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THE IDEAL
LEADERSHIP (PART
11)
By Marhum Ahmed H Sheriff
DANGER
IN ACCEPTING A VILLAIN’S LEADERSHIP
People have been warned of a
great danger against accepting leadership of those villainous and
undesirable characters. The following saying of the Holy Prophet (saw)
provides useful guidance:
“When a community is led by
their villains and if their leader happens to be wretched and if a
debauching is honoured, then let them wait (expect) a calamity (to
behalf them)”
Obviously when any community
or a group of people allows a person of low character and the one openly
indulging in sins to rule and lead them, then there is always a risk of
his misusing his authority to serve his own personal ends. However
capable and smart a leader may be, he is liable to mislead them and be
the cause of chaos and calamity to befall them, should he be a man of
debased principles and a person of double standards in his dealings.
And that is why the criteria
of selecting a right leader in Islam is Taqwa –the fear of Allah
and respect for Islamic values of noble character.
What better example of
rejecting the leadership of a villainous and low charactered person can
be cited herewith other than that of Yazeed by Imam Hussain (as), the
grandson of the Holy Prophet (saw). When in 60 A.H., Yazeed the Omayyad
prince usurped the caliphate of the Islamic Ummah and per force demanded
pledge of allegiance, it was the Imam who rejected it outright. His
following words in presence of Walid bin Utbah, the governor of Madina,
have been recorded in the annals of Islamic history:
“We are the
household of the Prophethood, the source of messengership, the
descending place of the angels, through us Allah has begun (showering
His favours) and with us He has perfected (His blessings)……………Yazeed is
a sinful man, a drunkard, killer of innocent people and one who openly
indulges in sinful acts. A person like me can never pay allegiance to a
person like him”
Historians have reported that
Yazeed spent much of his time in the pleasure of singing and amusing
himself with apes and hunting-hounds. His open and persistent violations
of Islamic norms were shocking. Imam Hussain (as)’s acceptance of
Yazeed’s leadership would have been an endorsement of his vicious way of
life and negation of the divine mission of the Prophet.
The Supreme sacrifices of
Imam Hussain (as) and his companions saved Islam from extinction. The
Omayyed dynasty eventually lost its rule. No ruler of a muslim country
since then ever dared ridicule Islam and the percepts of the Prophet.
SUMMARY
In the light of
the foregoing chapters, it can be summarised:
That no group of people,be
they a nation, a community or a society,can survive on its affairs
without a leader.
That a progress of a people
rests a great deal upon the quality of their leadership.
That the ideal leadership
mainly depends upon adequate general knowledge about people and their
needs as well as upon the quality of Justice and fairplay.
That the ideal leadership is
that which is adorned with the spirit of public service and not polluted
with self-interest nor by misuse of position for personal motives.
That an ideal leader is the
one who enjoys chastity,noble character, generosity and intelligence. He
is the one who leads by example and inspires teamwork and who is able to
attract co-operation and understanding of his people.
That the ideal leader is the
one who is also humble and not lured by the outward show of position nor
interested in self-glorification.
That both a leader and his
people have a duty of mutual respect and co-operation.
That should a community or a
society accept leadership of those ignoble and vicious character and
those who dare openly indulge in sins, then it should expect to be
overtaken with calamity.
That when a nation or a
society is blessed with a God-fearing and service-motivated intelligent
leader,then not only it survives against whatever odd but also becomes a
model for the whole world.
That no creed other than
Islam has provided such exhaustive guidance and useful examples of ideal
leadership.The life-styles of the Prophet of Islam and his household
members act as beacons of ideal leadership for mankind.
Readers are
requested to remember Marhum Ahmedbhai H Sheriff with recitation of
Suratul-Fatiha.
Released by: Mulla
Mujaheedali Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |