DECEMBER 11

The Standard of Leadership

The Quran states:

“Have no fear of them, fear Me.” (5:3)

This verse of the Quran tells us expressly that the actual problem Muslims face in this world is not one of fear of human beings rather it is one of fear of God.  Even if the fear appears to be coming from human beings still they must rush towards God.  For the source of all matters is in the hands of God and it is He who is going to decree in favour of or in disfavour of anybody.

The statement of the Quran tells us the criterion of leadership.  It is this criterion which determines as to which leadership is Islamic and which is unIslamic. The leader who tells people to fear God, who speaks in the language of low profile is the Islamic leader.  It is this type of a leader whose activities harbinger good, both for the religion as well as its adherents.

Conversely the leader who warns people of dangers from human beings, who unearths human plots and incites his followers to fight against them is a jahili (un-Islamic) leader, for his leadership is devoid of Islamic spirits.  Such leadership will not produce any good for the believers.

The believers’ response to such jahili leaders ought to be in accordance with the Quranic injunction cited above.

Jahili leaders are here for the purposes of test, that is why they can never be wiped out from the face of the earth.  The successful are those who do not come under the influence of their enticing utterances and devote themselves in constructive activities on the basis of fear of God alone.