We have, on the other hand, a paradigm of leadership that is not new, yet always revolutionary, true, but never self-satisfied. The exemplar? – our Prophet Muhammad (may AL-LAH bless him and give him peace) with his companions, sitting in a circle in a way that would not reveal to an outsider who was leader and who was follower. They were all leaders. Do you find that to be a shocking statement? But consider what it is that a leader aims to do – he gives his all so that his companions may be like him. If he is a leader, he cannot but want that they be leaders too. And if the Messenger of AL-LAH (may God bless him and give him peace) wanted something done, it was almost inevitably done. The result? – the early years of our Islamic history are bursting at the seams with leaders, many of whom, by the way, never made it onto the pages of history. But that is not what leadership is all about.
Leaders are facilitators. The Prophet (may AL-LAH bless him and give him peace) facilitated the guidance of God among mankind by his teachings and example. He located the many talents buried within the characters of his companions – we call them companions, not followers – and facilitated their growth and expression, until the world started up astonished at what his and following generations were capable of being and doing. He facilitated his companions’ latent qualities of leadership by encouraging them to speak up and question him. He acknowledged his companions’ expertise in matters that surpassed his knowledge, such as the matter of the date palms, the digging of a ditch around the city, and the siting of a camp before the battle of Badr. He was challenged at Hudaibiya by virtually all his companions, and showed no anger at their incredulity. In all that he could share with his companions, he kept nothing back; his responsibility (amanah) was fulfilled in total. He enjoyed no leisure or luxury that they were denied; he was available to them as much as was humanly possible; he drained himself that they might drink from the fountain of wisdom bestowed upon him by God.
All this consultation and interaction, however, was not an option for the Prophet (may God bless him and give him peace). It was commanded by God. And consult them in the matter (amr), says the Qur’an (3:159). Amr means affair, concern, business; it also means order, command, instruction, power, authority. All these meanings are indicated here. Power and command are precisely about these things – dealing with some concern, getting some business done. There is nothing in this about position, rank, tenure, seniority, prestige, or privilege. It is a practical, decision-oriented concept, and one which a true leader is only too glad to distribute and delegate to those capable of handling responsibility. Many hands make light work.
Amanah means responsibility or trust, and comes from the same word as faith, iman. Trust begets trust. Show faith in a person, and that person will have faith in you. AL-LAH has given man the trust which the heavens and the earth refused because He wants man to trust Him. God initiated this relationship of trust, and our job is to show ourselves worthy of it. Knowing the greatness of this trust is the very essence of faith; it motivates us to do our best, and believe the best of God as He has believed in us. Similar relations apply to a group of leaders, or believers. They trust one another and work well together. How? By constant, face-to-face contact, good personal and communication skills, beginning with wishing one another peace. But it doesn’t stop there. There is a deep inter-penetration constantly going on in the lives of a group of believers; they know and look out for one another, assisting and exhorting and emulating one another. Rarely are commands required in such relationships. A need or objective is expressed, and suddenly, almost miraculously, the men, materiel, and means are ready and able to complete the task. Contrary to the group of followers, of falsehoods and failures, deeds are accomplished spontaneously, energetically, harmoniously, unreservedly . . . divinely. No one takes credit for them, for they were done by God.
Such groups are difficult, perhaps impossible, to eradicate. Kill one man, and ten more of equal stature appear. Oppress them, and they go to ground, live off the land, merge with the general population, hide among the common people. And why not? They never lived otherwise. You will find nothing to take away from them but their lives; whatever else they possessed they had already given to their fellow-believers, to the poor. Try to break their ranks with lures like money, fame, or power; they turned their backs on such things long ago. They value their faith, their honour, the trust their friends have reposed in them, more than anything this world contains. You can kill the individuals in such a group, but not the group itself; it has a life and a spirit all its own. They ask you, says the Qur’an (17:85) about the Spirit. Say, “The Spirit is from the Command of my Lord. And you have been given but a little knowledge.” Just as Spirit proceeds from the Command of God, from God’s leadership, we might say, so in the communities of believers is there an invincible spirit that proceeds from the practice of true leadership, the practice of giving responsibilities to their rightful owners. And the hows and whys of such a spirit are, of course, beyond our comprehension, as that verse itself declares.
What kind of characters do such blessed people have? They are honest, frugal, generous, self-critical, modest, unassuming, shy on their own behalf, bold for the truth, eager to deepen their understanding and elevate their faith, and suspicious of those who would lay claim to power without having worked for it. In general, the more commands a person gives, the less qualified he is to give them. If he were a true leader, he would find other, more motivating ways to get things done. But that takes work – humbling oneself before one’s companions, listening more than talking, reserving judgement until the last possible moment, and preferring an hour’s worth of friendship to a second’s worth of leadership. It is the kind of work so many of our modern leaders refuse to do. And for that reason, you will not find such leaders having companions like the Prophet (may AL-LAH bless him and give him peace) used to have. He, although a prophet, groomed leaders and successors. Today’s leaders, although very ordinary people in all respects, are either unwilling or unable to train people to replace them.
People who would make good companions exist, but are dispersed among the population, scattered by a lack of faith in their own capacity for leadership, and a lack of knowledge of what real leadership requires. They think it means power. I’m telling you now: leadership is all about love.
The GOD You Already Know 