Importance of Leadership skills in every Muslim

[wealthbuilder]

Assalamualaikum

A Muslim is a true leader. We are the representatives of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). We have been selected as best, because we enjoin good and forbid bad.

You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah. (Quran 3:110)

This is one of the important characteristic which Allah has specifically attributed to the ummah of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). In order to enjoin good and forbid evil, you should be a leader. Because, people will only listen to others. when they are considered to be influential in society. The teachings of Quran and the saying of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) are nothing but the instructions on how to lead a powerful life. Unfortunately most of us today, has reduced it to just reading Salah, keeping fasting, giving zakat and doing Haj (which are of course fardh but do not fulfill the purpose of Islam) .

Islam is a religion of peace, which was sent to make people sensible and do good things. Because of our negligence, today Islam is being seen as threat to others. Muslims who were once leaders and influential people, now have been reduced to puncture walas (a famous synonym for Muslims In India, often called as Tyre puncture repairers). Hence, if we want to be true Muslim, the first thing we start doing is to build leadership qualities and lead the fellow Muslims and the world.

When someone talks bad about Islam, most of us (in regular lives in India) just go down to abusing rather than defending Islam with knowledge. Abusing someone is the sign of weakness. And patience in distress is the sign of a leader. Which will even make your abuser to respect you.

In coming forth posts, InshaAllah I will discuss more simple qualities which we should focus on today.

[Muhammad]

وعليكم السلام

The teachings of Quran and the saying of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) are nothing but the instructions on how to lead a powerful life.

This doesn’t sound right. The teachings of the Qur’an and of the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم contain far more guidance and instruction than simply leading a ‘powerful’ life. We should be careful of drawing conclusions that may not represent the intended purpose of our life in this world.

[wealthbuilder]

وعليكم السلام

This doesn’t sound right. The teachings of the Qur’an and of the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم contain far more guidance and instruction than simply leading a ‘powerful’ life. We should be careful of drawing conclusions that may not represent the intended purpose of our life in this world.

Assalamualaikum

By powerful, I meant doing good things which make you feel powerful. Powerful doesn't always mean force.

Like doing ibadah, makes you feel powerful. Leaving it makes you feel weak.
Like telling truth makes you feel powerful. And saying lies makes you feel weak
Like giving zakat makes you feel powerful. Begging makes you feel weaker..

It was in general terms. I am writing on forums for the first time. So I will try to explain in more detail in future posts.

These are some example, I found on Cambridge website, where powerful word is used for various situations.

• The president is so powerful that he is able to dictate to the government.
• I get the impression that Sheila is the powerful one in that relationship, not her husband!
• Today's teachers are not the powerful authority figures they once were.
• Are multinational companies now more powerful than governments?

[Muhammad]

وعليكم السلام

But is the purpose of doing good deeds so that we feel powerful? Doing good deeds is primarily for the sake of pleasing Allah and should bring us closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

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[wealthbuilder]

وعليكم السلام

But is the purpose of doing good deeds so that we feel powerful? Doing good deeds is primarily for the sake of pleasing Allah and should bring us closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

Assalamualaikum

Yes brother i agree with you. And I apologize for my statement.

I see you are an administrator, can you delete that MikaelHarvy guy who has spammed many posts on the forum.

[wealthbuilder]

Skill 1 : Read & Learn

The first and foremost skill of a leader is to read and learn. He has to be educated and informed to make wise decisions. The first word that Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) received from Allah is "Iqra" which means "Read".

Reading doesn't mean that you should just read books. You can listen to audio or any such information which will add value to your knowledge. It can be about Quran, Hadith, Lifes of Sahaba, The Rulers, Political leaders etc... I recommend, that every Muslim should have a small library at home, where they could arrange the books and read. Please remember, reading a book once won't give you in-depth insights. You need to read it again and again. Coming to Islamic Knowledge, get it from reliable scholars.

One book, which every Muslim should read today is "Shamsheer be niyam - Life of Khalid Bin Walid (Raz)" translated to English as The Sheath-less Sword. This is a must-read book for refreshing of Emaan and motivation to lead. Urdu Audio | English Text

[wealthbuilder]

Skill 2: Loads of Patience

Allah says in the Quran

"Those who are patient (persevering in adversity, worshipping God, and refraining from sins) will surely be given their reward without measure." ( Quran 39:10)

“Surely, Allah is with those who are As‑Saabiroon (the patient)” (Quran 8:46)

Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said, “Whoever persists in being patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience.” (Bukhari)

In the above Quran & Hadith, it is clear that Patience is one of the essential characteristics of a Muslim. It is the best blessing and Allah is always with those who are patient. One of the main reasons is that patient people handle things carefully. They weigh all the parameters carefully and make wise decisions. And if any calamity comes on them, they take care of it with patience. And make decisions that affect the greater good. And they take complete responsibility for their actions and rectify the mistakes if any.

Making quick conclusions and being hasty is the sign of weak people. If anything wrong happens with their decisions, these people will either blame someone or run away from the problem. Because this kind of person only makes quick decisions to either quickly conclude the work or run away from responsibilities.

Hence, a true leader needs to be patient. Weigh all the decisions based on the information or experience (which comes from reading and gathering information) and make wise decisions.

There is a well-known saying. "The fool learns from experiences and the wise learn from others' experiences." Hence you don't need to wait to learn from your experiences, you can also learn from other's experiences and grow quickly.

[wealthbuilder]

Skill 3: Do not judge

A leader is not effected by the visible information, but looks at the true information. In today's era of social media, judging others has become a new common. People share just anything, and others just believe what ever they see or hear without verification.

Allah says in Quran, “O you who believe! If a person of bad character brings you any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterward you become regretful for what you have done” (Quran 49:6).

Unfortunately, today Muslims are so deeply involved in this sin, that it fears me most than anything else. Please do not believe anything, unless you definitely know the truth and reality. If you do not know anything, just keep quiet. Today Muslims have gone so far that, if they differ in opinions with others, then they don't even consider the other person as Muslim.

Abu Dharr (raz) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying, "If somebody accuses another of disbelief or calls him the enemy of Allah, such an accusation will revert to him (the accuser) if the accused is innocent.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Judging is a serious crime. And a true leader cannot judge someone without correct information. Hence stop judging others and focus on gathering information and proofs before making any decision about others.

[wealthbuilder]

Skill 4: Do not impersonate others

Leadership skills are born inside. Do not try to impersonate others. Else, you will end up looking like a fool. Try to build these qualities in yourself and they will be automatically displayed to the public. A true leader never pretends and never gives a conflicting statements. He always stands by his opinions (which are based on truthful information), even if he have to face insults by others. Because, a leader is someone who guides others and doesn't follow others except the commands of Allah, Life of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), The companions and the truthful leaders.

I would like to specially bring the mention of Bollywood actors here. Many Muslims see Sharukh khan, Salman Khan & Amir Khan as role models. They feel proud in calling themselves as their fans. This only shows the low quality of life of Muslims. When we consider an actor who doesn't even perform actual stunts as role model, imagine the shallowness of our vision. Unfortunately, even the so called practicing Muslims consider them as influencers. The funny part is, the hindu extremists in India are boycotting these hero movies, because they are Muslim.

Muslims have real hero's who have shaken the world with their real capabilities. We should definitely read the life of Companions like Khalid Bin Walid (raz), Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (raz), Al-Qa'qa' ibn Amr al-Tamimi (raz) etc... once you learn about them, you will never see any other human being on earth as your role model.

The only role model and hero for Muslims is Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and his companions.

[wealthbuilder]

Skill 5 : The farsighted thinking

Leaders don't think about quick solutions. They think about the future. Every action they take is for the long term benefit. Some of the things may seem absurd when we talk to them. But in the long term, their words come true. This is called farsighted thinking.

We should always remember, every good thing takes time and doesn't happen instantly. It doesn't mean that we just wait good things to happen. It means we take action today, then gradually things will build up. InshaAllah

[Murid]

:salam:

Somehow related to 5, In my opinion one of the best investments is in additional/another degree.

Say an MBA with MA in law has a lot, lot more potential, or a software engeneer that gets computer science or telecomunications degree.

As you wrote, as you read a lot of books, 100s in year, it is also good to read books, and get non formal knowledge, but study programs on university are taught and designed by 100s of best PHD and assistants so it will be much easier and better if you put serious efforts (and learn also the optional recommended modules/books).

Excelling is from islam. We should not be lazy.

You love books. You can get printed ones with free shipping from the site bookdepository.com.

Now in the era of tablets it is also very easy to read, from like Amazon.com 's Kindle app.

From whom I saw multiple degrees and excellent quality mashaaAllah-from Cambridge muslim college lecturers. You can find them on youtube.

[wealthbuilder]

:salam:

Somehow related to 5, In my opinion one of the best investments is in additional/another degree.

Say an MBA with MA in law has a lot, lot more potential, or a software engeneer that gets computer science or telecomunications degree.

As you wrote, as you read a lot of books, 100s in year, it is also good to read books, and get non formal knowledge, but study programs on university are taught and designed by 100s of best PHD and assistants so it will be much easier and better if you put serious efforts (and learn also the optional recommended modules/books).

Excelling is from islam. We should not be lazy.

You love books. You can get printed ones with free shipping from the site bookdepository.com.

Now in the era of tablets it is also very easy to read, from like Amazon.com 's Kindle app.

From whom I saw multiple degrees and excellent quality mashaaAllah-from Cambridge muslim college lecturers. You can find them on youtube.

:ws:

Brother, I think the formal education system has nothing to do with leadership. Here in India, you can't become a Police officer without passing IPS exam (which is very tough). But you can become Prime Minister without passing the 10th standard.

Apps like kindle are good, I do read few books there. But nothing can beat hard copy.

[Murid]

:salam:

In my opinion formal education, as it is often a lot easier, cheaper and better than freelance/on yourself, is the best for good leadership skills, because the knowledge is most important to leaders.

After some multiple/holistic study programmes, you get a lot better, deeper and broader viewpoint to make good decission making and be a great leader, evading bottlenecks in many aspects.

You can search for "paradigms of leadership" on youtube channel "Cambridge Muslim College".

Interesting, lecturers from CMC often have multiple degrees, say archtecture, computer science, counseling, islamic studies, MBA, psychoterapy, about everyone from mentioned 2-3 of them.