Contemporary Leadership

Introduction:

In a well known authentic Prophetic tradition, Sahih Hadith, found in the Hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim, it is narrated by the illustrious companion Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) in which he says the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“There are seven (people) whom God will shade in His shade (of his divine throne) on the Day (of Judgement) when there is no shade except His Shade:

• A Just Leader
• A youth who grew up in the worship of God, the Almighty
• A man whose heart is attached to the mosque
• Two men who love each for God’s sake, meeting for that and parting on that
• A man who is called by a beautiful woman and is asked to fornicate, but says: ‘I Fear God’
• A man who gives in charity and hides it, in such a manner that his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand has given to charity and
• A man who remembers God in his private capacity and so his eyes shed tears.”

Before I continue with my talk I just want to make something abundantly clear. This Tradition is not restricted to males. It, in fact, doesn’t have any restriction in terms of gender, race, culture or creed.

For my talk tonight I want to focus on the first type of person mentioned in this Tradition, that of a Just Leader.

Definition of a Just Leader:

Before we figure what a just leader is we first need to identify what justice is. I know this may be very philosophical question to ask but here are a few answers to this question:

According to Islam Justice is the ability to act impartially without infringing on anyone’s rights. This includes not discriminating between groups of people based on any terms, no matter the circumstances. The following is an extract from Islam’s primary source of law, the Quran, where The Lord of Justice says in Chapter 5, Surah Al-Ma-idah, Verse 8:

“Oh believers! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not there be a bad feeling and hatred of others to make you avoid justice.”

According to an online dictionary Justice is The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and morality in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of humans with each other; goodness equity; uprightness.

Justice is also determined by your morals and ethics. Ethics and Morals vary from society to society. For example one society might find it perfectly normal to have euthanasia legal and “morally correct” where as others simply does not. Therefore the definition of Justice depends on the social context.

Now that we have a definition from both religious and secular sources we can say that these notions both agree broadly on what Justice is.

The second aspect we need to investigate is that of the definition of a leader:

According to dictionary.com a leader is a person guides, directs a particular group of people.

This group can be small (family), medium (mosque) or large (state) in size.

If you put the two definitions together a Just Leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people in a manner of morality, equality, honesty, integrity and general decency and goodness.

Styles of Leadership:

You get many different types of leaders in contemporary society, they range from democratic to totalitarian, despotic to benevolent and counter cultural to selfish. But, ultimately it can still be broken down into two umbrella like groups:

Good

Bad

Good Leader:

Let us now focus on the leader which is the one we all need to aspire to, a good leader.

Now comes the very important question, what is a good leader. In preparing for my speech I asked my history class what they think a good leader is. For the first time, they were silent. We finally came up with an answer and that is:

A good leader would always want to improve the lives of their people, who are under their guidance, rule and leadership. He/she have to be strong in all their decisions but must always be open to guidance. They have to care about their people. They have to be benevolent. This leader also has to have a vision, with is exceptionally brilliant and ground breaking in all aspects and will result in the prosperity of their people, and a good leader has to be democratic (elected in by the people) and benevolent.

A good leader also has to have certain qualities and charachteristics, which have been displayed by Prophet (pbuh) during his time as a leader, therefore prophetic leadership qualities. For example:

Counter Cultural Behaviour: This is the quality of a person who acts in a manner opposite to the expected manner or the culture of the time. An example When Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, all of the Prophets enemies were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the term. These criminals expected the death penalty as this was the punishment society determined for them. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam. They Prophet went against the culture of violence and instead used peace. A contemporary example would be that of Prof Jonathan Jansen

Pragmatic Behavior: During the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated the following words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet (pbuh) promptly changed the words and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. A present day example would be that of Former President Nelson Mandela. This pragmatism was seen during the negotiations period of apartheid when he had to, at times, give up or compromise his own views and ideologies in order to get a democratic South Africa.

Mutual Consultation: This prophetic characteristic is best explained by the saying of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), where he describes the Prophetic leadership style as follows:

“I have never seen anyone who consults his companions as much as the Messenger of Allah.”

A modern example would be that of Dr Lindiwe Sisulu-South Africa’s Minister of Defence- as she has advisors, deputies and the general public whom she can consult and discuss policies with.

Bad Leader:

For you to understand the importance of a good or good leader I need to give you the contradictory, a bad leader.

I think this leader is best epitomised by the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. Who falls into the “bad leadership categories” of Totalitarian, Tyrannical or Despotic and Selfish leadership?

As we all know Egypt has been ruled by one man for more than 25 years and the opposition, Muslim Brotherhood, were made an illegal organisation. All fundamental human rights were suspended in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, therefore Totalitarianism, tyrannical or despotic

For the selfish leader title I need to first give you the definition. This type of leader is, in my view, one of the vilest. The leader only cares for him/herself. They are usually very corrupt. They would steal from the state in order to serve their own agenda or to for fill their own greedy desires. Now how does this relate to Mubarak?

Well, before the Asserts of the Mubarak Family were frozen with the deposing of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who is head of this family wealth, it was conservatively estimated at $70 Billion.

This money was split up in bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper, Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in wealthy areas of Manhattan and Beverley Hills in the United States. His sons are also billionaires. This is indeed very contradictory to the vast poor Egyptian majority. If a president is so rich you would think, expect and assume that his people are also well or have a good standard of living. In fact, in the case of Egypt, this assumption is false.

Egypt has a population of 69 million of which more than 1.2 million are living below the poverty line and around 44% of the population survives on less than $2 (R14) a day. The average salary of an Egyptian is $127.5 (R800) which is less than the old age pension in South Africa.

Where is the justice? Why is Mubarak so rich and the vast Egyptian majority is so poor? The answer is clear. The Egyptian wealth has been stolen. Stolen by Mubarak and his cronies but, currently Mubarak and his corrupt friends are on trial and hopefully justice will be seen.

We are all leaders:

Everyone in this world has and will experience some sort of a leadership role in their lives. This role could be subliminal or straight out there. We are all leaders. For example:

With our families and our siblings: say for example you were the eldest your younger brothers and sisters would would look to your for guidance and precedent

At school: prefect, chairperson of your club or society

On sports teams and you the captain of the Fist team hockey or the captain of the U14 E rugby team you are still in a possession of leadership.

Let us all strive (let us all have this Jihad) in being good leaders and incorporating Prophetic leadership characteristics in our own leadership styles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I want to end off with a sobering verse from the Divine Book of Guidance, the Quran, where The Guider says in Chapter 16, Surah An Nahl, Verse 90

“Verily Allah advocates justice, goodness and giving to ones family and forbids indecency, transgression and oppressioContemporary Leadership

Introduction:

In a well known authentic Prophetic tradition, Sahih Hadith, found in the Hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim, it is  narrated by the illustrious companion Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) in which he says the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“There are seven (people) whom God will shade in His shade (of his divine throne) on the Day (of Judgement) when there is no shade except His Shade:

A Just Leader

A youth who grew up in the worship of God, the Almighty

A man whose heart is attached to the mosque

Two men who love each for God’s sake, meeting for that and parting on that

A man who is called by a beautiful woman and is asked to fornicate, but says: ‘I Fear God’

A man who gives in charity and hides it, in such a manner that his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand has given to charity and

A man who remembers God in his private capacity and so his eyes shed tears.”

 

Before I continue with my talk I just want to make something abundantly clear. This Tradition is not restricted to males. It, in fact, doesn’t have any restriction in terms of gender, race, culture or creed.

For my talk tonight I want to focus on the first type of person mentioned in this Tradition, that of a Just Leader.

Definition of a Just Leader:

Before we figure what a just leader is we first need to identify what justice is. I know this may be very philosophical question to ask but here are a few answers to this question:

According to Islam Justice is the ability to act impartially without infringing on anyone’s rights. This includes not discriminating between groups of people based on any terms, no matter the circumstances. The following is an extract from Islam’s primary source of law, the Quran, where The Lord of Justice says in Chapter 5, Surah Al-Ma-idah, Verse 8:

 

“Oh believers! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not there be a bad feeling and hatred of others to make you avoid justice.”

 

 

According to an online dictionary Justice is The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and morality in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of humans with each other; goodness equity; uprightness.

 

Justice is also determined by your morals and ethics. Ethics and Morals vary from society to society. For example one society might find it perfectly normal to have euthanasia legal and “morally correct” where as others simply does not. Therefore the definition of Justice depends on the social context.

Now that we have a definition from both religious and secular sources we can say that these notions both agree broadly on what Justice is.

The second aspect we need to investigate is that of the definition of a leader:

According to dictionary.com a leader is a person guides, directs a particular group of people.

This group can be small (family), medium (mosque) or large (state) in size.

If you put the two definitions together a Just Leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people in a manner of morality, equality, honesty, integrity and general decency and goodness.

Styles of Leadership:

You get many different types of leaders in contemporary society, they range from democratic to totalitarian, despotic to benevolent and counter cultural to selfish. But, ultimately it can still be broken down into two umbrella like groups:

Good

Bad

Good Leader:

Let us now focus on the leader which is the one we all need to aspire to, a good leader.

Now comes the very important question, what is a good leader. In preparing for my speech I asked my history class what they think a good leader is. For the first time, they were silent.  We finally came up with an answer and that is:

A good leader would always want to improve the lives of their people, who are under their guidance, rule and leadership. He/she have to be strong in all their decisions but must always be open to guidance. They have to care about their people. They have to be benevolent. This leader also has to have a vision, with is exceptionally brilliant and ground breaking in all aspects and will result in the prosperity of their people, and a good leader has to be democratic (elected in by the people) and benevolent.

 

A good leader also has to have certain qualities and charachteristics, which have been displayed by Prophet (pbuh) during his time as a leader, therefore prophetic leadership qualities. For example:

Counter Cultural Behaviour: This is the quality of a person who acts in a manner opposite to the expected manner or the culture of the time. An example When Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, all of the Prophets enemies were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the term. These criminals expected the death penalty as this was the punishment society determined for them. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam. They Prophet went against the culture of violence and instead used peace. A contemporary example would be that of Prof Jonathan Jansen

 

Pragmatic Behavior: During the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated the following words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet (pbuh) promptly changed the words and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. A present day example would be that of Former President Nelson Mandela. This pragmatism was seen during the negotiations period of apartheid when he had to, at times, give up or compromise his own views and ideologies in order to get a democratic South Africa.

 

Mutual Consultation: This prophetic characteristic is best explained by the saying of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), where he describes the Prophetic leadership style as follows:

“I have never seen anyone who consults his companions as much as the Messenger of Allah.”

A modern example would be that of Dr Lindiwe Sisulu-South Africa’s Minister of Defence- as she has advisors, deputies and the general public whom she can consult and discuss policies with.

Bad Leader:

For you to understand the importance of a good or good leader I need to give you the contradictory, a bad leader.

I think this leader is best epitomised by the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. Who falls into the “bad leadership categories” of Totalitarian, Tyrannical or Despotic and Selfish leadership?

As we all know Egypt has been ruled by one man for more than 25 years and the opposition, Muslim Brotherhood, were made an illegal organisation. All fundamental human rights were suspended in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, therefore Totalitarianism, tyrannical or despotic

 

For the selfish leader title I need to first give you the definition. This type of leader is, in my view, one of the vilest. The leader only cares for him/herself. They are usually very corrupt. They would steal from the state in order to serve their own agenda or to for fill their own greedy desires. Now how does this relate to Mubarak?

Well, before the Asserts of the Mubarak Family were frozen with the deposing of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who is head of this family wealth, it was conservatively estimated at $70 Billion.

This money was split up in bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper, Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in wealthy areas of Manhattan and Beverley Hills in the United States. His sons are also billionaires. This is indeed very contradictory to the vast poor Egyptian majority. If a president is so rich you would think, expect and assume that his people are also well or have a good standard of living. In fact, in the case of Egypt, this assumption is false.

Egypt has a population of 69 million of which more than 1.2 million are living below the poverty line and around 44% of the population survives on less than $2 (R14) a day. The average salary of an Egyptian is $127.5 (R800) which is less than the old age pension in South Africa.

Where is the justice? Why is Mubarak so rich and the vast Egyptian majority is so poor? The answer is clear. The Egyptian wealth has been stolen. Stolen by Mubarak and his cronies but, currently Mubarak and his corrupt friends are on trial and hopefully justice will be seen.

We are all leaders:

Everyone in this world has and will experience some sort of a leadership role in their lives. This role could be subliminal or straight out there. We are all leaders. For example:

With our families and our siblings: say for example you were the eldest your younger brothers and sisters would would look to your for guidance and precedent

At school: prefect, chairperson of your club or society

On sports teams and you the captain of the Fist team hockey or the captain of the U14 E rugby team you are still in a possession of leadership.

Let us all strive (let us all have this Jihad) in being good leaders and incorporating Prophetic leadership characteristics in our own leadership styles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I want to end off with a sobering verse from the Divine Book of Guidance, the Quran, where The Guider says in Chapter 16, Surah An Nahl, Verse 90

“Verily Allah advocates justice, goodness and giving to ones family and forbids indecency, transgression and oppression”.

Contemporary Leadership

Introduction:

In a well known authentic Prophetic tradition, Sahih Hadith, found in the Hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim, it is narrated by the illustrious companion Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) in which he says the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“There are seven (people) whom God will shade in His shade (of his divine throne) on the Day (of Judgement) when there is no shade except His Shade:

• A Just Leader
• A youth who grew up in the worship of God, the Almighty
• A man whose heart is attached to the mosque
• Two men who love each for God’s sake, meeting for that and parting on that
• A man who is called by a beautiful woman and is asked to fornicate, but says: ‘I Fear God’
• A man who gives in charity and hides it, in such a manner that his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand has given to charity
• A man who remembers God in his private capacity and so his eyes shed tears.”

Before I continue with my talk I just want to make something abundantly clear. This Tradition is not restricted to males. It, in fact, doesn’t have any restriction in terms of gender, race, culture or creed.

For my talk tonight I want to focus on the first type of person mentioned in this Tradition, that of a Just Leader.

Definition of a Just Leader:

 

Before we figure what a just leader is we first need to identify what justice is. I know this may be very philosophical question to ask but here are a few answers to this question:

According to Islam Justice is the ability to act impartially without infringing on anyone’s rights. This includes not discriminating between groups of people based on any terms, no matter the circumstances. The following is an extract from Islam’s primary source of law, the Quran, where The Lord of Justice says in Chapter 5, Surah Al-Ma-idah, Verse 8:

“Oh believers! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not there be a bad feeling and hatred of others to make you avoid justice.”

According to an online dictionary Justice is The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and morality in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of humans with each other; goodness equity; uprightness.

Justice is also determined by your morals and ethics. Ethics and Morals vary from society to society. For example one society might find it perfectly normal to have euthanasia legal and “morally correct” where as others simply does not. Therefore the definition of Justice depends on the social context.

Now that we have a definition from both religious and secular sources we can say that these notions both agree broadly on what Justice is.

The second aspect we need to investigate is that of the definition of a leader:

According to dictionary.com a leader is a person guides, directs a particular group of people.

This group can be small (family), medium (mosque) or large (state) in size.

If you put the two definitions together a Just Leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people in a manner of morality, equality, honesty, integrity and general decency and goodness.

Styles of Leadership:

You get many different types of leaders in contemporary society, they range from democratic to totalitarian, despotic to benevolent and counter cultural to selfish. But, ultimately it can still be broken down into two umbrella like groups:

Good

Bad

Good Leader:

 

Let us now focus on the leader which is the one we all need to aspire to, a good leader.

Now comes the very important question, what is a good leader. In preparing for my speech I asked my history class what they think a good leader is. For the first time, they were silent. We finally came up with an answer and that is:

A good leader would always want to improve the lives of their people, who are under their guidance, rule and leadership. He/she have to be strong in all their decisions but must always be open to guidance. They have to care about their people. They have to be benevolent. This leader also has to have a vision, with is exceptionally brilliant and ground breaking in all aspects and will result in the prosperity of their people, and a good leader has to be democratic (elected in by the people) and benevolent.

A good leader also has to have certain qualities and charachteristics, which have been displayed by Prophet (pbuh) during his time as a leader, therefore prophetic leadership qualities. For example:

Counter Cultural Behaviour: This is the quality of a person who acts in a manner opposite to the expected manner or the culture of the time. An example When Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, all of the Prophets enemies were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the term. These criminals expected the death penalty as this was the punishment society determined for them. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam. They Prophet went against the culture of violence and instead used peace. A contemporary example would be that of Prof Jonathan Jansen

Pragmatic Behavior: During the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated the following words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet (pbuh) promptly changed the words and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. A present day example would be that of Former President Nelson Mandela. This pragmatism was seen during the negotiations period of apartheid when he had to, at times, give up or compromise his own views and ideologies in order to get a democratic South Africa.

Mutual Consultation: This prophetic characteristic is best explained by the saying of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), where he describes the Prophetic leadership style as follows:

“I have never seen anyone who consults his companions as much as the Messenger of Allah.”

A modern example would be that of Dr Lindiwe Sisulu-South Africa’s Minister of Defence- as she has advisors, deputies and the general public whom she can consult and discuss policies with.

Bad Leader:

 

For you to understand the importance of a good or good leader I need to give you the contradictory, a bad leader.

I think this leader is best epitomised by the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. Who falls into the “bad leadership categories” of Totalitarian, Tyrannical or Despotic and Selfish leadership?

As we all know Egypt has been ruled by one man for more than 25 years and the opposition, Muslim Brotherhood, were made an illegal organisation. All fundamental human rights were suspended in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, therefore Totalitarianism, tyrannical or despotic

For the selfish leader title I need to first give you the definition. This type of leader is, in my view, one of the vilest. The leader only cares for him/herself. They are usually very corrupt. They would steal from the state in order to serve their own agenda or to for fill their own greedy desires. Now how does this relate to Mubarak?

Well, before the Asserts of the Mubarak Family were frozen with the deposing of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who is head of this family wealth, it was conservatively estimated at $70 Billion.

This money was split up in bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper, Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in wealthy areas of Manhattan and Beverley Hills in the United States. His sons are also billionaires. This is indeed very contradictory to the vast poor Egyptian majority. If a president is so rich you would think, expect and assume that his people are also well or have a good standard of living. In fact, in the case of Egypt, this assumption is false.

Egypt has a population of 69 million of which more than 1.2 million are living below the poverty line and around 44% of the population survives on less than $2 (R14) a day. The average salary of an Egyptian is $127.5 (R800) which is less than the old age pension in South Africa.

Where is the justice? Why is Mubarak so rich and the vast Egyptian majority is so poor? The answer is clear. The Egyptian wealth has been stolen. Stolen by Mubarak and his cronies but, currently Mubarak and his corrupt friends are on trial and hopefully justice will be seen.

We are all leaders:

 

Everyone in this world has and will experience some sort of a leadership role in their lives. This role could be subliminal or straight out there. We are all leaders. For example:

With our families and our siblings: say for example you were the eldest your younger brothers and sisters would would look to your for guidance and precedent

At school: prefect, chairperson of your club or society

On sports teams and you the captain of the Fist team hockey or the captain of the U14 E rugby team you are still in a possession of leadership.

Let us all strive (let us all have this Jihad) in being good leaders and incorporating Prophetic leadership characteristics in our own leadership styles.

Conclusion:

 

In conclusion, I want to end off with a sobering verse from the Divine Book of Guidance, the Quran, where The Guider says in Chapter 16, Surah An Nahl, Verse 90

“Verily Allah advocates justice, goodness and giving to ones family and forbids indecency, transgression and oppression”.

Contemporary Leadership

Introduction:

In a well known authentic Prophetic tradition, Sahih Hadith, found in the Hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim, it is narrated by the illustrious companion Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) in which he says the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“There are seven (people) whom God will shade in His shade (of his divine throne) on the Day (of Judgement) when there is no shade except His Shade:

A Just Leader

A youth who grew up in the worship of God, the Almighty

A man whose heart is attached to the mosque

Two men who love each for God’s sake, meeting for that and parting on that

A man who is called by a beautiful woman and is asked to fornicate, but says: ‘I Fear God’

A man who gives in charity and hides it, in such a manner that his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand has given to charity and

A man who remembers God in his private capacity and so his eyes shed tears.”

Before I continue with my talk I just want to make something abundantly clear. This Tradition is not restricted to males. It, in fact, doesn’t have any restriction in terms of gender, race, culture or creed.

For my talk tonight I want to focus on the first type of person mentioned in this Tradition, that of a Just Leader.

Definition of a Just Leader:

Before we figure what a just leader is we first need to identify what justice is. I know this may be very philosophical question to ask but here are a few answers to this question:

According to Islam Justice is the ability to act impartially without infringing on anyone’s rights. This includes not discriminating between groups of people based on any terms, no matter the circumstances. The following is an extract from Islam’s primary source of law, the Quran, where The Lord of Justice says in Chapter 5, Surah Al-Ma-idah, Verse 8:

“Oh believers! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not there be a bad feeling and hatred of others to make you avoid justice.”

According to an online dictionary Justice is The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and morality in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of humans with each other; goodness equity; uprightness.

Justice is also determined by your morals and ethics. Ethics and Morals vary from society to society. For example one society might find it perfectly normal to have euthanasia legal and “morally correct” where as others simply does not. Therefore the definition of Justice depends on the social context.

Now that we have a definition from both religious and secular sources we can say that these notions both agree broadly on what Justice is.

The second aspect we need to investigate is that of the definition of a leader:

According to dictionary.com a leader is a person guides, directs a particular group of people.

This group can be small (family), medium (mosque) or large (state) in size.

If you put the two definitions together a Just Leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people in a manner of morality, equality, honesty, integrity and general decency and goodness.

Styles of Leadership:

You get many different types of leaders in contemporary society, they range from democratic to totalitarian, despotic to benevolent and counter cultural to selfish. But, ultimately it can still be broken down into two umbrella like groups:

Good

Bad

Good Leader:

Let us now focus on the leader which is the one we all need to aspire to, a good leader.

Now comes the very important question, what is a good leader. In preparing for my speech I asked my history class what they think a good leader is. For the first time, they were silent. We finally came up with an answer and that is:

A good leader would always want to improve the lives of their people, who are under their guidance, rule and leadership. He/she have to be strong in all their decisions but must always be open to guidance. They have to care about their people. They have to be benevolent. This leader also has to have a vision, with is exceptionally brilliant and ground breaking in all aspects and will result in the prosperity of their people, and a good leader has to be democratic (elected in by the people) and benevolent.

A good leader also has to have certain qualities and charachteristics, which have been displayed by Prophet (pbuh) during his time as a leader, therefore prophetic leadership qualities. For example:

Counter Cultural Behaviour: This is the quality of a person who acts in a manner opposite to the expected manner or the culture of the time. An example When Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, all of the Prophets enemies were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the term. These criminals expected the death penalty as this was the punishment society determined for them. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam. They Prophet went against the culture of violence and instead used peace. A contemporary example would be that of Prof Jonathan Jansen

Pragmatic Behavior: During the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated the following words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet (pbuh) promptly changed the words and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. A present day example would be that of Former President Nelson Mandela. This pragmatism was seen during the negotiations period of apartheid when he had to, at times, give up or compromise his own views and ideologies in order to get a democratic South Africa.

Mutual Consultation: This prophetic characteristic is best explained by the saying of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), where he describes the Prophetic leadership style as follows:

“I have never seen anyone who consults his companions as much as the Messenger of Allah.”

A modern example would be that of Dr Lindiwe Sisulu-South Africa’s Minister of Defence- as she has advisors, deputies and the general public whom she can consult and discuss policies with.

Bad Leader:

For you to understand the importance of a good or good leader I need to give you the contradictory, a bad leader.

I think this leader is best epitomised by the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. Who falls into the “bad leadership categories” of Totalitarian, Tyrannical or Despotic and Selfish leadership?

As we all know Egypt has been ruled by one man for more than 25 years and the opposition, Muslim Brotherhood, were made an illegal organisation. All fundamental human rights were suspended in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, therefore Totalitarianism, tyrannical or despotic

For the selfish leader title I need to first give you the definition. This type of leader is, in my view, one of the vilest. The leader only cares for him/herself. They are usually very corrupt. They would steal from the state in order to serve their own agenda or to for fill their own greedy desires. Now how does this relate to Mubarak?

Well, before the Asserts of the Mubarak Family were frozen with the deposing of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who is head of this family wealth, it was conservatively estimated at $70 Billion.

This money was split up in bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper, Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in wealthy areas of Manhattan and Beverley Hills in the United States. His sons are also billionaires. This is indeed very contradictory to the vast poor Egyptian majority. If a president is so rich you would think, expect and assume that his people are also well or have a good standard of living. In fact, in the case of Egypt, this assumption is false.

Egypt has a population of 69 million of which more than 1.2 million are living below the poverty line and around 44% of the population survives on less than $2 (R14) a day. The average salary of an Egyptian is $127.5 (R800) which is less than the old age pension in South Africa.

Where is the justice? Why is Mubarak so rich and the vast Egyptian majority is so poor? The answer is clear. The Egyptian wealth has been stolen. Stolen by Mubarak and his cronies but, currently Mubarak and his corrupt friends are on trial and hopefully justice will be seen.

We are all leaders:

Everyone in this world has and will experience some sort of a leadership role in their lives. This role could be subliminal or straight out there. We are all leaders. For example:

With our families and our siblings: say for example you were the eldest your younger brothers and sisters would would look to your for guidance and precedent

At school: prefect, chairperson of your club or society

On sports teams and you the captain of the Fist team hockey or the captain of the U14 E rugby team you are still in a possession of leadership.

Let us all strive (let us all have this Jihad) in being good leaders and incorporating Prophetic leadership characteristics in our own leadership styles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I want to end off with a sobering verse from the Divine Book of Guidance, the Quran, where The Guider says in Chapter 16, Surah An Nahl, Verse 90

“Verily Allah advocates justice, goodness and giving to ones family and forbids indecency, transgression and oppressioContemporary Leadership

Introduction:

In a well known authentic Prophetic tradition, Sahih Hadith, found in the Hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim, it is  narrated by the illustrious companion Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) in which he says the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“There are seven (people) whom God will shade in His shade (of his divine throne) on the Day (of Judgement) when there is no shade except His Shade:

A Just Leader

A youth who grew up in the worship of God, the Almighty

A man whose heart is attached to the mosque

Two men who love each for God’s sake, meeting for that and parting on that

A man who is called by a beautiful woman and is asked to fornicate, but says: ‘I Fear God’

A man who gives in charity and hides it, in such a manner that his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand has given to charity and

A man who remembers God in his private capacity and so his eyes shed tears.”

 

Before I continue with my talk I just want to make something abundantly clear. This Tradition is not restricted to males. It, in fact, doesn’t have any restriction in terms of gender, race, culture or creed.

For my talk tonight I want to focus on the first type of person mentioned in this Tradition, that of a Just Leader.

Definition of a Just Leader:

Before we figure what a just leader is we first need to identify what justice is. I know this may be very philosophical question to ask but here are a few answers to this question:

According to Islam Justice is the ability to act impartially without infringing on anyone’s rights. This includes not discriminating between groups of people based on any terms, no matter the circumstances. The following is an extract from Islam’s primary source of law, the Quran, where The Lord of Justice says in Chapter 5, Surah Al-Ma-idah, Verse 8:

 

“Oh believers! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not there be a bad feeling and hatred of others to make you avoid justice.”

 

 

According to an online dictionary Justice is The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and morality in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of humans with each other; goodness equity; uprightness.

 

Justice is also determined by your morals and ethics. Ethics and Morals vary from society to society. For example one society might find it perfectly normal to have euthanasia legal and “morally correct” where as others simply does not. Therefore the definition of Justice depends on the social context.

Now that we have a definition from both religious and secular sources we can say that these notions both agree broadly on what Justice is.

The second aspect we need to investigate is that of the definition of a leader:

According to dictionary.com a leader is a person guides, directs a particular group of people.

This group can be small (family), medium (mosque) or large (state) in size.

If you put the two definitions together a Just Leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people in a manner of morality, equality, honesty, integrity and general decency and goodness.

Styles of Leadership:

You get many different types of leaders in contemporary society, they range from democratic to totalitarian, despotic to benevolent and counter cultural to selfish. But, ultimately it can still be broken down into two umbrella like groups:

Good

Bad

Good Leader:

Let us now focus on the leader which is the one we all need to aspire to, a good leader.

Now comes the very important question, what is a good leader. In preparing for my speech I asked my history class what they think a good leader is. For the first time, they were silent.  We finally came up with an answer and that is:

A good leader would always want to improve the lives of their people, who are under their guidance, rule and leadership. He/she have to be strong in all their decisions but must always be open to guidance. They have to care about their people. They have to be benevolent. This leader also has to have a vision, with is exceptionally brilliant and ground breaking in all aspects and will result in the prosperity of their people, and a good leader has to be democratic (elected in by the people) and benevolent.

 

A good leader also has to have certain qualities and charachteristics, which have been displayed by Prophet (pbuh) during his time as a leader, therefore prophetic leadership qualities. For example:

Counter Cultural Behaviour: This is the quality of a person who acts in a manner opposite to the expected manner or the culture of the time. An example When Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, all of the Prophets enemies were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the term. These criminals expected the death penalty as this was the punishment society determined for them. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam. They Prophet went against the culture of violence and instead used peace. A contemporary example would be that of Prof Jonathan Jansen

 

Pragmatic Behavior: During the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated the following words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet (pbuh) promptly changed the words and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. A present day example would be that of Former President Nelson Mandela. This pragmatism was seen during the negotiations period of apartheid when he had to, at times, give up or compromise his own views and ideologies in order to get a democratic South Africa.

 

Mutual Consultation: This prophetic characteristic is best explained by the saying of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), where he describes the Prophetic leadership style as follows:

“I have never seen anyone who consults his companions as much as the Messenger of Allah.”

A modern example would be that of Dr Lindiwe Sisulu-South Africa’s Minister of Defence- as she has advisors, deputies and the general public whom she can consult and discuss policies with.

Bad Leader:

For you to understand the importance of a good or good leader I need to give you the contradictory, a bad leader.

I think this leader is best epitomised by the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. Who falls into the “bad leadership categories” of Totalitarian, Tyrannical or Despotic and Selfish leadership?

As we all know Egypt has been ruled by one man for more than 25 years and the opposition, Muslim Brotherhood, were made an illegal organisation. All fundamental human rights were suspended in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, therefore Totalitarianism, tyrannical or despotic

 

For the selfish leader title I need to first give you the definition. This type of leader is, in my view, one of the vilest. The leader only cares for him/herself. They are usually very corrupt. They would steal from the state in order to serve their own agenda or to for fill their own greedy desires. Now how does this relate to Mubarak?

Well, before the Asserts of the Mubarak Family were frozen with the deposing of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who is head of this family wealth, it was conservatively estimated at $70 Billion.

This money was split up in bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper, Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in wealthy areas of Manhattan and Beverley Hills in the United States. His sons are also billionaires. This is indeed very contradictory to the vast poor Egyptian majority. If a president is so rich you would think, expect and assume that his people are also well or have a good standard of living. In fact, in the case of Egypt, this assumption is false.

Egypt has a population of 69 million of which more than 1.2 million are living below the poverty line and around 44% of the population survives on less than $2 (R14) a day. The average salary of an Egyptian is $127.5 (R800) which is less than the old age pension in South Africa.

Where is the justice? Why is Mubarak so rich and the vast Egyptian majority is so poor? The answer is clear. The Egyptian wealth has been stolen. Stolen by Mubarak and his cronies but, currently Mubarak and his corrupt friends are on trial and hopefully justice will be seen.

We are all leaders:

Everyone in this world has and will experience some sort of a leadership role in their lives. This role could be subliminal or straight out there. We are all leaders. For example:

With our families and our siblings: say for example you were the eldest your younger brothers and sisters would would look to your for guidance and precedent

At school: prefect, chairperson of your club or society

On sports teams and you the captain of the Fist team hockey or the captain of the U14 E rugby team you are still in a possession of leadership.

Let us all strive (let us all have this Jihad) in being good leaders and incorporating Prophetic leadership characteristics in our own leadership styles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I want to end off with a sobering verse from the Divine Book of Guidance, the Quran, where The Guider says in Chapter 16, Surah An Nahl, Verse 90

“Verily Allah advocates justice, goodness and giving to ones family and forbids indecency, transgression and oppression”.

Contemporary Leadership

Introduction:

In a well known authentic Prophetic tradition, Sahih Hadith, found in the Hadith compilations of Imams Bukhari and Muslim, it is narrated by the illustrious companion Abu Hurairah (may God be pleased with him) in which he says the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“There are seven (people) whom God will shade in His shade (of his divine throne) on the Day (of Judgement) when there is no shade except His Shade:

• A Just Leader
• A youth who grew up in the worship of God, the Almighty
• A man whose heart is attached to the mosque
• Two men who love each for God’s sake, meeting for that and parting on that
• A man who is called by a beautiful woman and is asked to fornicate, but says: ‘I Fear God’
• A man who gives in charity and hides it, in such a manner that his left hand doesn’t know what his right hand has given to charity
• A man who remembers God in his private capacity and so his eyes shed tears.”

Before I continue with my talk I just want to make something abundantly clear. This Tradition is not restricted to males. It, in fact, doesn’t have any restriction in terms of gender, race, culture or creed.

For my talk tonight I want to focus on the first type of person mentioned in this Tradition, that of a Just Leader.

Definition of a Just Leader:

 

Before we figure what a just leader is we first need to identify what justice is. I know this may be very philosophical question to ask but here are a few answers to this question:

According to Islam Justice is the ability to act impartially without infringing on anyone’s rights. This includes not discriminating between groups of people based on any terms, no matter the circumstances. The following is an extract from Islam’s primary source of law, the Quran, where The Lord of Justice says in Chapter 5, Surah Al-Ma-idah, Verse 8:

“Oh believers! Stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not there be a bad feeling and hatred of others to make you avoid justice.”

According to an online dictionary Justice is The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and morality in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of humans with each other; goodness equity; uprightness.

Justice is also determined by your morals and ethics. Ethics and Morals vary from society to society. For example one society might find it perfectly normal to have euthanasia legal and “morally correct” where as others simply does not. Therefore the definition of Justice depends on the social context.

Now that we have a definition from both religious and secular sources we can say that these notions both agree broadly on what Justice is.

The second aspect we need to investigate is that of the definition of a leader:

According to dictionary.com a leader is a person guides, directs a particular group of people.

This group can be small (family), medium (mosque) or large (state) in size.

If you put the two definitions together a Just Leader is a person who guides or directs a group of people in a manner of morality, equality, honesty, integrity and general decency and goodness.

Styles of Leadership:

You get many different types of leaders in contemporary society, they range from democratic to totalitarian, despotic to benevolent and counter cultural to selfish. But, ultimately it can still be broken down into two umbrella like groups:

Good

Bad

Good Leader:

 

Let us now focus on the leader which is the one we all need to aspire to, a good leader.

Now comes the very important question, what is a good leader. In preparing for my speech I asked my history class what they think a good leader is. For the first time, they were silent. We finally came up with an answer and that is:

A good leader would always want to improve the lives of their people, who are under their guidance, rule and leadership. He/she have to be strong in all their decisions but must always be open to guidance. They have to care about their people. They have to be benevolent. This leader also has to have a vision, with is exceptionally brilliant and ground breaking in all aspects and will result in the prosperity of their people, and a good leader has to be democratic (elected in by the people) and benevolent.

A good leader also has to have certain qualities and charachteristics, which have been displayed by Prophet (pbuh) during his time as a leader, therefore prophetic leadership qualities. For example:

Counter Cultural Behaviour: This is the quality of a person who acts in a manner opposite to the expected manner or the culture of the time. An example When Mecca was conquered by the Muslims, all of the Prophets enemies were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the term. These criminals expected the death penalty as this was the punishment society determined for them. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam. They Prophet went against the culture of violence and instead used peace. A contemporary example would be that of Prof Jonathan Jansen

Pragmatic Behavior: During the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated the following words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet (pbuh) promptly changed the words and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. A present day example would be that of Former President Nelson Mandela. This pragmatism was seen during the negotiations period of apartheid when he had to, at times, give up or compromise his own views and ideologies in order to get a democratic South Africa.

Mutual Consultation: This prophetic characteristic is best explained by the saying of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), where he describes the Prophetic leadership style as follows:

“I have never seen anyone who consults his companions as much as the Messenger of Allah.”

A modern example would be that of Dr Lindiwe Sisulu-South Africa’s Minister of Defence- as she has advisors, deputies and the general public whom she can consult and discuss policies with.

Bad Leader:

 

For you to understand the importance of a good or good leader I need to give you the contradictory, a bad leader.

I think this leader is best epitomised by the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. Who falls into the “bad leadership categories” of Totalitarian, Tyrannical or Despotic and Selfish leadership?

As we all know Egypt has been ruled by one man for more than 25 years and the opposition, Muslim Brotherhood, were made an illegal organisation. All fundamental human rights were suspended in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, therefore Totalitarianism, tyrannical or despotic

For the selfish leader title I need to first give you the definition. This type of leader is, in my view, one of the vilest. The leader only cares for him/herself. They are usually very corrupt. They would steal from the state in order to serve their own agenda or to for fill their own greedy desires. Now how does this relate to Mubarak?

Well, before the Asserts of the Mubarak Family were frozen with the deposing of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, who is head of this family wealth, it was conservatively estimated at $70 Billion.

This money was split up in bank accounts in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper, Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in wealthy areas of Manhattan and Beverley Hills in the United States. His sons are also billionaires. This is indeed very contradictory to the vast poor Egyptian majority. If a president is so rich you would think, expect and assume that his people are also well or have a good standard of living. In fact, in the case of Egypt, this assumption is false.

Egypt has a population of 69 million of which more than 1.2 million are living below the poverty line and around 44% of the population survives on less than $2 (R14) a day. The average salary of an Egyptian is $127.5 (R800) which is less than the old age pension in South Africa.

Where is the justice? Why is Mubarak so rich and the vast Egyptian majority is so poor? The answer is clear. The Egyptian wealth has been stolen. Stolen by Mubarak and his cronies but, currently Mubarak and his corrupt friends are on trial and hopefully justice will be seen.

We are all leaders:

 

Everyone in this world has and will experience some sort of a leadership role in their lives. This role could be subliminal or straight out there. We are all leaders. For example:

With our families and our siblings: say for example you were the eldest your younger brothers and sisters would would look to your for guidance and precedent

At school: prefect, chairperson of your club or society

On sports teams and you the captain of the Fist team hockey or the captain of the U14 E rugby team you are still in a possession of leadership.

Let us all strive (let us all have this Jihad) in being good leaders and incorporating Prophetic leadership characteristics in our own leadership styles.

Conclusion:

 

In conclusion, I want to end off with a sobering verse from the Divine Book of Guidance, the Quran, where The Guider says in Chapter 16, Surah An Nahl, Verse 90

“Verily Allah advocates justice, goodness and giving to ones family and forbids indecency, transgression and oppression”.