Tri Nugraha R (13313193)

Islamic Leadership Study

Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam:

A Best Role Model Figure of Leadership
Leadership is very important for any individual to manage all aspects in life and also it
has a big influence to other peoples life. In islam trust is a key of leadership (Beekun & Badawi,
2012, Para. 1). Trust is important in building a relationship with others, without trust a
relationship will not happen and it is difficult to be success in building leadership character. For
the moslems, the best example of a leadership teaching is the prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him), his companions believe that god has send Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a
leader on the earth. The companions never asking his leadership, because they trust his
leadership based on gods revelation through al-quran. Many moslems figure has influenced the
world with his leadership. In this paper, the writer will describe a best leadership experience and
story from Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam.
Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam based on wikipedia article Abdullah Yusuf Azzam (n.d.)
stated that he was born in 1941 in Palestinian village of Silat al-Harithiya. Azzam in his early life
was full of religious life, he was very smart, his hobby is reading, excellent in class, and he
always study the topics which above his level. He was an expert in ushul fiqh well-thought-of
islamic world. He achieved sharia doctorate from university of Al-Azhar. Amazingly, he
achieved his academic title in the middle of his struggle to defense his homeland, Palestina,
which was colonized by Israel. He is a moslem scholar who was success to unite Afghanistan to
be united to fight Russians colonization. In the islamic world Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam was a
symbol and an icon of opposition against inhumanity colonization. He was also a mentor of
Osama Bin Laden and invite him to be mujahidin in afghan, they both establish Al-Qaeda which
in the world view maybe he was a terorist but anybody who knew the condition of jihad struggle
in Afghanistan will understand that he was a true mujahidin who full of compassionate to the
moslems in the world.
The reason of the writer to choose Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam as a best leadership role
model, because he has a big influence to affect other people with his teaching about hard work.
He taught other people by walk the talk. Beside that his story has a great impact to the writer
personally because it can mobilize the heart of people who reads his story. From this point, the

Tri Nugraha R (13313193)

Islamic Leadership Study

writer will describe the story of Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam taken from Sindo newspaper
(Mastathata, 2008). One day Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam invited his students to the field. He
wanted to teach them about one understanding through the sentence mastathata which means
to the best of your ability. He had them to run around the field to the best of their ability.
Then, the students ran. Some students ran fastly, some students ran slowly and some
students rather ran relaxly. They ran around the field. Some of them gave up after running only a
half of the field. Some of them gave up after running one circle. Some of them gave up in two
circles, some of them three circles. Until all of them stop running with panting breath, but their
faces still looked fresh. Once again, the professor gather them and ask them, Have you
mobilized all of your ability to run? Then the students all at once answer, Yes, we have!
Then the professor said, I dont see any of you who has mobilized all of his ability to
run! A student replied, I have ran around the field to five circles, for that I already mobilized
all of my efforts. The professor replied, No, you havent. You havent mobilized all of your
efforts to the best of your ability to run. Allright then, I will show you how to run to the best of
my ability to run.
Then, the Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam ran around the field. Because of he was old he didnt
run as fast as young people did. He ran, he kept running. He succeeded ran around the field and
kept running. He ran around the field to two circles and kept running. Even with panting breath
and his face was already pale, he kept running and kept running. Until the end, the professor was
blackout in the middle of the field.
The students immediately go to the field to carry their great teacher to the comfortable
shelter place. The face of Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam was very pale as if there is no longer blood
circulate on his face. When he was conscious, his lip was shaking, the professor said, Until you
exert all of your power, until you cannot mobilize your muscles, you are no longer able to step
your foot. It means you already exert all of your ability to run. We will success, we will win if we
have mobilize all of our ability to win. On that day, the student learned and realize how to
understand one single sentence of mastathaa which means to the best of your ability.
Based on the story of him above, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam has charisma of leadership
when other people wish to follow him through his teaching and they are attracted by his

Tri Nugraha R (13313193)

Islamic Leadership Study

personality. Charismatic leader work to develop their followers into a leader. Faith is also one the
important criteria of leadership that Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam has. A faithful leader will not
dodge responsibility of his action and a true leader will not easily give up. Because allah will not
burden someone except appropriate with his ability (Al Baqarah: 286). In islam, moslems are
prohibited to be desperate and moslems must believe in destiny. As al-quran said in surah Al
Hijr verse 56, Abraham said: there is no one in despair from the blessing of Allah, except for the
astray people. A leader must be brave to accept all the examination and the consequences he
will get, believe all that will happen have already decided by Allah. Hence, charismatic, brave,
faithful, and strong characteristics is the fundamental personality in leadership to affect the
follower to be a good leader.
In the end of the life of Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam, many times he accepted murdered
trial. Until the end he was murdered on Friday, 24 th November in 1989. Three bombs which
intentionally were set in a passageway that was usually pass by him, the bombs blew when he
parked his vehicle during jumah prayer in peshawar, Pakistan. When Sheikh Abdullah with his
two sons, Muhammad and Ibrahim, died all at once, Sheikh Abdullah Azzams vehicle was
shattered. His son Ibrahim tossed aside about 100 meters and as well as his other son
Muhammad. Their bodies was also shattered. At the end, a highest commitment of him to the
islam make fidgetiness to the enemy of islam. They make conspiracy to kill him. In 1989 a bomb
was put under the pulpit which he used to give a sermon on Friday. The material of the bombs
were very dangerous and the explosion would annihilate the mosque with the community inside
but with the protection of Allah, the bombs didnt explode and hundreds of moslems inside the
mosque were safe.
To sum up, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Azzam not only represent himself, but he also represent all
the moslems in the world. He is the reflection of a successful moslem leader in the twentieth
century. He teach the moslems in the world for not to give up easily, he persuade moslems to
build islamic moral value which is the basic principles of moslem leadership. A leader should not
be afraid to be strucked down by calamity, calamity must occur and it must be. It is the will of
Allah that we cannot deny. With this condition a leaders leadership is being tested, as a leader,
he must face it with patient because a believer must believe when there is a difficulty allah will
give an ease. Based on the al-quran said, in truth after difficulty there is an ease, (QS. Alam

Tri Nugraha R (13313193)

Islamic Leadership Study

Nasyrah: 5-6). Thus, in the end of the mujahidins life of abdullah azzam are shown in his
amazing firmness to face his enemies. A good leader never look back from his enemies, he has
gut or bravery and prepared to deal with the all the problems. A bravery of a leader is not
enough, he also must be wise and smart in constructing strategy to manage the possibilities to
win. Another learning experience from Abdullah Azzam life is do not be afraid with the problems
that seems blocking our purpose and withered our spirit. One of the companions of the prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) Ali R.A said, It is not a difficulty that makes us afraid, it is
fear that makes us difficult. The leadership experience from the Prof. Dr. Abdullah. Azzam is a
true leader will never be loose by a fear. A true leader is able to handle his fear from panic and
able to make others feels comfortable and safe from the panic situation.

Tri Nugraha R (13313193)

Islamic Leadership Study

References

Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2015. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Yusuf_Azzam
Beekun, R., & Badawi, J. (2012, May 2). The Leadership Process in Islam. Retrieved April 8,
2015. Retrieved from http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/researchstudies/politics-and- economics/456856-the-leadership-process-in-islam.html
Mastatha'ta. (2008, November 4). Koran Sindo.