The Islamic Religion’s Leadership Series 2: Trust As The First Nature Of Good Governance – Dr Adekunle Mikail
Since everybody cannot hold the mantles of leadership – both higher and lower ones, at once, it is then regarded as a trust to be held by few for the multitudes for the security, wellness and general good of a nation.
This is the core reason an Amir or a Khalifah is as essential as an air for the betterment of a home, a group, a society and a nation.
An Amir is translated as a prince. But it is derived from the verb “amara” which means to command or order. In Islamic law parlance, a Commander or a Leader is called an Amir. Several Prophetic traditions command that whenever a group of Muslim is on a mission, they should elect an Amir to lead the group.
Indeed, in another tradition, it is said that a group of three people must have an Amir so that Satan will not be their commander.
Leadership or Amirship in Islam is therefore so important that the conglomerate of people will not be rudderless like a herd of cattle with no shepherd and so that their focus and mission will be quickly realisable while in the time of rancour and life vicissitude, there will be discerning and perceptive souls that will give sense and direction to the group.
The second term to denote a leader in Islamic leadership subject is Khalifa which is derived from the verb “Khalafa” which means, to succeed but it also portends a proxy, i.e somebody acting on behalf of others for effective leadership.
Thus, the word “Khalifa” can be used to denote either a successor or a vicegerent.
The word “Khalifa” has been used twice in the Qur’an to connote a vicegerent. One during the dialogue between God and the Angels about the creation of Adam …”
And remember when your Lord said to the Angels! I will establish a vicegerent ( Khalifah) on Earth ” – Qur’an 2:38.
The second time it is used to describe the appointment of Prophet Daud ( David) to rule over the children of Israel as follows:
” O Daud ( David)! We have appointed you a vicegerent ( Khalifah) on Earth. So, rule over the people with justice and do not follow your whims lest they lead you away from the path of God”. – Qur’an 38:20.
As noted earlier, for the simple fact that not everyone can assume the mantles of leadership whether at home, in the school, among a group and in a nation, at once and at the same time, the mandates are given to some people who have demonstrated competence, knowledge and sincerity of purpose which is otherwise known as trust to hold it on behalf of the masses and fear God in day to day discharge of this divine service known as an act of governance in common language.
The poor whose wealth is held in trust with the leader must be given their property as much as they need and work for it.
Same thing can be said of the people at the middle of the ladder of life – those that are a bit better off in terms of wealth and needs than the poor at the lowest rung of it – as they will render it to the wealthy, who are at the top of the ladder of life.
Nobody among these triangular conglomerate of people should be left out of the trust of Allah in the hands of those who are holding the mantles of leadership for God who Has departmentalized all things for easy access and distribution to the low and mighty among His creatures.
The first nature of leadership in Islam is therefore the Trust! This is the reason the Prophet (salla-llahu alehi wasalam) has this to say concerning it in one of his golden statements:
“Each of you is a guardian ( a keeper of trust) and is responsible for upkeep of those he directs their affairs. A man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for them. A woman is a guardian of her home and family and is responsible for them.
A servant is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it. So, all of you are guardians and are responsible for those under you”. ( Muslim 2000,883)
Thus, leadership has to be exercised at the level of the family as a basic unit of society; at the level of the community; at the level of the organization; and at the level of the country. In fact, servants who are under the suzerainty of their masters and who are in charge of the masters’ property are not left out of the cocoon of trust that leadership entails in Islam.
Since, the property of the masters are given to them to oversee on behalf of them, there is no excuse for them if they had acceded to manning it in the first place, to allow them to be used or frittered away without proper monitoring and management of them.
Ibn Taymiyyah ( Rahimahu llahu ta’ala), who is one of the greatest experts in the science of leadership in Islam, provides a long list of people who are required to exercise trust in their leadership duties for others or the entire citizenry of a country.
The list includes among others; judges, army officers, tax collectors, school teachers, post officers, mayors, policemen, medical personnels and market managers. Each of these tasks is a trust that has to be fulfilled.
Heavenly Bodies, Earth, Animals And The Undertaking Of Trust.
In the stories of the creation of things in the glorious Qur’an, the Heavens, Earths and Mountains were said to have been created thousands of years before man.
Even the Jinn, man counterparts, in the scheme of things, were created ( two thousands years ) before Adam, the progenitor of man was created. We read this in Qur’an 15 vs 28 as follows:
” And the Jinn we created before, of intensely hot fire”.
Man and animals such as the dog, donkey and monkey were said to be created on the same day.
Afterwards, Allah created the Trust or the responsibility to manage the running of the Earth and offered the Trust to other creatures, but they refused, lest they should betray it, being afraid from that point of view, but man way less fair to himself; in his ignorance accepted and betrayed the Trust with the result that some of his race became hypocrites and unbelievers and were punished, though, others were faithful to the Trust and received Allah’s mercy.
The above is the reason behind the revelation of Qur’an 33:69 – 72 as follows:
“We did indeed offer the trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it:- He was indeed unjust and foolish;-
” With the result that Allah Has to punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the unbelievers, men and women, and Allah turn in Mercy to the Believers, Men and Women : for Allah is oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”.
Not only that, in the story of the Trust above, some exegetes told us that for creating man alongside the dog, donkey and monkey on the same day, God in His infinite wisdom, offered forty years life span to everyone of them but the dog begged God to remove twenty years from it that two scores was okay for him to do all what was destined for him, after all, he, the dog was going to serve man on Earth and what was the essence of a long life used subserviently to others!
Alas! Man, thinking that long life might help him in the covenant and trust he took to shoulder begged God to add the twenty years the dog did not want to his own forty to make sixty and God agreed to his request!
When it was also the turn of the donkey, Allah offered him forty years as his life span but he too saw it as a long time which would be put in the service of the well-to-do among sons and daughters of Adam.
He also beseeched God to reduce it to twenty years. And again man, in his greediness still prayed God that He add the rejected donkey’s years to him, so that his own would be eighty, and God acceded!
The Monkey having forseen the kind of life he would be exposed to on the surface of the Earth, also objected to spending forty years slavishly at the beck and call of man.
He demanded that Allah remove twenty years from his destined forty years too, but man, not satisfied with his own at eighty, still begged God to add the monkey’s rejected twenty years to his age to make hundred and Allah agreed!
Surprisingly, man despite having grace and mercy of Allah to live longer than Animals on Earth and despite the fact that keeping and maintaining the trust put on his shoulder benefits him more than anyone else, has not been finding upright to maintaining and shouldering it as it is supposed to be maintained and shouldered! He has been the one breaching it, turning it upside down and torpedo it.
For this, the Earth has not remained peaceful and full of semblance of paradise to come after the live of this life. Besides, God Has deemed it to classify man into two based on their efforts at upholding or thwarting the trust according to the verse mentioned early!
Those who breached the trust here are also classed further under two heads: those who betray their Trust act either as Hypocrites or as Unbelievers.
Hypocrites are those who profess faith but bring not fort the fruits of faith. Unbelievers are those who openly defy Faith, and from whom therefore no fruits of faith are to expected.
The second class of people on Trust who remain firm to their faith and their covenant ( trust) will receive the aid of Allah’s Grace; their faults and weaknesses will be cured; and they will be made worthy of their exalted destiny. For Allah is oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
This is the very reason every person given the responsibility of office, whether private as in home or in the public such as schools, public offices such as councillorship and legislative offices, governorship and head of the nation, must as a matter of urgency, love of God and fear of God’s punishments, strive to make judicious and positive use of the Trust thrust upon their shoulders for the betterment of others.
They must know that giving trust to hold an office is not like eating bread and tea for breakfast or Amala and Gbegiri as lunch, but it is a burden which can predispose one to God’s and man’s curse here in this life or their prayer and blessing here and in the Hereafter.