. Leading by
example is especially important when admitting
mistakes. If the leader does not admit mistakes,
followers will be afraid to admit their own
mistakes.
Section 1
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Worked Hard Despite Hunger During The
Battle of Al-Khandaq
All the following Hadith taken from Sahih Bukhari (Book on Military Expeditions
led by the Prophet (SAW)) relate to events that happened when the Prophet
(SAW) and his companions were digging the trenches in preparation for the
planned attack upon Madinah by almost all the tribes in Arabia. It was the biggest
military threat to the Muslims. It was during the cold season. The strategy was to
We were with Allah’s Apostle in the
Trench, and some were digging the
trench while we were carrying the
earth on our shoulders. Allah’s
Apostle sa id, “O Allah! There is no life
except the life of the Hereafter, so
please forgive the Em igrants and the
Ansar.”
dig trenches to protect the path into Madinah that were not protected by hills or
fortresses. It was hard work under difficult conditions. The Prophet (SAW) was
there with his companions toiling and dirtying himself. He (SAW) led by example.
Narrated Sahl bin Sad:
We were with Allah’s Apostle in the Trench, and some were digging the trench
while we were carrying the earth on our shoulders. Allah’s Apostle said, “O Allah!
There is no life except the life of the Hereafter, so please forgive the Emigrants and
the Ansar.” (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 424)
Narrated Anas:
Allah’s Apostle went out towards the Khandaq (i.e. Trench) and saw the Emigrants
and the Ansar digging the trench in the cold morning. They had no slaves to do
that (work) for them. When the Prophet saw their hardship and hunger, he said, “O
Allah! The real life is the life of the Hereafter, so please forgive Ansar and the
38
Emigrants.” They said in reply to him, “We are those who have
tied to his belly for we had not eaten anything for three days. So
given the Pledge of allegiances to Muhammad for to observe
the Prophet took the spade and struck the big solid rock and it
Jihad as long as we live.” (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 425)
became like sand. I said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Allow me to go
Narrated Anas:
Al-Muhajirun (i.e. the Emigrants) and the Ansar were digging the
trench around Madinah and were carrying the earth on their
backs while saying, “We are those who have given the pledge of
allegiance to Muhammad for Islam as long as we live.” The
Prophet said in reply to their saying, “O Allah! There
is no goodness except the goodness of the
Hereafter; so please grant Your Blessing to the
Ansar and the Emigrants.” The people used to
bring a handful of barley, and a meal used to be
prepared thereof by cooking it with a cooking
material (i.e. oil, fat and butter having a change in
color and smell) and it used to be presented to the
people (i.e. workers) who were hungry, and it used
to stick to their throats and had a nasty smell.
(Volume 5, Book 59, Number 426)
Narrated Jabir:
We were digging (the trench) on the day of (Al-Khandaq ( i.e.
Trench )) and we came across a big solid rock. We went to the
Prophet and said, “Here is a rock appearing across the trench.”
He said, “I am coming down.” Then he got up, and a stone was
home.” (When the Prophet allowed me) I said to my wife, “I saw
the Prophet in a state that I cannot treat lightly. Have you got
something (for him to eat?” She replied, “I have barley and a she
goat.” So I slaughtered the she-kid and she ground the barley;
then we put the meat in the earthenware cooking pot. Then I
came to the Prophet when the dough had become soft and
fermented and (the meat in) the pot over the stone trivet had
nearly been well-cooked, and said, “I have got a little
food prepared, so get up O Allah’s Apostle, you and one
or two men along with you (for the food).” The Prophet
asked, “How much is that food?” I told him about it. He
said, “It is abundant and good. Tell your wife not to
remove the earthenware pot from the fire and not to take
out any bread from the oven till I reach there.” Then he
said (to all his companions), “Get up.” So the Muhajirn
(i.e. Emigrants) and the Ansar got up. When I came to my
wife, I said, “Allah’s Mercy be upon you! The Prophet
came along with the Muhajirin and the Ansar and those
who were present with them.” She said, “Did the Prophet ask you
(how much food you had)?” I replied, “Yes.” Then the Prophet
said, “Enter and do not throng.” The Prophet started cutting the
bread (into pieces) and put the cooked meat over it. He covered
the earthenware pot and the oven whenever he took something
out of them. He would give the food to his companions and take
39
the meat out of the pot. He went on cutting the bread and
so to you.” I said, “I have told the Prophet of what you said.”
scooping the meat (for his companions) till they all ate their fill,
Then she brought out to him (i.e. the Prophet the dough, and he
and even then, some food remained. Then the Prophet said (to
spat in it and invoked for Allah’s Blessings in it. Then he
my wife), “Eat and present to others as the people are struck with
proceeded towards our earthenware meat-pot and spat in it and
hunger.” (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 427)
invoked for Allah’s Blessings in it. Then he said (to my wife). Call a
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah:
lady-baker to bake along with you and keep on taking out scoops
from your earthenware meat-pot, and do not put it down from its
When the Trench was dug, I saw the Prophet in the state of
fireplace.” They were one-thousand (who took their meals), and
severe hunger. So I returned to my wife and said, “Have you got
by Allah they all ate, and when they left the food and went away,
anything (to eat), for I have seen Allah’s Apostle in a state of
our earthenware pot was still bubbling (full of meat) as if it had not
severe hunger.” She brought out for me, a bag containing one Sa
decreased, and our dough was still being baked as if nothing had
of barley, and we had a domestic she animal (i.e. a kid) which I
been taken from it. (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 428)
slaughtered then, and my wife ground the barley and she finished
at the time I finished my job (i.e. slaughtering the kid). Then I cut
Narrated ‘Aishah:
the meat into pieces and put it in an earthenware (cooking) pot,
As regards the following Quranic Verse: When they came on you
and returned to Allah’s Apostle. My wife said, “Do not disgrace
from above and from below you (from east and west of the valley)
me in front of Allah’s Apostle and those who are with him.” So I
and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached up to the
went to him and said to him secretly, “O Allah’s Apostle! I have
throats... [33:10] That happened on the day of Al-Khandaq (i.e.
slaughtered a she-animal (i.e. kid) of ours, and we have ground a
Trench). (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 429)
Sa of barley which was with us. So please come, you and another
person along with you.” The Prophet raised his voice and said, “O
Narrated Al-Bara:
people of Trench ! Jabir has prepared a meal so let us go.” Allah’s
The Prophet was carrying earth on the day of Al-Khandaq till his
Apostle said to me, “Don’t put down your earthenware meat pot
(from the fireplace) or bake your dough till I come.” So I came (to
my house) and Allah’s Apostle too, came, proceeding before the
people. When I came to my wife, she said, “May Allah do so-and-
abdomen was fully covered with dust, and he was saying, “By
Allah, without Allah we would not have been guided, neither
would we have given in charity, nor would we have prayed. So (O
Allah), please send Sakina (i.e. calmness) upon us, and make our
40
Narrated Al-Bara:
When it was the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. the
clans) and Allah’s Apostle dug the trench, I
saw him carrying earth out of the trench till
dust made the skin of his abdomen out of
my sight and he was a hairy man. I heard
him reciting the poetic verses composed by
Ibn Rawaha while he was carrying the earth,
“O Allah! Without You we would not have
been guided, nor would we have given in
charity, nor would we have prayed. So, (O
Allah), please send Sakina (i.e. calmness)
upon us and make our feet firm if we meet
the enemy, as they have rebelled against us.
And if they intend affliction (i.e. want to
feet firm if we meet the enemy as the enemy have rebelled
against us, and if they intended affliction, (i.e. want to frighten us
and fight against us then we would not flee but withstand them).”
The Prophet used to raise his voice saying, “Abaina! Abaina! (i.e.
frighten us, and fight against us) then we
would not (flee but withstand them).” The Prophet would then
prolong his voice at the last words. (Volume 5, Book 59, Number
432)
would not, we would not).” (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 430)
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The Prophet said, “I have been made victorious by As-Saba (i.e.
an easterly wind) and the Ad nation was destroyed by Ad-Dabur
(i.e. a westerly wind).” (Volume 5, Book 59, Number 431)
41
Chapter 10
Leadership Truth:
The Best Leaders
Are The Best
Learners
The key to learning to be a leader is having a
passion for learning. In order to learn effectively, the
leader also needs to be open to new experiences
and getting feedback. Kouzes and Posner (2010a)
also insist that to be a good leader, one must adopt
a growth mindset; must be focused on growing and
improving himself or herself on a regular basis.
Section 1
The Prophet (SAW) Prepared His People Physically by Encouraging
Good Competitive Behavior and He Involved with Them Narrated: Abu Ishaq, Musa bin Uqba said, Nafi said, Ibn ‘Umar said, “Allah’s
Apostle (SAW) arranged a horse race amongst the horses that had been made
lean, letting them start from Al-Hafya and their limit (distance of running) was up to
Thaniyat-Al-Wada. I asked Musa, ‘What was the distance between the two
places?’ Musa replied, ‘Six or seven miles. He arranged a race of the horses which
had not been made lean sending them from Thaniyat-Al-Wada, and their limit was
up to the mosque of Bani Zuraiq.’ I asked, ‘What was the distance between those
two places?’ He replied ‘One mile or so.’ Ibn Umar was amongst those who
participated in that horse race.” (Sahih Bukhari Chapter No: 54, Hadith No: 131)
Salamah ibn Al-Akwa` narrated that the Prophet (SAW) passed by some people of
the tribe of Banu Aslam who were practicing archery. The Prophet said, “O
children of Isma’il! Practice archery as your father Isma’il was a great archer. Keep
on shooting arrows and I am with (the team of) Banu so-and-so.” So one of the
parties ceased shooting, whereupon the Prophet said, “Why do you not shoot?”
They replied, “How should we shoot while you are with them (i.e., on their side)?”
On that the Prophet said, “Shoot and I am with all of you" (Sahih Bukhari and
Sahih Muslim).
43
Section 2
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Explained How Fellow Prophets Also
Sought For Knowledge
Narrated: Ubai bin Kaab. The Prophet said, “Once the Prophet Musa stood up and
addressed Bani Israel. He was asked, “Who is the most learned man amongst the
people. He said, “I am the most learned.” Allah admonished Musa as he did not
attribute absolute knowledge to Him ( Allah). So Allah inspired to him “At the
junction of the two seas there is a slave amongst my slaves who is more learned
than you.” Musa said, “O my Lord! How can I meet him?” Allah said, Take a fish in
a large basket (and proceed) and you will find him at the place where you will lose
the fish. So Musa set out along with his (servant) boy, Yusha bin Nun and carried a
fish in a large basket till they reached a rock, where they laid their heads (i.e. lay
down) and slept. The fish came out of the basket and it took its
way into the sea as in a tunnel. So it was an amazing thing for
both Musa and his (servant) boy. They proceeded for the rest
of that night and the following day. When the day broke, Musa
said to his (servant) boy: “Bring us our early meal. No doubt, we
have suffered much fatigue in this journey.” Musa did not get tired till he
passed the place about which he was told. There the (servant) boy told
Musa, “Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the rock, I indeed forgot
the fish.” Musa remarked, “That is what we have been seeking. So they went back
retracing their foot-steps, till they reached the rock. There they saw a man covered
with a garment (or covering himself with his own garment). Musa greeted him. AlKhadir replied saying, “How do people greet each other in your land?” Musa said,
44
“I am Musa.” He asked, “The Musa of Bani Israel?” Musa replied
without fare. Then a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the
in the affirmative and added, “May I follow you so that you teach
boat and dipped its beak once or twice in the sea. Al-Khadir said,
me of that knowledge which you have been taught.” Al-Khadir
“O Musa! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased
replied, “Verily! You will not be able to remain patient with me, O
Allah’s knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased
Musa! I have some of the knowledge of Allah which He has taught
the water of the sea with its beak.” Al-Khadir went to one of the
me and which you do not know, while you have some knowledge
planks of the boat and plucked it out. Musa said, “These people
which Allah has taught you which I do not know.” Musa said, "
gave us a free lift but you have broken their boat and scuttled it
Allah willing, you will find me patient and I will not disobey you in
so as to drown its people.” Al-Khadir replied, “Didn’t I tell you that
aught. So both of them set out walking along the sea-shore, as
you will not be able to remain patient with me.” Musa said, “Call
they did not have a boat. In
me not to account for what I forgot.” The first (excuse) of Musa
them and they requested
the meantime a boat passed by
the
was that he had forgotten. Then they proceeded further and
crew of the boat to take
found a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir took hold of the
them on board. The crew
boy’s head from the top and plucked it out with his hands (i.e.
recognized Al-Khadir and
killed him). Musa said, “Have you killed an innocent soul who has
took them on board
killed none.” Al-Khadir replied, “Did I not tell you that you cannot
remain patient with me?” Then they both proceeded till when they
came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they
refused to entertain them. Then they found there a wall on the
point of collapsing. Al-Khadir repaired it with his own hands.
The story of Prophet Musa
and Al-Khadir can also be
found in Stories of the
Prophets in Al-Quran
written by Dr Tareq AlSuwaidan. The book is
available in various format
- paperback book,
Amazon print-ondemand, PDF and Apple
App.
Musa said, “If you had wished, surely you could have taken
wages for it.” Al-Khadir replied, “This is the parting between you
and me.” The Prophet added, “May Allah be Merciful to Musa!
Would that he could have been more patient to learn more about
his story with Al-Khadir.” (Sahih Bukhari Chapter No: 3, Hadith
no: 124)
45
Chapter 11
Leadership Truth:
Leadership Is An
Affair Of The
Heart
The leader wants to serve others and help them
grow to be the best. It is critical to show
followers that the leader cares about
them, and the best ways to do this
include: to be out there working with them
and share positive reinforcement.
Section 1
The Prophet (SAW) Gave Everyone Some Material Gain From The
Spoils of The Battle of Hunain But Reserved The Best for The Ansar
The following Hadith are taken from Sahih Bukhari from the book of the “Military
Expeditions led by the Prophet (SAW)”.
Narrated Anas Bin Malik. When it was the day of (the battle of) Hunain, the Prophet
confronted the tribe of Hawazin while there were ten-thousand (men) besides the
The Prophet sa id, “If the
ugh
people took their way thro
k
o
to
r
a
s
n
A
e
th
d
n
a
y
lle
va
a
in
their way through a mounta
a
pass, then I would choose
ar.”
s
n
A
e
th
f
o
s
s
a
p
in
ta
n
u
o
m
Tulaqa' (i.e. those who had embraced Islam on the day of the Conquest of
Makkah) with the Prophet. When they (i.e. Muslims) fled, the Prophet said, “O the
group of Ansari.” They replied, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle and Sadaik! We are
under your command.” Then the Prophet got down (from his mule) and said, “I am
Allah’s Slave and His Apostle.” Then the pagans were defeated. The Prophet
distributed the war booty amongst the Tulaqa and Muhajirin (i.e. Emigrants) and
did not give anything to the Ansar. So the Ansar spoke (i.e. were dissatisfied) and
he called them and made them enter a leather tent and said, won’t you be pleased
that the people take the sheep and camels, and you take Allah’s Apostle along
with you?” The Prophet added, “If the people took their way through a valley and
the Ansar took their way through a mountain pass, then I would choose a
mountain pass of the Ansar.”
Narrated Anas Bin Malik. The Prophet gathered some people of Ansar and said,
“The People of Quraish are still close to their Pre-lslamic period of ignorance and
have suffered a lot, and I want to help them and attract their hearts (by giving them
the war booty). Won’t you be pleased that the people take the worldly things) and
47
you take Allah’s Apostle with you to your homes?” They said,
Apostle to your homes reserving him for yourself?” They said,
“Yes, (i.e. we are pleased with this distribution).” The Prophet
“Yes.” Then the Prophet said, “If the people took their way
said, "’If the people took their way through a valley and the Ansar
through a valley, and the Ansar took their way through a mountain
took their way through a mountain pass, then I would take the
pass, surely, I would take the Ansar’s mountain pass.” Hisham
Ansar’s valley or the Ansar’s mountain pass.”
said, “O Abu Hamza (i.e. Anas)! Did you witness that? " He
Narrated Anas Bin Malik. When it was the day (of the battle) of
replied, “And how could I be absent from him?”
Hunain, the tributes of Hawazin and Ghatafan and others, along
Sahih Muslim even has The Book of Virtuous Qualities (of the
with their animals and offspring (and wives) came to fight against
Prophet and the Companions) with a specific chapter IT IS
the Prophet The Prophet had with him, ten thousand men and
VERY SELDOM THAT ALLAH’S APOSTLE (SAW) SAID" NO"
some of the Tulaqa. The companions fled, leaving the Prophet
TO ANYONE WHEN ASKED TO GIVE ANYTHING, AND HE
alone. The Prophet then made two calls which were clearly
GAVE CHARITY TO THE PEOPLE VERY FREELY.
distinguished from each other. He turned right and said, “O the
group of Ansar!" They said, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle! Rejoice,
for we are with you!" Then he turned left and said, “O the group of
Ansar!" They said, “Labbaik! O Allah’s Apostle! Rejoice, for we are
with you!" The Prophet at that time, was riding on a white mule;
then he dismounted and said, “I am Allah’s Slave and His
Apostle.” The infidels then were defeated, and on that day the
Prophet gained a large amount of booty which he distributed
amongst the Muhajirin and the Tulaqa and did not give anything
to the Ansar. The Ansar said, “When there is a difficulty, we are
called, but the booty is given to other than us.” The news reached
the Prophet and he gathered them in a leather tent and said,
“What is this news reaching me from you, O the group of Ansar?”
They kept silent, He added," O the group of Ansar! Won’t you be
happy that the people take the worldly things and you take Allah’s
48
In this chapter, Ibn Shihab reported that Allah’s Messenger (SAW)
Abu Sufyan bin Harb was given a hundred camels and forty (gold)
went on the expedition of Victory, i. e. the Victory of Makkah, and
ounces and yet he said, “What about my son, Yazeed’s share?”
then he went out along with the Muslims and they fought at
So he was given the same quantity for his son as well. But yet he
Hunain, and Allah granted victory to his religion and to the
exclaimed: “And what about the share of Mu’awiyah, my second
Muslims, and Allah’s Messenger (SAW) gave one hundred camels
son?” So the Prophet (SAW) gave Mu’awiyah as much as he gave
to Safwan b. Umayya. He again gave him one hundred camels,
his father and brother. Hakeem bin Hizam was given a hundred
and then again gave him one hundred camels. Sa’id b. Musayyib
camels, but he was given a hundred more when he demanded.
said that Safwan told him: (By Allah) Allah’s Messenger (SAW)
Safwan bin Omaiyah was given three hundred camels, a hundred
gave me what he gave me (and my state of mind at that time was)
camels at each time he claimed. The Prophet (SAW) gave Al-
that he was the most detested person amongst people in my
Harith bin Harith bin Kilda a hundred camels. He also gave some
eyes. But he continued giving to me until now he is the dearest of
people to me.
The Sealed Nectar had this to say about the details of the booty
distribution after the battle of Hunain. Upon returning and lifting
the siege in Ta’if, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had stayed over
ten nights at Al-Ji’ranah before starting to distribute the booty.
The delay was due to the Prophet’s hope that Hawazin’s
delegation might arrive and announce their repentance and
consequently reclaim their loss. Seeing that none of them arrived,
he started dividing the booty so as to calm down the tribes’
chiefs and the celebrities of Makkah. The first to receive booty
and the ones who obtained the greatest number of shares were
the people who had recently embraced Islam.
Ji’ranah Mosque
49
chiefs of Quraish and
take twelve camels and a
other clans a hundred
hundred and twenty
camels; he gave others
sheep. This distribution of
fifty and some others had
booty was based on a
forty.
wise policy to appease to
Eventually the news
spread among people that
the hearts of the new
believers.
“Muhammad grants
At first the Prophet’s
generously and fears not
policy of distribution was
to grow poor.” This made bedouins gather around him expecting
uncomprehended by many. Therefore sharp-tongued people
to be given some wealth. They were so many that they forced the
started expressing their objections. The Ansar (Helpers) were
Prophet (SAW) to seek refuge against a tree and they even took
among those who were afflicted by this policy. They were
away his garment, “O people!” He said, “Give me back my
deprived of Hunain gifts though they had been the ones who were
garment! For I swear by the One in Whose Hand is Muhammad’s
summoned at Hunain hard times and they were the first to rush to
soul, that if I had as many numerous camels as the number of
fight with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and standfast till the
Tihama trees, I would distribute them among you. You know quite
defeat turned into victory. Now here they are watching those who
well that I am neither mean nor coward or a liar.” Standing by his
escaped fill their hands with booty while they are given nothing.
camel he plucked out a hair of his camel’s hump and held it
between his two fingers, lifted it up and said, “O people, I swear
by Allah that I get nothing but one-fifth of your booty, and this
very fifth goes back to you.”
When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had given Quraish and the
Arab tribes those gifts and allotted nothing to the Helpers, a
group of the Helpers felt so uneasy about it that a lot of illstatements against the Prophet (SAW) were spread among them
As soon as he had given the new converts, the Messenger of
to an extent that one of them said, “By Allah, the Messenger of
Allah (SAW) ordered Zaid bin Thabit to fetch the booty and
Allah (SAW) was ill-spoken of by his folksmen!” And those ill-
summon people. Then he ordained shares to people. A footman’s
statements went on spreading till Sa’d bin ‘Ubadah met the
share was four camels and forty sheep, and a horseman would
50
Messenger of Allah (SAW), who in his turn faced his people after a
Allah guided you? You were poor and Allah gave you wealth.
while.
Weren’t you foes and Allah made you love one another.” “Yes,”
Sa’d bin ‘Ubadah said, “O Messenger of Allah, this group of the
Helpers are furious at you about the distribution of the booty that
you had won. You have allotted shares to your own kinsmen and
forwarded lots of gifts to the Arab tribes. But this group has
obtained nothing.” The Prophet (SAW) asked Sa’d exclaiming:
they said, “Allah and His Messenger are better and more
gracious.” Then he said, “What prevents you from replying to the
Messenger of Allah, O tribe of Helpers?” They said, “What should
be the reply, O Messenger of Allah, while to the Lord and to his
Messenger belong all benevolence and grace.”
“Sa’d, what do you think of all
The Prophet (SAW) again said,
that?” Sa’d replied: “O
“But by Allah, you might have
Messenger of Allah. You know
answered and answered truly,
that I am nothing but a
for I would have testified to its
member of this group.” “Call
truth myself: ‘You came to us
out on your people and bring
belied and rejected and we
them forth to me into this
accepted you; you came to us
shed.”
as helpless and we helped
you; a fugitive, and we took
So Sa’d went out and
you in; poor and we comforted
summoned them. When some
you’. You Helpers, do you feel
Emigrants came, he let them in
anxious for the things of this
but forbade others. When they
were all gathered together, he
informed the Prophet saying: “This group of the Helpers have just
arrived to meet you in compliance with your orders.” As soon as
world, wherewith I have sought
to incline these people unto the Faith in which you are already
established?
the Messenger (SAW) faced them he thanked Allah and praised
Are you not satisfied, O group of Helpers that the people go with
Him, then said to them inquiring, “I have been told that you are
ewes and camels while you go along with the Messenger of Allah
angry with me. Didn’t I come to you when you were astray and
(SAW) to your dwellings. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, had
51
there been no migration, I would have been one of the Helpers. If
the people would go through a valley and passage, and the
Helpers go through another valley and passage, I would go
through the valley and passage of the Helpers. Allah! Have mercy
on the Helpers, their children and their children’s children.”
The audience wept until tears rolled down their beards as they
said, “Yes, we are satisfied, O Prophet of Allah (SAW)! with our lot
and share.”
There are other similar reports of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
taking care of the hearts of the newly converts to Islam when he
had the material means to do so from the spoils of war. He (SAW)
did not give any material reward to the Ansar but gave them the
best; to confirm that he (SAW) will not be returning to Makkah but
will continue to be with those who protected and defended him
and gave him shelter when the people of Makkah rejected him.
He knew what they were really concerned about, he knew their
feelings and he gave them the best.
52
Chapter 12
Leadership in
Adversity:
Lessons From
the Prophet SAW
We expect our leaders to be better than us for them
to gain our respect, commitment and loyalty. Some
leaders win our respect, commitment and loyalty
because they are indeed genuine in possessing
many of the qualities we expect to see in our
leaders. On the other hand, some leaders excel at
managing impression to win our respect,
commitment and loyalty. In public, they may appear
caring and convey an image of leader who is
concerned about the well-being of society. In
private, they are busy enriching themselves,
engaging in all kinds of abuse and corrupt activities.
The character of a leader is often revealed during
adversities and difficult situations. Such moments
test a leader’s moral fortitude and character.
Adolf Hitler was silenced
by his own gun.
History has seen how some leaders collapse during stress. Hitler
committed suicide when he realized that defeat was imminent. In
the end, all his loud rhetoric was silenced by his own gun. There
to keep their bottom line in the
are also leaders who deal with adversity by protecting the interest
black. Religious leaders hide
of their family first. Their people would be told to make sacrifices
behind the sanctity of their
while they rob the nation’s wealth for the benefit of family
religions to avoid accountability
members.
and suppress any criticism of
their incompetence. They abuse
It is not an overstatement to say that modern society has a
their followers’ faith in their
leadership crisis. We often see scandals involving politicians,
religion by insisting that their
corporate leaders and even religious figures. We begin to wonder
followers have faith in them.
whether we can trust our leaders to be faithful to the nation when
Some equate the sanctity of
we see them being unfaithful to their spouses. We begin to ask
their religion with their personal
whether we can respect our religious leaders when we see them
sanctity.
betray trust and high standard of behavior we expect of religious
leaders. We wonder whether our money and investment is safe
Some may expect that as a
when corporate leaders take unwarranted risks in order to justify
Prophet, Muhammad (SAW) would have had a nerve of steel and
their fat bonuses and in the end bring down companies. At the
insuppressible determination. His spirits would have always been
core, all leaders are just human beings who are vulnerable to
high and that he would be free of all human frailties. But that’s not
temptations. Some easily succumb to these temptations. Often, it
what Allah intended. Muhammad (SAW) was sent as a human
is society that has to bear the consequences of their frailties.
being with all the vulnerabilities of a human being. He
experienced the ups and down of life like any ordinary human
During testing times, not all leaders are able to stick to their moral
being. This is made clear in the Quran when Allah asked the
compass. Some political leaders resort to bigotry and fomenting
Prophet to say:
xenophobic fears to shore up support for themselves. They use
religion to legitimize their rule even though they are themselves
Say (O Muhammad), ‘I am only a mortal like you. It is inspired in
irreligious. Corporate leaders cut corners and “cook their books”
me that your Allah is One Allah, therefore take the straight path
54
unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe unto the
The Quranic concept of Muhammad (SAW) as uswatul hasanah, ,
idolaters. [41:6]
example par excellence, must be interpreted along with this verse
This verse begins with a declaration that Muhammad (SAW) is a
human like the rest of us. It is within this very human capacity and
capabilities that he called people to Allah. Muhammad (SAW)
embodies all the human qualities that we have in us. Muhammad
(SAW) felt pain when he is injured, he endured hunger during
famine, he experienced sorrow when dear ones passed away, he
loved his family like most of us, he enjoyed the company of his
companions and he joked and teased them during casual
interactions.
from surah Fussilat. This verse affirms his nature as a mortal like
other human beings. For Muhammad (SAW) to be an example of
how Islam can be realized in human life, he has to have all the
qualities of ordinary human beings. The standards of conduct,
behaviour and piety that he showed can be a standard for all of
us. Ordinary human beings may not be able to reach his level of
piety, but it is possible for all of us to move towards it. If he is
given superhuman qualities, he cannot become an example for
other human beings. Ordinary people cannot reach the level of a
superhuman. Thus, we see in him qualities that ordinary humans
can relate to.
What then do we see as qualities of
leadership in Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
during adversity? Specifically, how did he
behave during testing times? Can we derive
lessons from the Prophet and set
benchmarks for ourselves as we exercise
leadership under difficult circumstances? If
we accept him as the uswatul hasanah,
what standards of behavior can we see?
The following sections will be an attempt to
derive some lessons from some of the
difficult moments that the Prophet (SAW)
had encountered. It is by no means a
55
complete or exhaustive examination of the whole life of the
Prophet (SAW) The sirah is too long and too rich to be
summarized in one chapter. Let this chapter be the start of the
effort to examine the sirah from the lense of leadership.
Specifically, how does a leader continue to maintain the loyalty of
his followers in such a difficult time? And how did the Prophet
sustain his own morale after suffering hardship and personal
tragedies.
56
Section 1
Conclusion
Leading during adversity is difficult. The leader and his or
her follower need to respond together to the situation.
They need to be cohesive and plan their moves. Most
adverse situations require new learning because the
adversity is usually due to something unprecedented. In
addition, adversities threaten a person’s sense of security.
An effective leader has to be able to provide leadership
during such a situation. The Prophet (SAW) shows that
dealing with such a situation requires learning from the
insights and wisdom of others. This involves attentively listening to their views.
Getting people involved can also help allay these fears and uncertainty. In addition,
decisions made have to be implemented meticulously. Managing the
implementation requires selecting the right people for the critical tasks. And the
leader has to lead from the front to show to his or her followers that the adversity
can be overcome and how it can be overcome. All these has to be done while
maintaining taalluq billah.
57
Chapter 13
Conclusion
On the whole the Prophet (SAW) was ornamented
with peerless attributes of perfection.
And verily, you are on an exalted standard of
character. [68:4]
Those were the attributes and qualities that the
Prophet (SAW) enjoyed which made the hearts of
souls of the people close to him, draw near to him,
love him and take him as their absolute leader and
role-model. No one can ever claim to be possessed
of full knowledge or complete mastery of the great
attributes of the greatest man and greatest leader in
this universe. No one can ever give this man, the
top of perfection, his due description.
As stated in the Introduction of the book, the Western literature
knowledge areas in management and leadership today with the
on leadership reveals an interesting weakness despite its many
legacy left behind from the most influential human being in the
obvious strengths. The models, theories, rules, principles,
history of mankind and the generation of Companions. Taking
characteristics and practices of leadership use many different
guidance from Al-Quran, the Prophet (SAW) and the great
examples and leaders across different geographies and times.
Caliphs, is our only guarantee for success today.
There is no single role model as the reference hallmark of
leadership, no one person in the history of mankind that
exemplifies the well articulated rules, principles, characteristics
and practices of leadership. In the preceding chapters we have
given numerous examples from the life history of Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) following the ten truths of leadership as an
example model of modern leadership writings from among the
best authorities in leadership research today. It clearly shows how
the Prophet (SAW) can be the single role model of leadership
even based on modern leadership studies. In fact, our difficulty
was not in finding examples from the Prophet’s leadership to fit
the ten categories but to handle some of the examples that cover
many truths of leadership at the same time.
On the authority of Abu Najeeh Al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah (RA) who
said, The Messenger of Allah (SAW) gave us a sermon by which
our hearts were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes. So we
said, “O Messenger of Allah! It is as though this is a farewell
sermon, so counsel us.” He (SAW) said, “I counsel you to have
taqwa (fear) of Allah, and to listen and obey [your leader], even if a
slave were to become your ameer. Verily he among you who lives
long will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah
and to the Sunnah of the Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided
caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling to it stubbornly
[literally: with your molar teeth]. Beware of newly invented matters
[in the religion], for verily every bidah (innovation) is misguidance.”
(Abu Dawud)
We hope that this compendium will encourage more collaborative
effort on topics of interest that synthesize the many advanced
59
It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said that it was a good and
sound Hadith. (Hadith 28 from Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith)
O Allah! send your blessings upon Muhammad and the family
of Muhammad, as You have send blessings upon Ibrahim and
the family of Ibrahim. You are worthy of all praise, All
Glorious.
O Allah! bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as
You have already blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim.
You are worthy of all praise, All Glorious.
60
Reference
Section 1
Reference
1.
Maxwell, J.C. (2001). Developing the Leader Within
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You Workbook, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson
Inc.
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Nelson Inc.
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Bennis, W. (1989). On Becoming A Leader, Addison
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4.
McLean, J. W. & Weitzel, W. (1991). Leadership: Magic,
Myth or Method?, AMACOM.
5.
Covey, S.R. (1991). Principle-Centered Leadership,
Summit Books.
6.
Canfield, J. (2005). The Success Principles,
HarperCollins.
7.
Challenge Workbook, Jossey-Bass.
9.
Maxwell, J.C. (2002). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of
Leadership Workbook, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas
Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2008). The Leadership
Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2003). The Leadership
Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2010). The Truth About
Leadership, Jossey-Bass.
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Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2010). Credibility, JosseyBass.
11.
HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership (2011). Harvard
Business Review Press
12.
Adair, J. (2010). The Leadership of Muhammad, Kogan
Page.
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Adair, J. (2008). The Best of John Adair on
Management and Leadership, Thorogood.
14.
Sharma, R. (2010). Leadership Wisdom Monk Who
Sold His Ferrari 8 Rituals Best Leaders, HarperCollins
UK.
Challenge, Jossey-Bass.
62
15.
Al-Suwaidan, T.M. (2013). Developing Leaders (in
23.
vil/Books/M_hidayat/index.htm (accessed on Jan. 8,
Arabic).
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19.
Management Review. 18 No. 1 (1993): 116-138.
25.
Padilla, A., Hogan, R. and Kaiser, R. (2007). “The Toxic
Triangle: Destructive Leaders, Susceptible Followers
and Conducive Environment.” The Leadership
Influential Persons in History
Quarterly, 18, 176-194.
Skiena, S. & Ward, C. (2013). Who’s Bigger?: Where
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Al Ghazali, M. (1998). Fiqh-us-Seerah:Understanding
the Life of Prophet Muhammad SAW. IIFSO: Riyadh.
21.
Miller, D. “The Architecture of Simplicity.” Academy of
Hart, M.H. (1992). The 100: A Ranking of The Most
Historical Figures Really Rank. Cambridge University
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24.
The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum: ‫الرحيق‬
‫) املختوم‬
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Al-Suwaidan, T.M. (2013). Strategic Change Agenda for
the Muslim Ummah, eBook.
Maududi, A. A. Hidayat. http://www.witness-pioneer.net/
Ibn Khaldun. (Vol. 1-3). The Muqaddimah: An
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Franz Rosenthal, Princeton: Princeton University Press
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Qutb, S. (1977). This Religion of Islam. IIFSO: Riyadh.
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Zaidan, A. K. Dasar-dasar Ilmu Dakwah (1). Dewan
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Battle of the Trench. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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Maududi, A. A. (1982). The Moral Foundations of the
Apart from the above texts we have also used selected verses
Islamic Movement. Islamic Publications: Lahore.
from Al-Quran which are highlighted in red. We have also used
many Hadith that are taken from the reputable works of Hadith.
We tried to be exact in referencing the Hadith based on the
63
Volume, Chapter and Hadith number. Some of the numberings
may not be exact depending on the English edition of the
particular Hadith reference. We highlighted the Hadith in green.
64
Appendix
Section 1
Brief Explanation on The Sealed Nectar (Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum)
Ar-Raheeq-ul-Makhtum ‫ الرحيق املختوم‬meaning The Sealed Nectar) is a
biography of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), written in Arabic and Urdu
by Safi-ur-Rehman Mubarakpuri. The Arabic version was awarded first
prize by the Muslim World League, at the first Islamic Conference on
Seerah, following an open competition for a book on the Sirah Rasul
Allah (life of Muhammad) in 1979 (1399 AH). The book competed with
170 other manuscripts, 84 in Arabic, 64 in Urdu, 21 in English, one in
French and one in Hausa. The book takes into account various phases
of the life of Muhammad. The book is deemed authentic and suitable
for all audiences, who wish to
know more about the life of
Muhammad. It has been translated
into English as The Sealed Nectar.
In this publication we refer to many
excerpts of the Seerah from this
valuable reference. These excerpts
are presented in purple.
Ar-Raheeq-ul-Makhtum the Urdu version
66
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