COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND MODERN LANGUAGES

UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA

SGDU5024

LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION

TITLE

Islamic Leadership or Leadership from

Islamic Perspective

STUDENT NAME : NORDIANA BINTI NORDIN

NO. MATRIC : 821689

PROGRAM : MASTER OF SCIENCE

(EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT)

LECTURER NAME : DR ISMAIL HUSSEIN HAMZAT

 CONTENTS

A. Defining Leadership in Islam

B. Leadership roles in today problems

C. The moral bases of Islamic leadership

D. Coaching as Tarbiyyah and Self-development :

 Islamic Etiquette

 Social Relation

E. Conclusion.
Islamic Leadership or Leadership from Islamic Perspective

A. Defining Leadership in Islam:

Leadership in Islam is considered a trust. A leader is entrusted to lead a group of people or

managing an organization. The leader is held accountable. The trust and accountability go

hand in hand. The focus of leadership in Islam is doing good and try his best to guide his

followers and protect them and treat them fairly and with justice. According to Islam,

everyone is the “shepherd” of a flock, and occupies a position of leadership. A Muslim is

required to appoint a leader during trip, select a leader to lead the prayer and choose a leader

for other group activities. . Leadership, then, can be depicted as a process by which the leader

seeks the voluntary participation of followers in an effort to reach certain objectives. This

definition suggests that leadership is essentially a process whereby the leader guides willing

followers. At all times, a leader must remember that he cannot compel others to do things

against their will.

To begin with, Muslims base their behavior as leader and/or as follower upon the Word of

God as revealed in their holy book, the Qur’an. They believe that the Prophet of

Islam, Muhammad (PBUH), has modeled the way for Muslim leaders and followers for all

times. This belief is supported when God says the following about Muhammad (saw):

“And you stand an exalted standard of character ” (A l i . A . Y . 1 9 8 9 , 6 8 : 4 . ),

Muhammad’s (saw) example, then, is what both Muslim leaders and followers seek to

emulate. According to the Prophet Muhammad (saw), leadership in Islam is not reserved for

small elite. Rather, depending upon the situation, every person is the “shepherd” of a flock,

and occupies a position of leadership (S a h i h B u k h a r i : A b d a l l a h I b n U m a r ,

h a d i t h 3 . 7 3 3 ). Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said: Each of you is a guardian,

and each of you will be asked about his subjects (S a h i h B u k h a r i , h a d i t h 3 . 7 3 3 ).

In most circumstances in life, Muslims are urged to appoint a leader and follow him.

According to the Prophet Muhammad (saw), Muslims must appoint a leader during a trip,

select a leader to lead the prayer, and choose a leader for other group activities. Leadership,

then, can be depicted as a process by which the leader seeks the voluntary participation of

followers in an effort to reach certain objectives. This definition suggests that leadership is

essentially a process whereby the leader guides willing followers. At all times, a leader must

remember that he cannot compel others to do things against their will.

“ Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Qur’an, 2: 256.).

According to Islam, the two primary roles of a leader are those of servant-leader and

guardian-leader. First, the leader is the servant of his followers (Sayyid al Qawn

K h a d i m u h u m ) (Kasule, Sr. , Omar H. 1998, 3). He is to seek their welfare and guide

them towards good. The idea of a leader as a servant has been part of Islam since its

beginning, and has only recently been developed by Robert Greenleaf. The Prophet

Muhammad ( saw) has emphasized a second major role of the Muslim leader: to protect his

community against tyranny and oppression, to encourage God-consciousness and taqwa, and

to promote justice. Islam, the complete code of life, declares leadership as a trust (Amanah),

and gives a detailed description about it. According to the Islamic view, leadership is a sacred

position that can solve the problems of humanity and guide them to the eternal betterment of

here and hereafter. It is a person or a group of people who guide and lead the followers, the

humanity from the brink of destruction to the way of Allah. Giving preference on human

welfare Islam exposes leadership as a psychological contract between a leader and his

followers that he will try his best to guide them, to protect them and to treat them fairly and

with justice. Hence, the focus of leadership in Islam is on doing well.

B. Leadership roles in today problems:

Leadership is a great quality and every group be it a of 3 people, organization, family, a

company, or a country needs able and good leaders. On the global scene there is a need for

good leaders too as today the world is mired by international conflicts, wars and mutual

suspicions which if not corrected can demolish the whole world. The Islamic Leadership

Model and the principles associated with it offer a leadership alternative which can open the

door of excellence and achievement. The principles are gleaned from the Quran the words of

the Mighty Wise, the practice and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, the character and deeds of

the Caliphs and other great Muslim leaders who with meager means and enormous hurdles

reached the zenith of excellence. These principles and their application are equally useful for

every leader be they Muslim or non-Muslim as they transcend racial, religious, and temporal

boundaries. Understanding, acquiring, and application of these mega principles can open up

the doors to success and progress in every human endeavor. Prophet Muhammad, Caliph Abu

Bakar, Umar, Othman, and Ali and their successors practiced these principles and achieved

highest places in the annals of human history.

C. The moral bases of Islamic leadership:

Leadership in Islam is rooted in belief and willing submission to the Creator, God. It centers

on serving Him.

To serve God, a Muslim leader is to act in accordance with the injunctions of God and His

Prophet (saw), and must develop a strong Islamic moral character. This moral character will

be reflected by his increasingly strong belief in God as he progresses through 4 stages of

spiritual development: iman, Islam, taqwa and ihsan.

Iman.

At the core of Islamic moral character is iman or faith in God. Iman implies belief in the

Oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad (saw). A leader with a strong iman will

consider himself and all his possessions as belonging to God. He will bow his ego, his ideas,

his passions and his thinking to God. Iman also implies belief in the life hereafter and in

one’s ultimate accountability for one’s deeds. A leader with a firm iman will not dodge

responsibility for his actions, and will continuously emphasize good deeds. Although

Muslims consider it desirable to appoint a leader with iman, it may not always be possible to

find such a person. An organization may have to choose between a strong Muslim with weak

leadership skills or a strong leader with moderate/weak Islamic understanding. The example

of Amr Ibn Al ‘Aas is to be remembered here. He had been a Muslim for only four

months when he was appointed by the Prophet (saw) to a key leadership position. A leader

with weak or inadequate expertise can bring disaster to an organization whereas a skilled

leader may advance and help the same organization. Even if the skilled leader were not a

strong Muslim, his shortcomings can be made up through shura or the consultative process of

decision making.
Islam

Building upon iman, Islam is the second layer of the moral personality of an Islamic leader

and followers. Islam means the achievement of peace with God, within oneself and with the

creation of God, through willing submission to Him. As Maudoodi (1991) points out so well,

“Iman is the seed and Islam is the fruition.” Because of his or her iman, a leader who

practices Islam will never see himself as supreme. Ali Ibn Abu Talib’s (ra) letter to Malik al-

Ashtar an-Nukai, the new Governor of Egypt, stresses this point in the following manner:

Malik, you must never forget that if you are a ruler over them, then the Caliph is a ruler over

you, and God is the supreme Lord over the Caliph.

Taqwa

As an individual submits to God through Islam, he develops an awe of God. This

allencompassing, inner consciousness of his duty towards Him and this awareness of his

accountability towards Him is taqwa. As pointed out by Maudoodi, “the essence of taqwa lies

in an attitude of heart and mind rather than in an outward form.” When imbued with taqwa, a

person’s frame of mind—his thoughts, emotions and inclinations—will reflect Islam. Taqwa

will restrain a Muslim leader or follower from behaving unjustly—whether to community

members, to customers, to suppliers or to anybody else.

Ihsan

Whereas taqwa is the fear of God and the feeling of God’s Presence, ihsan is the love of God.

This love of God motivates the individual Muslim to work towards attaining God’s Pleasure.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) describes ihsan as follows: “To worship God as if you see

Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is

looking at you.”

The constant feeling that God is watching is likely to prompt any leader or follower with

Ihsan to behave at his best.

D. Coaching as Tarbiyyah and Self-development

The word "Tarbiyyah" is an Arabic word that linguistically means increase, growth, and

loftiness. Conventionally, Tarbiyyah means the development and the training of people in

various aspects. In this context, the word Tarbiyyah refers to the systematic development and

training of Muslims. It is a continuous and comprehensive process of developing all aspects

of the Muslim character/personality, i.e. spiritual, intellectual, moral, social, and physical

aspects. The Tarbiyyah process aims to put Muslims on the path of constant self-purification,

self-correction and self-development (Tasfiyah), and instill in them the passion for truth,

righteousness, and justice. A responsibility of Islamic leader is to increase or improve the

qualities of leadership in him. A great thinker al Farabi indicates the following characteristics

of leadership- be intelligence, full of wisdom, possess complementary characters in terms of

their physical and abilities, ideal long-sighted policy makers.

This concept is portrayed very accurately by the Qur’an. The Prophet Muhammad (saw)

stressed the importance of this inner striving to improve oneself: God's Messenger (saw) said,

"The believers in the world are in three classes: those who believe in God and His Messenger

and do not doubt, but strive with their property and their persons in God's cause; the man

whom people trust with their property and their persons; and the man who, when he is about

to display greed, abandons it for the sake of God, Who is Great and Glorious." The dimension

of inner struggle permeates the very progression from iman to ihsan, and continues thereafter.

Application of the concept of self-struggle to leadership. This principle encapsulates the

process of inner struggle towards self-betterment. Leaders and followers practicing this

principle are continuously monitoring and evaluating their intentions and actions, and acting

to improve themselves accordingly. They work hard at practicing what they say, and

encourage others in this struggle for self-improvement.

E. Conclusion

Leadership is an important thing in life. Every movement has a need for leadership.

Leadership is the capability of a person to lead cluster of individuals for the completion of a

certain specified mission, grooming their followers with the aim of succession so that no flaw

can be created. A true leader is always a man of principle who has effective communication,

firmness and dynamism in their personalities.

References

Beekun, R., & Badawi, J. (1999). The leadership process in Islam. Proteus-Shippensburg-,

16, 33–38. Retrieved from http://en.scientificcommons.org/42902264

Mustafa Monjur (2015). Concept of Leadership and the Quality of a good Leader in Islam

from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283503037_Concept_of_Leadership_and_the_Qual

ity_of_a_good_Leader_in_Islam

Wan Kamal, M., Ezad Azraai, J., Noor Inayah, Y., Hamzaini, A. H., Wan Mohtar, W. Y.,

Nur Riza, M. S., … Nur Hafizah, A. S. (2012). Meaning of leadership according to Islam.

Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(8), 1394–1398. Retrieved from

http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-

84874510689&partnerID=40&md5=e27bc9ae6ea64146e22757a43242c714

Jamsari, E. A. . b, Mujani, W. K. . b, Ya’akub, N. I. . c, Abdul Hamid, H. A. ., Yusoff, W. M.

W. . e, Suradi, N. R. M. ., … Samah, N. H. A. . (2012). The basis of leadership in Islam.

Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(8), 1399–1404. Retrieved from

http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-

84874521953&partnerID=40&md5=bfd92d0b3efd03d9c3c583acbff990de

Mir, A. M. (2010). Leadership in islam. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(3), 69–72.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.20180