5 Foundations for Building a Leadership Personality
Our nation is in dire need of genuine
leadership figures—those who can add value and provide support—not demagogues
who incite discord and further weaken an already struggling Ummah.
True leadership exceeds merely being at the
forefront; it seeps into the fabric of the nation like yeast through dough,
making it rise and giving it a distinct taste. Just as active yeast must
possess certain properties, a leadership personality must be nurtured upon a
set of foundational principles, which, in their totality and balance, represent
the secret to the desired success.
This article highlights five of the most
crucial foundational principles:
1. Hope and Never Despair:
The first pillar of a leadership
personality is hope in the mercy of Allah in the darkest of times, and never
despairing of His spirit—no matter how severe the trials. This reflects a
deep-rooted faith.
This trait is especially needed amid
disheartening circumstances and defeatist rhetoric—often from allies before
enemies. But hope doesn’t mean delusion or denying harsh realities; rather, it
involves viewing reality with strategic foresight, inspired by historical
lessons.
For instance, the Muslims faced a severe
crisis during the Battle of the Trench, with fear gripping them as the forces
of disbelief united against them. Their hearts reached their throats in dread,
but the Prophetic leadership offered them a lesson in hope amid the hardship.
Al-Baraa ibn Azib narrated: “We
were commanded by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to dig the trench. A large rock hindered
our work, and we complained to the Prophet ﷺ. He came, took up the pickaxe and said, ‘Bismillah.’
He struck it and
broke a third of it, saying, ‘Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of
Ash-Sham. By Allah, I can see its red palaces now.’ Then he struck again
and said, ‘Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of Persia. By Allah, I can see
the white palace of al-Mada'in.’” (Reported by Ahmad)
The companions were engulfed in crisis and
anxiety, yet the Prophet ﷺ gave them a practical lesson in hope, mentally uplifting them
without distracting them from taking action against the crisis. He struck the
rock while foretelling the future conquests that would eventually break the
back of the hostile forces.
2. Gracious Patience:
The second foundation of a leadership
personality is beautiful patience—not passive surrender, but a resilient
and dynamic kind of patience that embraces action. It involves not rushing
outcomes, not becoming disheartened by delays or failures, and being capable of
restarting with new strategies, as explained in the subsequent principles.
A true leader works while leaving the
results to Allah. As in the Hadith: “Nations were presented before me: I saw a
Prophet with a small band of followers, another with only one or two men, and
another with none.” This illustrates the strength of patience; the strength of
a message isn’t diminished by its number of followers. Had Imad al-Din Zangi
lacked this patience, he wouldn’t have begun the project that was later carried
on by Nur al-Din and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi.
This type of patience is crucial for
leadership and includes personal endurance—facing life’s pressures and trials.
Like the patience of Yusuf, Ya‘qub, and Ayyub, or the Prophet ﷺ who endured
Quraysh’s abuse, false accusations, the siege, the loss of children, slander
against his household, illness, and much more. Nearly every public and private
hardship was faced with positive patience. Thus, the Qur’anic command: "So be patient with gracious patience." (Al-Ma‘arij: 5) and the believers’
supplication: "Our Lord, pour upon us
patience and plant firmly our feet."
(Al-Baqarah: 250)
3. Sustainable Development:
Effective leadership is the opposite of
rigidity. It must have a sustainable vision for development—not in the core
creed or agreed-upon principles—but in peripheral matters where differences
abound. It primarily covers tools, techniques, and methods used to achieve
goals.
Take Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) as
an example. At one point, he used his dream interpretation skills to invite
others to Allah within a narrow prison circle—one man destined for crucifixion.
At another, he employed his administrative and disaster-management skills in
high-ranking positions for indirect da‘wah.
This spirit of innovation led the Prophet ﷺ to accept
the novel war tactic of digging the trench, and led Umar ibn al-Khattab to
establish administrative bureaus, Abu Bakr to compile the Qur’an, and Uthman to
produce its official copies.
Development is directly tied to revival.
Europe rose when it sought medical solutions for the plague, while we fell
behind clinging to myths—forgetting that our religion encourages us to pursue
and refine means.
In today’s digital age, the importance of
development is critical, with rapid shifts that require a positive, principled
response to avoid deepening the gap.
4. Initiative:
A defining trait of successful leadership
is taking initiative. It’s closely tied to development but deserves a separate
mention due to its significance. A leader cannot afford to merely react to
crises—they must proactively strategize. Even if they don’t take the first
step, they’re always prepared for it.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, upon seeing that 70
Qur'an memorizers had been killed in the Riddah wars, proposed the idea of
compiling the Qur'an—encouraging Abu Bakr to do so even though the Prophet ﷺ hadn’t, and
despite Allah’s promise to preserve it. Umar acted upon causes and took
initiative, just as Abu Bakr did in launching the Riddah wars with no
precedent.
5. Self-Review and Reassessment:
No discussion of leadership traits is
complete without the ability to reassess. No matter how intelligent,
structured, or resilient a leader is, human error is inevitable—especially when
bold decisions are made. Hence, leaders must possess flexibility, courage, and
wisdom to review their actions.
This was evident in Khalid ibn al-Walid’s
strategic withdrawal during the Battle of Mu’tah—an act of reassessment and
wisdom. Likewise, Umar ibn al-Khattab reviewed and reversed decisions, such as
setting a limit on dowries or initially denying financial stipends to infants
until they were weaned—later granting it from birth.
Many jurists also revised their fatwas
without losing credibility. In fact, the opposite is true—clinging to an error
for reputation or sunk effort only compounds the mistake.
This need for reassessment extends beyond
individuals—it’s crucial for nurturing influential leaders and enabling
organizations to institutionalize the practice of review and reform.
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