Seerat Ki Dunya
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The Prophetic Leadership Course
The Prophetic Leadership Course
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The Beloved Prophet’s ﷺ Practice of Consultation
The true welfare, peace, and success of humanity
It is an undeniable fact that for the true welfare, peace, and success of humanity, a complete and comprehensive system of life was required, and Allah Almighty granted this through His final Prophet ﷺ. After his appointment as a Prophet, he spent his entire life implementing the religion of Allah with utmost sincerity, wisdom, patience, and responsibility, and presented an exemplary model of leadership that transformed a fragmented, divided, and weak society into the greatest Islamic welfare state in the world: The State of Madinah. The leadership of the Noble Prophet ﷺ is not merely a political or administrative model; rather, it is a comprehensive system of faith, justice, mercy, consultation, honesty, character, and service to humanity that will remain a guiding light for all of humanity until the Day of Judgment. The purpose of this course is also to understand how a leader should conduct himself with his subjects, how a guardian should treat his family members, and how a supervisor should deal with those under his authority, so that, in the light of the Seerah of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, one may understand these principles and become a successful leader and guide. In this course, we will study three fundamental and illuminating aspects of the leadership of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ: 01. Consultation 02. Equality 03. Character Building
The Beloved Prophet’s ﷺ Practice of Consultation
The importance of consultation can be understood from the fact that Allah Almighty commanded even His Beloved Prophet ﷺ to consult the Noble Companions رضي الله عنهم in matters of ijtihad (issues requiring judgment and deliberation). Allah Almighty says: وَ شَاوِرْهُمْ فِی الْاَمْرِ Translation: "And consult with them in matters." (Surah Aal 'Imran, 3:159)
Tafsir Qurtubi
Tafsir al-Qurtubi states: Allah Almighty did not command the Noble Prophet ﷺ to consult His Companions because Allah or His Beloved Prophet ﷺ had any need for their advice. Rather, the purpose of this command was to make them aware of the virtue and importance of consultation, and so that, after the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, His Ummah would follow His example by practicing consultation. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, commentary on Surah Aal 'Imran, verse 159)
Allah and His Messenger ﷺ Have No Need for Consultation
A narration states that when this verse was revealed, the Noble Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have no need for consultation. However, Allah Almighty has made consultation a mercy for my Ummah." (Shu'ab al-Iman) For this reason, after the apparent passing of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, the Noble Companions رضي الله عنهم would also settle important religious and worldly affairs through mutual consultation.
A Distinctive Quality of the Ansar (the Helper Companions) رضي الله عنهم
A Quality of the Ansar (Helpers) Mentioned in the Qur'an In the Holy Qur'an, Allah Almighty describes one of the noble qualities of the Ansar (the Helpers): وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ Translation: "And whose matters are (decided) with mutual consultation." (Surah Ash-Shura, 42:38) Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates that the Beloved Prophet ﷺ said: "When your rulers are righteous people, your wealthy people are generous, and your affairs are decided through mutual consultation, then the surface of the earth is better for you than its interior. But when your rulers are wicked, your wealthy people are miserly, and your affairs are entrusted to women, then the interior of the earth is better for you than its surface." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2273)
The Beloved Prophet ﷺ Accepted Good Advice
During the Battle of the Trench, Sayyiduna Salman Farsi رضي الله عنه suggested digging a trench around Madinah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ accepted his advice and ordered the trench to be dug accordingly. As a result, the Muslims achieved a major defensive success. We should also follow the example of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ and the Noble Companions رضي الله عنهم by consulting righteous and trustworthy people in our important affairs. The Beloved Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever intends to undertake a matter and consults a Muslim regarding it, Allah Almighty guides him to the correct course of action." (Tafsir ad-Durr al-Manthur)
Justice and Fairness
Justice and Fairness
For the progress of any system, establishing justice, fairness, and equality is essential. Justice and fairness are the best means of providing peace and security to society and preventing people from committing oppression and injustice against one another. Before the arrival of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, the system of justice and fairness was extremely weak. Oppression and injustice were widespread in society. However, when the Beloved Prophet ﷺ came, he brought an end to all these oppressive systems and introduced an excellent and powerful system in their place. As a result, even major criminals and wrongdoers were compelled to bow before it, and people could not help but acknowledge this universal system and its strong foundations. Even today, if there is any truly strong system of justice and fairness in the world, it is, in reality, the Islamic system.
A Passage in the Holy Qur'an
Allah Almighty states in the Holy Qur'an: وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ Translation: "And this; that whenever you judge between people, so judge with justice." (Para 5, Surah An-Nisa, 4:58)
In another place, Allah Almighty says
إِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ Translation: "And if you judge between them, judge therefore with fairness (as you always do)." (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:42) In another place, Allah Almighty says: اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ Translation: "Be just; that is closer to piety." (Para 6, Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:8)
A Woman from the Makhzum Tribe
The following incident alone demonstrates the extent of the Beloved Prophet's ﷺ commitment to justice and fairness. Sayyidatuna Aishah رضي الله عنها narrated that a woman from the Makhzum tribe had committed theft. The people of Quraysh requested Sayyiduna Usamah ibn Zayd رضي الله عنهما to intercede with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on her behalf. When Sayyiduna Usamah رضي الله عنهما made the recommendation, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Do you intercede regarding one of the limits prescribed by Allah?" Then the Beloved Prophet ﷺ delivered a sermon and said: "The nations before you were destroyed because..."
Character Building
Character Building
Character building refers to developing such morals, habits, and qualities within a person that make them a beloved servant of Allah Almighty and an exemplary member of society. A distinctive aspect of the leadership of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ was that he placed great emphasis on refining people's conduct, improving their morals, and developing their character. As a result, the Noble Companions رضوان اللہ علیہم اجمعین became the leaders of the Ummah. Their lives, their pure and noble character, and their love for one another are worthy of emulation for us.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ Began Character Building and the Development of Excellent Morals at Home
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ began character building and the development of excellent morals at home. He taught the Noble Companions رضوان اللہ علیہم that: وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيرَة قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ ﷺ : "أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا، وَخِيَارُكُمْ خِيَارُكُمْ لِنِسَائِهِمْ "Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The believers with the most complete faith are those with the best character, and the best among you are those who are best to their wives." (Mishkat al-Masabih, Hadith: 3264) It is mentioned in another blessed Hadith: إِنَّ مِنْ أَكْمَلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنَهُمْ خُلُقًا، وَأَلْطَفَهُمْ بِأَهْلِهِ Sayyidatuna Aishah رضي الله عنها narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The believers with the most complete faith are those with the best character and those who are most kind to their family." (Mishkat al-Masabih, Hadith: 3263) When we reflect upon these blessed Ahadith, we realize how important good character is. The Noble Prophet ﷺ described the person with the best character as the best among people and described the person with the best character as one with complete faith.
The Actions of the Noble Companions رضوان اللہ علیہم Were Solely for the Pleasure of Allah Almighty
The character building of the Noble Prophet ﷺ was such that the actions of the Noble Companions رضوان اللہ علیہم were solely for the pleasure of Allah Almighty. This can be understood from the following incident involving Mawla Ali Mushkil Kusha رضي الله عنه: The fourth Caliph of the Muslims, Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada رضي الله عنه once overpowered an enemy of Islam during a battle and sat on his chest, intending to kill him. The man spat in his face, so Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه got off his chest, left him, and did not kill him. The man asked, "You were capable of killing me, so why did you not kill me?" Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه replied, "When you treated me in this disgraceful manner, my desire to kill you became even stronger. However, at the same time, I feared that if I killed you now, I would be killing you because of my own ego and not purely for the sake of Allah. Therefore, I left you." Because of the sincerity of his intention and his excellent character, that disbeliever accepted Islam. (Mirqat al-Mafatih, 7/12, under Hadith: 3451)
Character Building: An Important Quality of a Leader
It should be remembered that Mawla Ali رضي الله عنه overpowering that enemy of Islam was entirely in obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ; therefore, his conduct on that occasion was unquestionably commendable. Then, leaving the man after he committed a vile act and refraining from killing him for the sake of his own ego was also conduct worthy of great praise. Character building is an important quality of a leader, through which he nurtures and trains his companions and subordinates in the best manner. Such leaders continue to live in people's hearts even after they have departed from this world. May Allah Almighty grant us these qualities. Ameen.