"Leaders is a man to be followed and obeyed as long as he refers to Al-Qur’an and Hadith as guidance before making any decisions." the Moon went on. "Allah instructed, يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْٓا اَطِيْعُوا اللّٰهَ وَاَطِيْعُوا الرَّسُوْلَ وَاُولِى الْاَمْرِ مِنْكُمْۚ فَاِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِيْ شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوْهُ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَالرَّسُوْلِ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِۗ ذٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَّاَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيْلًا ࣖ
'O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.' [QS An-Nisa (4):59]
Moreover, Islam stated the characteristics to become a leader, among others must be abundantly with knowledge and bodily prowess, with that can lead successfully as Allah says,
وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوْتَ مَلِكًا ۗ قَالُوْٓا اَنّٰى يَكُوْنُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ اَحَقُّ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مِّنَ الْمَالِۗ قَالَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ اصْطَفٰىهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهٗ بَسْطَةً فِى الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِسْمِ ۗ وَاللّٰهُ يُؤْتِيْ مُلْكَهٗ مَنْ يَّشَاۤءُ ۗ وَاللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيْمٌ
'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 favor] and Knowing.' [QS. Al-Baqarah 2):247]
In short, there are three main characteristics of a leader, first of all, competence, secondly, competence, and third, competence. Of course, faith is more important, but it is difficult to grab someone's Iman considering that Iman can increase and decrease, but one way to assess a leader's Iman is by looking at his competence. Competent person is a knowledgeable person, and isn't it the pinnacle of knowledge, is knowing Allah?
Out there, certain people invite us to do certain things, by saying, 'Just do good!'," the Moon went on. "But if they were asked, 'How do you do it?' What's the dose? 'Is there a guide?' So and so would say, 'Well, just do it!' Brother says, 'Do that, like this...' Uncle says, 'Like that...!' The neighbors say, 'I think it's like this...' Each of them, has a different view," the Moon explained.
Then, she said, "In Islamic perspective, of all guidance in our life, Allah has provided it. For example, listen to this apolog,
'There is nothing better than hearing the melodious song sung by birds while in nature. One such beautiful and euphonious songbirds are Larks!
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a species of Larks, found in North America, Asia, and Europe. It has a brown-colored body with a white-colored breast with black patches. It has a yellow or pale white face with a black stripe running down from the bill to below the eyes that looks like it is wearing a black mask. The most distinctive feature about the bird is a pair of black tufts in its head that look like horns, hence the name, Horned Lark.
Horned Larks are considered cute because of their small size and appearance. Their appearance not only aids the Horned Larks in looking attractive, but it also helps them in hiding from their predators as their brown-colored body helps them camouflage with dry ground.
Horned Larks are friendly birds. They live in flocks and often hunt in flocks. They even communicate with flocks of other Horned Larks by singing high-pitched songs.
According to an ancient legend, the Lark progenitor was created before the earth itself. So, it hasn't been proven, right? But maybe, there is a moral.
When her father died, as there was no earth, she could find no place of burial for him. She let him lie uninterred for five days, and on the sixth day, not knowing what else to do, she buried him in her own head. Hence she obtained her tufts, which is popularly said to be her father’s grave-hillock.'
As I said before, that in doing good, Islam has provided guidelines, such as kindness to parents (birr al-walidayn). Islam is the greatest favor of Allah with which He has distinguished humankind to pay his or her duty in all aspects of Islamic culture, especially about parents and relatives. There are many Ayat and Ahadith, and good advices from the Salaf, that it is the duty of every Muslim to value his or her parents and encourage to pay respect to them. This cannot be accomplished, without understanding all the aspects of the Deen of Islam, which should be based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Allah has commanded to kindness to parents (birr al-walidayn) and joining family ties (silah al-rahm). The word 'birr' the Arabic language is used to describe righteousness, piety, reverence, devoutness and kindness among other things. Although it is a comprehensive word that contains many meanings. Allah has promised Paradise to those who implement birr.
Allah says,
وَقَضٰى رَبُّكَ اَلَّا تَعْبُدُوْٓا اِلَّآ اِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ اِحْسٰنًاۗ اِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ اَحَدُهُمَآ اَوْ كِلٰهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَّهُمَآ اُفٍّ وَّلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيْمًا وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيٰنِيْ صَغِيْرًاۗ
'Your Rabb has ordered that you worship none other than Him, and that you show ihsan to the parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say no word of ‘uff (that shows ingratitude and impatience towards them), and do not be harsh with them, but speak to them respectfully and lower your wing in humility towards them in kindness and say, ‘O my Rabb, have mercy on them just as they have raised me when I was young.' [QS. Al-Isra (17):23-24]
Show ihsaan to the parents, means being good (birr) to them and honouring (iqram) them. There are Three Principles of the Deen Islam, i.e. Islam, Iman and Ihsan, whereas Ihsan is the Highest Principle of the Deen. Ihsan is a word that holds many meanings and cannot be correcdy translated into oneword. In the context of dealing with parents as, goodness, compassion, affection, love and to give preference to that which pleases them.
With respect to the word ‘uff'—'Do not say uff to them'—can be interpreted as anything deemed little.
'Do not be harsh with them' means ‘do not speak in a rude manner or raise voice at them.’
'Speak to them respectfully' means that you should speak with gentleness and in the best way you can.
'Lower your wing in humility towards them' because of the compassion and mercy you feel for them.
The rights of parents (haqq al-walidayn) are made clear as Allah saying,
اَنِ اشْكُرْ لِيْ وَلِوَالِدَيْكَۗ
'... Thank Me and thank your parents ...' [QS. Luqman (31):14]
Allah paired being thankful to Him with being thankful to parents.
So, it's just a matter of seeking knowledge. How are we to establish Allah’s Shari'ah on earth without knowledge? Upon which Madh-hab will we bring that about? To establish Allah’s Shari'ah on earth, we most definitely need scholars and students of knowledge; we need scholarly research; we need to be diligent and patient; and we need to work hard and raise our level of faith through training and education.
To every noble brother, who strives to achieve goodness and to fight evil and deviation, may Allah bless you in your efforts, but do not forget to carry the sword of knowledge. How are false creeds defeated ? By Allah, you will not be able to bring an end to false creeds without knowledge. How many people have debated with adherents of false creeds, only to be defeated because of a paucity of knowledge! Suppose you are able to convince someone that his beliefs are false; do you have the knowledge to then teach him correct beliefs and the right methodology ?
In teaching others, one can of course rely on nothing better than the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the guidance of our pious predecessors. To teach people based on these sources requires scholars, students of knowledge, reliable books, and the ability to discern between the authentic and the unauthentic.
The following, are examples of people or types of people that say,
- A man says [perhaps in a drawing room or at a dinner gathering], 'We want Allah’s Shari'ah to be applied as a system and way of life,' yet he does not know Allah’s judgements, commands, or prohibitions in the most basic of matters—in regards to prayer, fasting, clothing, wedding banquets, or funerals.
- Another man makes fun of scholars and religious books, saying,' These divert us from Jihad and from establishing Allah’s Shari'ah on earth!'
- Upon hearing someone call upon people to have good manners, a man says, 'These are minor details.' He says the same when he hears someone warn about innovation, fabricated ahadith, and imitating the disbelievers; and he says the same when he hears someone talking about the virtues of remembering Allah.
- And when yet another person hears certain rulings of the Shari'ah, he says, 'Such matters divert our attention away from waging war on deviant, materialistic ideas and groups that are astray,' yet if you asked him to refute the deviant ideas he is talking about, he will not be able to give a coherent answer.
- Another man says, 'These [scholars] are short sighted and restricted in their views. My view, on the other hand, is comprehensive and complete.' In this way, he disparages the people of knowledge. Yet what is the reality of his comprehensive approach ? What knowledge does he have about Aqidah? What learning can he boast about regarding Fiqh? He talks frequently about politics, yet what knowledge does he have about the subject? What knowledge does he have about economics? And what does he know about Islamic manners? Though he speaks of comprehensiveness, his knowledge is anything but comprehensive. In fact, you would not be far off the mark if you were to say, 'He carries nothing with him except for the word, ‘comprehensiveness.’'
- Yet another man says, 'We can do nothing until we have a rightly-guided Khalifah.' If any conversation lacks the mention of this theme, he will rant and rave about the shortsightedness of those that are carrying on the conversation.
- Another man says, 'Our path is that of knowledge and of following [the Sunnah], without blindly following [a person or a group of people],' yet you will find that he is himself a blind follower, a man who is not even remotely acquainted with knowledge, so that the sum of what he possesses is a slogan. Meanwhile, without having any knowledge, he accuses others of being ignorant, of being innovators, and of being misguided.
- Yet, another person acts as if judgement regarding the beard, one’s attire, and other similar matters, has nothing to do with action; it is sufficient in such matters to have a good intention. In his view, ruling by what Allah has revealed applies to other matters.
- Another man says about many issues in the Shari'ah, 'These represent the outer shell.' Yet you will find that he doesn’t even apply what he considers to be the ‘core issues’ of Islam. He only argues as he does in order to escape from having to apply certain teachings of Islam.
For those who criticizes others who are trying to their utmost to apply the Religion, is to ask himself these questions, 'What have I contributed to myself, to my family, and to the Ummah? What have I put forward in terms of good deeds? And what have I done in terms of bad deeds?” Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, radhiyallahu 'anhu, related that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'He will not enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight (or the weight of a tiny ant) of pride in his heart.'
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud also reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ قَالَ رَجُلٌ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنَةً قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ
'No one who has the weight of a seed of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.'
A man said, 'But a man likes to have nice clothes and nice shoes.'
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Verily, Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty. Arrogance is to disregard the truth and to look down upon people.' [Sahih Muslim]
And the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Three [matters] destroy, and three [matters] save [a person from destruction]. The three that destroy are stinginess that is complied with, desire that is followed, and a person having a high opinion of his own self. The three that save [one from destruction] are fear of Allah, both in secret and out in the open; moderation in poverty and in richness; justness in anger and in contentment.' [Al-Bayhaqi; Hasan according to al-Albani]
Observe how having a high opinion of one’s own self is a cause of destruction, and how justness in both anger and contentment saves one [from destruction]. The Prophet (ﷺ) warns against disease of nations,
سَيُصِيبُ أُمَّتِي دَاءُ الأُمَمِ
'Verily, my nation will be afflicted by the diseases of nations.'
They said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what are the diseases of nations?' The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
الأَشَرُ وَالْبَطَرُ وَالتَّدَابُرُ وَالتَّنَافُسُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالتَّبَاغُضُ وَالْبُخْلُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْبَغْيُّ ثُمَّ يَكُونَ الْهَرْجُ
'Insolence, hubris, turning their backs to one another, competing for worldly possessions, hating each other, and miserliness, until there will be oppression and then there will be bloodshed.' [al-Mu’jam al-Awsaṭ; Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani]
He (ﷺ) warn us that Muslim nation will be ruled by evil, if it is arrogant, saying,
إِذَا مَشَتْ أُمَّتِي بِالْمُطَيْطِيَاءِ وَخَدَمَهَا أَبْنَاءُ الْمُلُوكِ أَبْنَاءُ فَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ سُلِّطَ شِرَارُهَا عَلَى خِيَارِهَا
'When my nation walks with a swagger and their servants are the sons of kings, Persians, and Romans, the worst of them will be given authority over the best of them.' [Sunan at-Tirmidhi; Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani]
Finally, I want to remind myself and my brothers about these important ahadith,
ابْغُونِي ضُعَفَاءَكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا تُرْزَقُونَ وَتُنْصَرُونَ بِضُعَفَائِكُمْ
'Seek out the vulnerable among you. Verily, you are only given provision and support due to your support of the weak.' [Sunan at-Tirmidhi; Sahih (authentic) according to At-Tirmidhi]
And so we ask Allah to bless us with justness in all of our affairs, in our judgement of groups and their messages, regardless of whether we are angry or content. And we ask Allah to help us against the desires of our souls. Indeed, He is upon all things capable."
[Part 3]
