The Islamic Religion’s Leadership Series 1 | Dr Adekunle Mikail

Abu Dhari, may Allah be pleased with him said that I asked the prophet (SAW), “would you give a leadership post to me to man on your behalf?

For asking the prophet this, he said that the prophet (SAW) started beating my kneel, then he (the prophet) said: “O you the father of Dhari, you are a weak person and it is indeed a trust, ie the leadership position, and he continued; ” and in fact it is a humiliation and regret (for those that misused the position of power in this life and hereafter) except those that take it (leadership position) and give it its dues that are conditioned with it – Reported by Imam Bukhari and Muslim.

The above quote is no doubt one of the many Ahadith of the prophet (salla-llahu alehi wasalam) on position of leadership.

It is a piece of advice against taking up or assuming a position of authority for those that are weak in nature; in the required requisites such as knowledge, competency, trust, being truthful and many other qualities which make up a leader.

Taking up a leadership position for the love of it has never been Islam’s reason for leading a whole race, nation, society and a group!

Rather, preparing for it, by building one’s temperament, emotion, knowledge and foresight earlier before one assuming it, are Islamic conditions for the one who aspires to be the head, leader and guardian of his people.

Abu Dhari al-Ghiffari, a pious, peace-laden and one of the early companions of the prophet( sallallah alehi) approached the prophet one day and asked him that he should be given a position of authority so that he would oversee it on behalf of the prophet ( SAW).

The prophet who knew the nature of his people as well as their temperaments, objected to Abu Dhari Al-Giffari’ s ambition of being a Muslim governor in Bashra, or Taif, or Yemen, or Madinna or in any state under the Islamic suzerainty.

The reasons for this as itemized by the prophet are:

Abu Dhari was weak. This was not in connection with his creed or belief or piety, but it was connected with being focused, stronger in decision making and for being too soft, malleable and feebleminded.

The prophet ( peace and mercy of God on him) knew, as shown in the Hadith that if a leader is not in possession of what it takes to be a good and competent one, he will mess it up and put the followership in problems upon problems here in this life and on the Day of resurrection, that will be counting against him when asked about his stewardship on leadership on the day of heavy questioning.

This is why he ( the prophet) advised him against holding a public trust.

To assume a public office is not a joking matter which every comedian in the guise of politicians and their civilian counterparts can just assume without first of all having what it takes to be one.

It is also not like eating food or candy as observed by an Islamic poet as follows:

“Do not think leadership is like a candy you chew** You cannot attain a leadership position unless you are patient**” .

Prophet Muhammad (SAW), who was conversant with Abu Dhari’s patience, did not shy away from telling him the implications of being a leader without enough patience to accommodate different people and their opinions.

He then warned him that doing so will be a humiliation and regret on the day of judgement.

In the same vein, lacking the knowledge needed to discharge the leadership responsibility is another thing that will be against most leaders on the day of resurrection. In this clime, every Gbade, Tochuckwu and Bala without weighing the knowledge and arts of governance in their kits, will just want to be president, senator and governor of their areas of birth or where they are domiciled without striving to build requisites of leadership which will help them leverage on the positives and negatives the positions may put up, when the goings are beginning to be tougher and hotter.

Knowledge about the leadership position a public holder will assume is therefore germane to his success for the time he will hold the position for.

It is like a canoe a people that have no road to ply into their water-logged homes will need for their movements everyday for communing between their homes and places of works.

They must, thereby, look by all means for canoe whether it is a wooden one or a mechanical one for the successful journey to and from their homes.

A leader in an ideal Islamic state is like the analogy above. He should not covet a position of authority unless he has the required requisites in terms of knowledge and wisdom to ply the murky water of leadership positions.

This is what prompted the noble prophet to warn Abu Dhari to desist from vying for a position of authority for that will be a reason against him on the Day of accountability, for not having what it takes to be a good and competent leader.

But alas! Prophet Yussuf (May Allah’s peace be on him) proved to be a good and competent public office holder!

Joseph (Yussuf) had been given plenary authority by the king. He could have enjoyed his dignity, drawn his emoluments, put the hard and perhaps unpopular work on the shoulders of others, and kept to himself the glitters and the kudos, including the pecks of the office.

But that was not his way, nor can it indeed be the way of any one who wants to do real service.

By that, when Yussuf was given the position of an Aide to the prime Minister for his divine vision and dream that saved the capital of the world civilization, Egypt, then, from starvation, he instead opted to be the agricultural Minister based on the knowledge revealed to him by Allah when he was serving a term in the prison; the aftermath of the lie the wife of the King made against him and his own preference, so that he would be saved from the talks, ploys and schemes of the Egyptian women who wanted to date him as a result of his sublime handsomeness.

The glorious Qur’an is apt in describing this event as follows:

“So the King said, bring him to me; I will take him specially to serve about my own person ( I will choose him for myself).

Therefore, when he had spoken to him, he said, “Be assured this day, you are an honourable, a faithful one.”

Joseph said, “Set me over the store houses of the land (treasures of the land), I am a good keeper and knowledgeable about it “. – Qur’an 12:54-55

From the above, we can see that Prophet Yussuf (alehi salam), undertook the hardest and most unpopular task himself, despite the fact that the King had wanted him to be his personal person or adviser who would go with him to all functions as a king!

Such a task was that of organising reserves in times of plenty against the lean years, he had prophesied himself to come.

He deliberately asked to be put in charge of the granaries and store houses, and the drudgery of establishing them and guarding them, for the simple reason that he understood that need better than any one else.

And when the time of lean and starvation came, Egypt was able to go through it without a record of death.

This example of prophet Yusuf ( Alehi Salam) has corrected a misconception about self demanding for a position of authority as declared by some people in Islam based on the Hadith “Kum imaman inja’aluka”,i i.e be a leader when you are called to it”, as Haram and prohibited.

In the first place, the admonition is for the leadership in spiritual matters, i.e the leadership of a mosque or a congregation but not a political one.

This is so, when considered the completion of the prophetic nugget above which goes thus :” wakun mua’sinu wahin- mana’huka”, i.e, be a caller to prayer even when you are prevented from doing so!”

Besides, the Prophet’s words against the leadership of Abu Dhari above is based purely on the knowledge of the prophet (salla-llahu alehi wasalam) of the disposition of Abu Dhari to people and his simplicity which might not be appropriate for the people he wanted to lead then.

But prophet Yusuf ( Alehi Salam), for knowing fully well where his competency lied, did not shy away from turning down the portfolio the leader of the Egyptian nation then wanted to appoint him to.

He instead, pointed to the leader that he would be more fitted in being the minister of agriculture to the nation at a time the nation was experiencing a drought of unprecedented manner than being a mere special ally or adviser as being called here.

And the aftermath of giving position of authority to who is capable was instantly felt in prophet Yusuf’s Egypt, for he was able to manage the lean years with the produces he had stored and cultured during the years of plenty.

This singular act had even later prodded the leaders of men and the commoners of Egypt to nominate him to the position of the prime Minister of Egypt, after the demise of the former one.

The glorious Qur’an captures this as follows:

“This, did we give established power to Joseph in the land, to take possession therein as, when, or where he pleased.

We bestow of our mercy on whom we please, and we suffer not to be lost, the reward of those who do good”.

The Nigerian masses as a matter of fact, must endeavor to choose knowledgeable personalities into positions of authority at this juncture of the country’s life. This, if they do not solve all our problems, they will at least, clear a larger percentage.

For this is a critical time to change the bad narratives of our nation to at least, good ones, if not all excellent.

This is the reason, it is of paramount importance to political leaders in all the major political parties, this time, to not miss this opportunity of giving the nation of good men who are both knowledgeable, competent and have empathy for the nation and her masses.

To be continued maasha-Allah…