Friday Sermon
Friday Sermon] The Characteristics Of A Good Leader
By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:
Dear brothers and sisters! Leadership is a great quality of human nature. Every nation, or organisation or group of peoples needs a good leader in order to gain their desired success. As a social being, each and every man has to lead his life through a mutual relationship with others. He is completely unable to do something alone. Thus, the necessity of co-operation brings out the idea of leadership in our society. Nowadays, the concept of leadership becomes very influential in financial, political and social arena. From the smaller institutions like family, every organisations and even the world body at large need good leader for the perfection of post-modern civilisation.
Islam, the only authentic revealed religion of the world, does not leave this issue unturned. For the upliftment of human culture and society it clearly discusses about the idea, concept and nature of leadership. Islam gives detailed principles, guideline and direction in this context. The pre-condition and required quality of leadership also described here with great sincerity. Today’s sermon is an attempt to make people aware about the concept of leadership. The pre-requisites of a good leader are also discussed here carefully, so that with the knowledge of revealed direction we can implement the teachings of Islam and achieve the ultimate success of here and hereafter.
Respected brothers and sisters! Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (Peace be upon him) has guided humanity in every sphere of life. They have also guided us in matters of selection of our leader. Different people have different perceptions related to choice of leadership. Some people think leader should be smart and handsome. Some people think he should be quick and intelligent. We need to know what Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him) has recommended in this regard.
Dear servants of Allah! ‘Imam’ is an Arabic word which means ‘a Leader.’ Imam is the leader of a country who runs administrative tasks of a country. Leader posses some qualities of leadership including qualities of personal character and the ability to motivate others towards the realisation of specific goals are on top of the list. Leadership qualities can easily understand from Qur’an and Sunnah which we are going to discuss in this blessed sermon In Shaa Allah.
Friday Sermon] This Is How To Love The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)!
Respected servants of Allah! Allah the Almighty and His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has guided humanity in every aspect of life. They have also guided us in matters of selection of our leader who can lead us. Everyone has different perceptions related to the choice of leadership. But we have to consider Qur’an and Sunnah when we have to specify leadership qualities of our leader. In the Noble Qur’an, Allah Almighty says:
“And We made them leaders, guiding by Our command; and We inspired them to do good works, and to observe the prayer, and to give out charity. They were devoted servants to Us.” [Qur’an, 21:73]
My great people! From the above verse of Noble Qur’an, we concluded that it is Allah Almighty who appoints the leader. It is not selected by anyone, nor given in a will, nor established by the committee. The role of the leader is also summarised, to guide and establish the good society. The main aspects of leadership are Knowledge and Power as mentioned in Noble Qur’an:
“Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Musa (Moses) when they said to a Prophet of theirs, “Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allah“? He said, “Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if fighting was prescribed for you?” They said, “And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?” But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers. And their Prophet said to them, “Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king.” They said, “How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?” He said, “Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favour] and Knowing.” [Qur’an, 2:246-247]
My beloved people! From the above verse of Noble Qur’an, we came to know that Knowledge guides the leader to the right path he is able to assimilate the situation wisely due to his knowledge and then after penetrating the situation he should have the power, strength and health to take decision accordingly. If he does not have power then he is unable to implement his decisions that’s why he should have both power and knowledge. Power specifies the psychological decision and physical power. Besides knowledge and power justice, patience sound judgments are also important attributes which should be possessed by the leader.
Dear brothers and sisters! Being Muslims we are all leaders in some aspects as mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in one of His Hadith in these words:
“All of you are shepherds, and each of you will be asked concerning his flock.” [Bukhari]
Leadership is about teamwork as no one can alone accomplish anything without followers and for sure Allah’s help. And the important one is that effective leaders are those who are servant leaders. Good leaders are good followers, humble, piety, truthful, simple and they realise that success only comes from Allah, the Almighty.
There is a system of leadership in Islam so the leaders are to be obeyed, and they call to the truth.
May Allah the Most High give us knowledge and strength to choose our leaders by keeping in view the attributes pointed out by Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)! Ameen.
As a result of technological development and modern techniques in today’s world, the strategic effective leadership appeared as modern face of administration. The purpose of today’s sermon is intended to help the professional leaders, whether they are Presidents, Governors, Ministers, Traditional/Islamic leaders, Team leaders, Managers, School principals, Community/religious or any other kind of leaders, to grapple with what exactly their role is, how to be effective in achieving the organisational goals and objectives; and realising the aspirations of their societies. As a leader, what am I to do? If I want to be an effective leader, where do I begin? What do I focus on? Where do I put my energy or my attention? How can I tell if my priorities are right? How to develop my abilities to be a creative leader?, for someone who is new to a leadership role or for someone who has been on a leadership, these are key questions; we are going to look at in this sermon. Remember, the main Objectives of this sermon is to give a comprehensive definition of leadership. Because there is often great confusion in people’s mind about the concept of authority and leadership, this sermon distinguishes between the two terms; in addition, it describes the most important personal, practical and technical characteristics of strategic effective leaders. The sermon presents a model of leadership from Islamic perspective. It shows also the practical ways of how to create and develop a strategic leader. So, the subject of strategic effective leadership and its role in achieving the visions and objectives of any organisation is so important, specially at the time being. It can be considered as the main tool, which all social and private institutions are used, and dynamic in achieving and accelerating sustainable social and economic development.
• Definitions of Leadership
Although Leadership is an integral part of management and plays a vital role in managerial operations, it is not an attribute of business alone. It is in the army, in the government, in universities, in hospitals etc. and anywhere. Where people work in groups, the leadership function emerges and there must be somebody to guide that group.
Dear brothers and sisters! After reading several books on the subject, I think that the best starting definition of leadership you can use is that:
“Leadership is the ability of developing and communicating a vision to a group of people that will make that vision true.”
This definition may sound simplistic and practical. Almost everybody understands it and can grasp the essence of leadership. According to me it is a great point to start reviewing and looking to leadership by knowing first who’s a Leader? For example, Ken Valenzuela (in 2007) stated that:
“A leader is someone who has a vision and can communicate it and make it happen.”
A leader has to develop a vision, has to communicate it and has to achieve it. In order to achieve the vision (or goal) the leader has to master six practices. These can be mentioned as follows:
1. The leader has to vision the future imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities. He also has to enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.
2. The leader has to foster collaboration promoting cooperative goals and building trust.
3. The leader has to strengthen others by sharing power and discretion.
4. The leader has to model the way and clarify his personal values and set the example aligning actions and share values.
5. The leader has to recognise contributions by showing appreciation for individual’s excellence.
6. The leader has to celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.
Another definition of the Leadership is as follows:
“The art of influencing and inspiring subordinates to perform their duties willingly, competently and enthusiastically for achievement of group’s objectives.”
It is the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group’s goals. It is important to add the element of “willingness” in the above definition. This element differentiates successful and effective leaders from the “common run of managers.” In other words, it’s the willingness of people to follow that makes a person a leader.
Leaders act to help a group achieve objectives with the maximum application of its capabilities. They facilitate process and inspire the group to accomplish organisational goals. Most management experts agree that:
“Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group in effort towards goal achievement in a given situation.”
• Leadership and Authority In practice
There is often great confusion in people’s mind about the concept of authority and leadership. It is useful to make some clear distinctions between these. Let us look at authority first. Authority has been defines as the right to command. According to Henry Fayol, authority is the right to give orders and make sure that these orders are obeyed. Authority gives the management the power to enforce obedience. He defines it as “conferred power to perform a service.” Authority can be delegated. We delegate to people the authority to speak or to make certain decisions, or certain initiatives on behalf of the group. The group, in turn, agrees to accept this person’s authority and respect the actions they take within this authority role. An important aspect of this is that authority is essential something that people were given or it is a position that they are appointed to or elected to.
Leadership, on the other hand, is not something that people is given. It is essentially something that they take. Taking leadership can be described as a decision we make to see that things around us work well or that the situation in which we find ourselves are handled effectively. It does not require any authority. Remember that it is not part of leadership to think for, or impose decisions on, the member of the group. Leadership is an influence relationship rather thanthan authority one. It is an influence relationship among leaders and collaborators. It is not necessary to occupy a formal position of authority in order to take leadership. There are many people, for example, with no formal authority who regularly take leadership and who make a big differences to the world around them. There are also people we can think of in positions of authority who are or were outstanding leaders. Similarly, though, there are people who have authority but who do not take leadership for one reason or another.
Firstly, people have to be thought individually. How is each member of the group doing? What is going well for them and where do they need a hand? What potential do they have? Where do they need support from us? Essentially, thinking about people entails being able to see where they struggle and at the same time, seeing their strengths and their potential. Without these it will be difficult for a leader to figure out what makes sense in any situation.
Secondly, people have to be thought about collectively. This is quite different from just thinking about each individual. What is the situation facing the group? What is going on the group or the organisation as a whole? What are the difficulties, challenges and what are the opportunities that it faces? What is the potential of this group? Thinking about these questions often involves taking account of such issues as relationships, communication, organisation, morale, power, roles, goals, conflict and oppression. We are trying to understand where the group as a whole is struggling and how we can assist that struggle.
• A leader is great because of the followers
Nobody can be a great leader without great followers. In order to be an effective leader you must think about people and situation facing them.
Thirdly, the leader must think about what is happening in the wider situation that has implications for the individuals, the group or the organisation. What is going in the wide environment help us to make sense of what is happening within our group? What are the key issues in the environment that might attend how we see our tasks or how we attain our goals? Thus the leader tries to understand the process operating within the group and between the group and the world at large.
Bennis (in 1998) talks about the leader as someone who helps define reality, interprets events and makes sense of the complexity around people. As sometimes, Tichy (in 2002) says the role of a leader is to see reality. The ability of leader to name or describe clearly what is happening is often a powerful resource for any group.
Finally, both the group or the organisation and the individuals within it need to be thought about over time. What has happened in the past for this group? What might be happen in the future for the group? A good leader thinks about individuals in terms of their previous experience. What is happening to them in the present and what is possible in the future. It is not enough to think only in the short term. The leader must think about how things will be over the long term. Having a clear understanding of both the past and the present and how things might evolve in the future. Having a vision of how things could be different is the key feature of effective leadership. A good leaders had a possibilities change and develop in the people around them.
• Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership entails the common usage of the term strategic. It is related to the concept of strategy-simply a plan of action for accomplishing a goal. Strategy is a plan whose aim is to link ends, ways, and means. One finds both broad and narrow senses of the adjective strategic. Narrowly, the term denotes operating directly against military or industrial installations of an enemy during the conduct of war with the intent of destroying his military potential. Today, strategic is used more often in its broader sense (e.g., strategic planning, strategic decisions, strategic bombing, and even strategic leadership). Since the aim of strategy is to link ends, ways and means, the aim of strategic leadership is to determine the ends, choose the best ways, and apply the most effective means. The strategy is the plan; strategic leadership is the thinking and decision making required developing and affecting the plan. In short, one may define strategic leadership as the ability of an experienced, senior leader who has the wisdom and vision to create and execute plans and make consequential decisions in the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous strategic environment. Strategic leadership provides the vision and direction for the growth and success of an organisation. To successfully deal with change, all executives need the skills and tools for both strategy formulation and implementation.
• Strategic Leadership from the Islamic Perspective
Respected servants of Allah! In Islam, leadership is a process of inspiring and coaching the voluntary followers in an effort to fulfill a clear as well as a shared vision. A strategic leader from the Islamic view is essentially a teacher and a coach. He leads by teaching leadership such that the followers in turn become good leaders.
• Good leadership is providing a model to be followed
In Islam leader is not free to act as he chooses, nor must be submit to the wishes of any group, he in a majority or influential minority, he must act only to implement Allah’s laws on earth.
The essence of Prophethood is the exercise of power and authority to achieve the Divine purpose, and this is linked to leadership. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) thus combined in his person the authority of the Messenger, a mentor to common humanity, leader of family, head of state, diplomat, commander of the army, and a pioneer to a world social order.
The biography of the Prophet, therefore, offers an important lesson in leadership in all facts of life, and it is quite essential model for all Muslims and sincere non-Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was a model of conduct for the Ummah (Uswatun Hasanah).
• Leadership is not a professional calling or a preserve of a few selected people
The Islamic view is that every Muslim is a leader in his or her own way. Everybody has leadership responsibility (remember the Hadith ‘Kullukum ra’in…’) and everybody is accountable on how well they discharged that responsibility. Abdullahi Ibn Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) as saying:
“Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible of his flock. The amir (ruler) whose over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock; a man is a shepherd in charge of the inhabitants of his household and he is responsible for his flock; a woman is a shepherdess in charge of her husband’s house and children and she is responsible for them; and a man’s slave is a shepherd in charge of his master’s property and he is responsible for it. So each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock.”
The society cannot exist or function well without good leaders. When any three Muslims are on a journey they are required to select one of them as a leader. Lack of leadership is anarchy. Leadership should aim at excellence in all endeavours. Excellence (Ihsan) is a pillar of religion (usulud Din) and must manifest in whatever a Muslim does. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) taught us to be perfect in whatever we undertake to do (Itqan al amal). Leadership is both science and art. It is experience and knowledge. Leadership attributes skills are not inborn but are acquired and anybody can learn to be a good leader. There are personal qualities that distinguish one leader from another. For example, Abubakr al Siddiq had a personality that marked him among men as a leader. The Prophet recognised strength in Umar Ibn al Khattab and always prayed to Allah to strengthen Islam with him.
• Special Qualities of a good Leadership
Qualities of effective leadership are: Influence, creates a vision of the future, rational strategy to move to the vision, enlists the support of workers and the ability to comprehend that human beings have differing motivating forces at varying times and in different situations.
Effective leaders are model what they breach and demonstrate integrity in how they behave. There is consistency between their values, their vision, their standard and their behaviour. For many group effective leaders are especially able to model a sense of hope and encouragement for people. They also model the belief and confidence in the people around them. For example, when Umar Ibn Al khattab was appointed as a Khalifah (Muslim Leader), he addressed the people, saying:
“Now that I am in charge of your affairs, be sure that roughness has been increased. My severity will show on the unjust and the enemies of the Muslims. But for those who are peaceful, religious, and with good intentions, I am softer on them than they would be with each other. I will not allow any one to be unfair or to encroach upon somebody else. But those who do, I would put their face on the ground, and put my foot on their chest until they accept what is right. With all this severity I am ready to lower my head to the poor people and to the contented. You can find in me the following characteristics which I promise to maintain: Firstly, I will never touch any money from the tax we collect, or from alms money. Secondly, nothing of state money will be spent except in the right way. Moreover, I am going to increase what is assigned to you and to defend the country. I also promise not to lend you to destructive wars, and not to leave soldiers for long period on the front lines. When you go on an expedition, I promise to take responsibility for your families until you come back. Servants of Allah, watch Allah in every action. Help me in governing you by being righteous; and help me against myself by giving me the right advice and by stopping me from committing any thing. Having accepted what I wanted to say, I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and you.”
Here, self-confidence is seen in Umar’s speech which reflects his ambition and strength.
In this speech Umar clarified his policies, stating that severity will be used against the unjust and against aggressive people, while kindness will be shown to the kind and the obedient. Money, on the other hand, will be spent where it is appropriate, and soldiers will not be kept away from their families, and their families will be looked after, the country will be defended and people consulted in decision-making. History shows that Umar’s words were not mere promise, they were prove in action. There is another point in Umar’s leadership that relates to social change, namely his being kind, generous, merciful and caring.
Umar’s strong personality, his enthusiasm in applying Islam and his unfailing sense of justice, have all contributed to his unmatched success in holding the Muslim Arabs together, expanding Islam, establishing the required financial supervision and the judiciary, and building urban centers in Iraq and Egypt. So, the effectiveness of leadership depends on the following:
1. Personality and character of the leader.
2. Quality of the workers.
3. Quality and atmosphere of the Jama’ah.
• The importance of the personality and characteristics of a leader is that:
Leader is the symbol of the organisation and represents its nature and quality. Leader is the centre of authority. And he is the driving force for the Jama’ah.
Other Spiritual, Practical and Technical Qualities are:
1. Taqwah, deep spirituality with excellent conduct and character are the special characteristics of a leader from Islamic point of view. This is to be done through a constant struggle to develop:
a. Close relation with Allah the Almighty.
b. Love of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), love of the Sahabah (Prophet’s companions) and love of the Ulamah (Sincere Islamic scholars).
c. Concern and fear of the accountability in the Day of judgment (Akhirah).
d. Knowledge and practice of Islam, administrative experience, and wisdom (Hikmah) of leadership. He must deeply have understanding of the religion and its application in the changing environment. Establishing Islam is the true objective of his life. He must be an example for Iman (faith), Ilm (knowledge), and Amal (action). He must have true love and priority for his mission and the Jama’ah.
2. A leader must demonstrate his dedication and commitment to the organisational mission, goals and objectives by hard work and self-sacrifice. He must be honest, trustworthiness, and someone with history of selfless service.
3. Competence. He should have the critical skills of leadership, i.e., observation, analysis, coaching, recognising the potentials, delegation and feedback.
4. Decision making ability after appropriate consultation and then ability to implement the decision.
5. Successful leader should be flexible in his attitude with Hikmah (Wisdom) depending upon the situation but he should be firm in his decisions and zeal to move to the objectives.
6. Strategic leaders must have the potential to understand their own moods and emotions, as well as their impact on others. He must be friendly and social.
7. Effective leaders are proficient at delegation. They are well aware of the fact that delegation will avoid overloading of responsibilities on the leaders. They also must recognise the fact that authorising the subordinates to make decisions will motivate them a lot.
8. Strategic leader should have ability to speak, write and use modern techniques of communication. Moreover, he must have good physical health.
9. Strategic leader should be willing to take risk. Routine work how well done never makes a leader. Good leaders always charter the unknown. They must accept and seek new challenges.
10. He must be a visionary leader. Like Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) at Khandaq who was, by the Grace of Allah, blessed with a vision of the future destinations of the Ummah, so too a leader must be able to visualise the potential of his organisation 10 or 20 years into the future, and must inspire others to start moving in that direction. A leader without vision is simply managing the status quo. This may be why Ustaz Khurram Murad, the founder of Young Muslims in the UK, indicated that Islamic organisations must have a vision towards which they are always aiming themselves during both good times and tough times. It will, In Shaa Allah, keep them moving towards the right direction. The vision of any Islamic organisation originates from the leader.
11. He must be willing to seek consultation in matters where he is not as competent. Nobody is equally competent in everything. As discussed in ‘Leadership: An Islamic Perspective’, a leader who is competent in one situation may not be competent in another. The Prophet (Peace be upon him), except in matters where he had received wahy (Revelation), would often seek and follow the advice of his companions. As Afzalur Rahman indicates:
“This enabled all his men to take part in discussion and offer suggestions, and in this way the best solution was found by mutual consultation.”
For example, at the battle of Badr, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) consulted all parties, among both the Ansar and the Muhajirun, with respect to the advancing forces of the Quraish, and selected the place of fighting on the advice of Al Hubab Bin al Mundhir.
12. He must be trustworthy. Leadership in Islam is an Amanah (trust), and the leader must be trustworthy. In a Hadith reported by Abu Dharr, he asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to be appointed to a public office. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) responded by stroking his shoulder and saying:
“Abu Dharr, you are weak, and authority is a trust (Amanah).”
13. He must have Iman (faith) and exhibit patience or sabr. In a verse of the Qur’an, Allah explicitly identifies both as two key attributes of leadership:
“And We appointed from among them Leaders giving guidance under Our command so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our signs.” [Qur’an, 32:24]
14. A leader must be healthy, strong and trustworthy
“Their Prophet said to them: “(Allah) hath appointed Talut as king over you.” They said: “How can he exercise authority over us when we are better fitted than he to exercise authority, and he is not even gifted, with wealth in abundance?” He said: “(Allah) hath Chosen him above you, and hath gifted him abundantly with knowledge and bodily prowess: Allah Granteth His authority to whom He pleaseth. Allah careth for all, and He knoweth all things.” [Qur’an, 2: 247]
قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ ۖ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ
“One of the women said, “O my father, hire him. Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy.” [Qur’an, 28:26]
قَالَ اجْعَلْنِي عَلَىٰ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ ۖ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ
“[Prophet Yusuf] said, “Appoint me over the storehouses of the land. Indeed, I will be a knowing guardian.” [Qur’an, 12:55]
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
“The strong and healthy believer is more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be eager for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not be frustrated. If something befalls you, then do not say: If only I had done something else. Rather say: Allah has decreed what he wills. Verily, the phrase ‘if only’ opens the way for the work of Satan.” [Muslim]
• How to create and develop a Strategic Leader
Creation and development of a strategic leader involves a number of important aspects.
First, the most important, indeed foundational, part of this preparation concerns values, ethics, codes, morals, and standards.
Second, the path to strategic leadership resembles the building of a pyramid. Shortcuts do not exist, and one can’t start at the top-strategic.
• Leaders Are Made, Not Born
Strategic leaders gradually build wisdom, defined as acquiring experiences over time. Strategic leadership begins with organisational values, ethics, codes, moral and standards, the foundation of our profession. Upon this foundation, the leader develops an abstract body of expert knowledge based primarily on experience and basic skills. Continuing education can expand, and accelerate development. One must also remember that there are certain activities that can accelerate these experiences and widen perspectives.
Next, the leader exposed to command responsibility and accountability, a vital phase during which the Leader gets his or her first real taste of consequential decision making. Further education in strategic-thinking skills enhances the leader’s competence. In each case, a leader could have opportunities to exercise strategic competency in support of a strategic leader. Ultimately, the leader will participate in strategic decision making and become a strategic leader.
Self-assessment and development are so important interpersonal skills. Self-assessment will help identify strengths and weaknesses. As a follow-up to the self-assessment, aspiring leaders should ask themselves a series of questions: What are my strengths? How can I capitalise on them? Where are my weaknesses? What can I do about them? Where do I want to be in the future? How can I get there? Do I really want to commit to development? The last question is the most difficult one. Those who answer yes are ready to begin the journey toward becoming strategic leaders. Self-learning is also valuable, especially reading. All strategic leaders read outside their normal area of expertise. Strategic leaders do expand their perspective and increase their conceptual ability, in fact, many of them are experts in a number of unrelated fields. Becoming a “dual expert” helps one think in multiple dimensions.
I conclude my today’s sermon by answering the questions sent to me, ‘How to create a leader’?
Answer: Turning other people into leaders is a vital part of leaders job, what can we do to achieve this? Simple steps to turn people into leaders are as follows:
First, we have to raise with people the possibility of their becoming leaders. This we can do in a variety of ways. We can ask them for help. We can praise their leadership qualities; we can create roles and ask them to fill them. We can talk about the need for leadership. And anything that encourages people to think of themselves as having a leadership role will be helpful.
Second question: what about those who are not born leaders but have responsibilities?
Answer: We can say to them they should try to acquire the required qualities of leadership. We don’t ask for position, yet it’s not allowed to escape from the responsibility. We know that the position is not attractive, but full of responsibilities. We should have firm faith in Allah Almighty. He is the one who gave us this responsibility and he will help us to fulfill it.
All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Dhul-Qa’adah 17, 1443 AH (June 17, 2022).
Friday Sermon
Sermon urging the approach of rapprochement between the doctrines of scholars and preachers and unifying their ranks
Sermon urg
Delivered by:
His Eminence Imam Sheikh Dr. Abdul Kadir Al
Salman Sholagberu
The Grand Sheikh of the Ilorin Emirate, Kwara state
Imam and Khateeb at the National Mosque in Nigeria
The first sermon
Praise be to Allah, praise befitting His majesty, greatness, and
actions in general and in detail. Praise be to Allah, who has
singled out some of His creatures for honor and glorification, out
of justice and preference. Praise be to Allah, who is glorified. He
has made the surging seas, the rushing clouds, and the soaring
eyes glorify and venerate Him. He has favoured some months
over others, and has recommended to His servants the
comprehensive aspects of His piety as a law and a completion. He
has included that in three verses. Whoever understands them,
adheres to them, preserves them, and applies them will succeed
in his worldly pursuits and enjoy the reward of his afterlife.
Whoever neglects them, procrastinates in them, and ignores
them will fall into the fire of Hell, banished and ill. Your Lord
Allah the Almighty says: (O you who have believed, fear Allah as
He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.) (O
mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and
created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many
men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one
another, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever, over you, an
Observer.) (O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak
words of appropriate justice. He will amend for you your deeds
and forgive your sins, and for whoever obeys Allah and His
Messenger has certainly achieved a great victory). I bear
witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and
I bear witness that our master, the joy of our eyes, and our
intercessor on the Day of Resurrection, Abu al-Qasim, the
husband of the mothers of the believers, the seal of the prophets,
the mine of secrets, the source of lights, the light of hearts, and
the medicine of bodies, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, is His servant and messenger. O Allah, bless and grant him peace. And upon his family, his companions, and those
who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment..
Servants of Allah, Fear Allah as He should be feared. Fear
Allah in what is permissible, fear Allah in what is forbidden, fear
Allah in what is allowed, and fear Allah in what is doubtful.
Servants of Allah,With the advent of this blessed month,
Shaaban al-Khair, there appear and shade us with breaths of faith,
which every soul humbled before its Lord awaits and waits for.
Breaths in which Muslims acquire and imitate the morals of
angels. Breaths in which the principle of the scholars of
monotheism is true: if reasons (to do)are weak, and the deed(sins)
is done, the burden is made great, and punishment doubled, (but)
and if reason (to do) are strong, and the deed is neglected, the
benefit is made great, and reward doubled.
Servants of Allah,It’s from tracking, extrapolation and
sampling To the texts, you can hardly find a ritual of the rituals
of Islam except that it is preceded and advanced by what is known
as a form of ihramٍ, or more precisely, her key. And ihram and
the key of Hajj Talbiyah on the Day of Tarwiyah, and Ihram
And the keyFor those who want to offer a sacrifice, is to refrain
from cutting their nails or cutting their hair, except in cases of necessity, according to the most correct of the jurists’ opinions,
and the Ihram And the key to obligatory Prayers, is ablution and
purification, and ihram And the key to Acceptance of deeds, is
sincerity and following the Book and Sunnah, as well, -the
servants of God-, the Ihram and the key to the holy month of
Ramadan is the blessed month of Sha’ban, which We live its
atmosphere and breathe its fragrance(And whoever honors the
symbols of God – indeed, it is from the piety of hearts) Al-J/32.
Servants of Allah,It is not hidden from us and from you what
is customary in this month From exchanging criticisms and
insults, conflicting opinions of scholars, and social media being
filled with superficial, unfounded research, everyone’s holding
firmly onto his knowledge, party and opinion, some Muslims in
these blessed lands, when entering such a month and other
Islamic months, such asِRabi’ al-Awwal and Rabi’ al-Thaniand
Rajab, And Shaaban And even Ramadan fills the atmosphere
with differences. And in Rabi’ al-Awwal and Rabi’ al-Thani, is
it permissible to celebrate the birth of the Prophet, may God bless
him and grant him peace? In Rajab, they differ as to whether it is
permissible to fast or not. In this month, Sha’ban is also
mentioned.َIsn’t it an innovation to perform the night prayer?َThe middle of ShaabanَDid the Prophet, may God bless him and grant
him peace, fast all of Shaban? Or most of it? Is it permissible to
allocate the second half of Sha’ban for fasting? Is it true that fates
change on the night of the middle of Sha’ban? So speak and do
not be embarrassed. These differences have caused estrangement
and animosity, the consequences of which only Allah knows.
How many opportunities have they delayed and missed for
Muslims that only Allah knows!!
Preachers of the nation,Is it reasonable what is happening
between our Islamic parties of hateful gangs, severe disputes,
bitter enmities, and mutual slander, as if we are of conflicting
religions and contradictory doctrines?
Scholars of the nation,Advocates of sects, have you forgotten
or pretended to forget that society does not witness theّprogress
of her people, people will not be happy, nor will they be
successful in progress and development, except through your
unity, except through your righteousness, except through your
rapprochement, except through your following the approach of
rapprochement between the religious sects and parties present in
the state. Scholars of the nation,What we have seen in Rabi al-Awwal
and Rabi’ al-Thani and In Rajab, and what we are seeing now of
conflicting scientific messages, everyone criticizes those who
disagree with him. By God, they are nothing more than
differences in the deduction of scholars regarding the optional
and voluntary acts of religion. The rules related to the optional
act, whether it is an absolute or restricted optional act, are not
hidden from you. The rights of God – as you know – are based
on forgiveness. The optional act is broader than the obligatory
act. The acts of worship that come in various forms may be
performed in those forms without any dislike. If two matters of
the same type come together and their intended meaning does
not differ, one of them usually enters into the other. The last
point is that there is no denial in a place of disagreement.It is also
not hidden from you that one of the main reasons for the
emergence of differences among scholars after ignorance of
religion, loss of foundation, and Satan’s embellishment is the fifth
type, the states of the word with the meaning, which is the
commonalities in their types or the faces and counterparts,
whether it is a noun, verb, or letter. The Qur’an has used
commonalities, and the Prophet, may God bless him and granthim peace, used them all to be a field.َJurists ponder their
deductions and the reasons for their differences in ruling on legal
details.
Scholars of the nation, preachers of Islam,Why do we fight,
quarrel and exchange words over matters and details that do not
matter? And are not even obligations. It is true that scholars
differ, butThey do not envy or quarrel with each other. Ibn al-
Jawzi was right when he said: “I contemplated the envy among
scholars, and I saw that its origin is the love of this world. The
scholars of the Hereafter love each other and do not envy each
other, as God Almighty said: “And they do not find in their
hearts any need for what they have been given…”And God is
trueIn his perfect revelation whereHe said:
(And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute
and [thus] become paralyzed and your strength departs,
and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.)Al-
Anfal/46
May Allah bless Abu al-Baqa al-Kafwi in his comprehensive
works when he distinguished between differences and
disagreemens, mentioning the differences between them:
“differences is that in which the intention is the same and the way to reach it differs, and disagreements is that in which the
intention differs from the path leading to it. Differences is that
which is based on evidence, while disagreements is not based on
evidence. One of the effects of differences is mercy, while one of
the effects of disagreements is innovation and division. If a judge
rules on it and it is referred to someone else, it is not permissible
to annul it, while disagreements is permissible to annul it because
it occurred in a place where ijtihad is not permissible, which is
that which contradicts the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and consensus.
The conclusion in all of this is that if disagreement occurs in what
is permissible, it is called differences, and if it occurs in what is
not permissible, it is called disagreements.” End of his words,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Preachers of the nation,With all that we have mentioned
above, no preacher with a conscience alive ّ with His only
concern being to call people to God, will let the aforementioned
matters go beyond differences to disagreement.“And if your
Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community;
but they will not cease to differ, except whom your Lord has
given mercy. And for that He created them…” Al-Hud/ 118-
119. O servants of Allah, prices have gone up and up, so lower them
by sincerely repenting, turning to Allah, and seeking forgiveness
from your Forgiving and Merciful Lord. Pray and send peace and
blessings upon your beloved Muhammad, may God bless him
and grant him peace. Your Lord has commanded you to do so,
starting with Himself and then mentioning His angels. He asked
you to do so and said: “O you who believe, pray upon him and
greet him with peace.”
The second sermon
Scholars of the nation,Yes, we differ, and difference is not
reprehensible, but disagreement is reprehensible. If we review
our glorious history, we discover that it is full with the differences
of Muslim jurists from the era of our Prophet Muhammad, may
God bless him and grant him peace, and the era of the
Companions, and throughout the ages, until difference (which is
religions and sects) became a science that is studied and taught in
the faculties of Sharia.
Scholars of the nation,The difference occurred in an era that
we cannot imagine happening, which is the era of the Prophet,
may God bless him and grant him peace, and its images are not hidden from you, and the differences of the Companions after his
death, may God bless him and grant him peace, are not hidden
from you, as well as the differences of the followers and the
imams of the schools of thought, but they all avoided
disagreement, and I am not here in the space to list these
differences.
Scholars of the nation, it is time to unite ranks, an era of
rapprochement between parties and sects, no party is better than
the other, remember your Prophet, may God bless him and grant
him peace, who said: “If a man says, ‘People are doomed,’ then
he is the most doomed of them.” Narrated by Muslim. And may
God bless the one who said:
If God wants a nation to awaken, He inspires it with the
awakening of individuals.
Therefore, our preachers must clarify the path before taking it,
and become aware of it. They should clear the way before
entering, and light up with the lamp before night time.
Preachers of the nation,Why do some of us collect flimsy,
unfounded evidence?ّ For him, he convinces himself of its
correctness and the error of others, forgetting the words of God
Almighty: “Say: Shall We inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? Those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while
they think that they are acquiring good in work.” (Al-Kahf
104/103), and the words of God Almighty:
“Is he for whom the evil of his deed has been made
attractive so he regards it as good? Indeed, Allah leaves
astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. So let
not your soul perish over them in regret. Indeed, Allah is
Knowing of what they do.”Fater: 8.
Scholars of the nation,Why don’t we excuse each other, learn
from each other, and forgive each other!! Isn’t it correct
according to Sharia and belief, or is it not among the established
principles of religion, that we cite the words of someone who has
made a mistake? And if our answer is “No” and that it is not
permissible!! Then you should not benefit from the knowledge
of many of the scholars of Islam, nor from the authentication of
the hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) by these scholars, such as Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani,
Imam Muhyi Al-Din Al-Nawawi, Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti, Ibn
Al-Jawzi, and Al-Haythami. You should also boycott their
books such as “Fath Al-Bari”, “Sharh Muslim”, “Fayd Al-
Qadir”, etc. And if you do this, then peace be upon Islam!! Preachers of the nation,Cast hatred behind you, and follow
the path of the great imams in exchange, taking and giving. Look
at Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his students citing the
statements of those who had some innovations and some errors,
so they cited the statements of al-Juwayni, Ibn Hazm, al-Ghazali,
and others, may God have mercy on them all.
My fellow preachers,The truth is accepted from any source,
and whoever says it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings
be upon him, accepted the truth brought by Satan in reciting
Ayat al-Kursi before sleeping. The Messenger, peace and
blessings be upon him, cited the words of the poet Labid when
he was an unbeliever: “Behold, everything except Allah is false.”
So if the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, accepted
from Satan and cited the words of an unbeliever… then what
about a Muslim who has made a mistake! Why do you hate and
criticize him just because he does not follow your school of
thought, and it may even go so far as to expel him from the
religion!! What will you say to “There is no god but Allah” when
it comes to you on the Day of Judgment?
My brothers in the call, feel your responsibilities, and diagnose
yourselves in a way that befits your position. There you will discover that you are the core of society, and that you are its
pivot. You are like teachers in schools and doctors in hospitals.
Without you, society would not be a society. From you, to you,
in you, and with you will come the advancement and progress of
society. It is time for you – may God protect you – to rearrange
the papers of the call, unifying the ranks, and bringing together
the parties and religious sects (Has not the time come for those
who have believed that their hearts should become humbly
submissive at the remembrance of God and what has come down
of the truth? And they will not be like those who were given the
Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their
hearts hardened, and many of them are wicked) Al-Hadid/16
My fellow scholars… Excuse me, perhaps I have hurt you, but do
we let the patient not take medicine for fear of disturbing him??!!
And do we leave the wound without stitches for fear of causing
him pain??!! So excuse me, O preachers, if I have hurt you, for
you know that the skillful, honest, and firm doctor is the one
who cuts open the stomach of the afflicted, cuts off the hand of
the leper, and stitches the wounds of the wounded, and does not
pay attention to groans or heed to screams. May God bless the
one who said: If the wound heals on corruption # It shall be known of it
neglect of The doctor
If the wound heals on corruption # the sickness will spread to
the patient’s stomach.
Servants of Allah,Make up for what you owe from the past
Ramadan in these blessed days, honor the awaited guest, and hide
from him what is not befitting of chivalry, and hide grudges,
hatred, lies, hypocrisy, drinking alcohol, adultery,
embezzlement, and false reports. May God let me and you reach
Ramadan, accept our offerings in it, and may God return it to us
and to you for many years and times.
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