C A L L (assignment)

C A L L

ESSAY (islamic leadership)

The Basic Qualities Of Islamic Leadership

Islam plays an important role of muslim’s life all over the world in every aspects of life, especially in managing an organizational performance by a leader. Performance of organization is a vital focus of every organization. Organizational performance is the ability of an organization to achieve its goals and objectives. In achieving an organization goals, it needs a leader who has good leadership of that organization. Leadership has been defined as the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it toward goals. The basic qualities of a leader in Islamic perspective for achieving the organization’s goals has several qualification:  truthfulness, trust, sincerity, ready to sacrifice, approachable, open minded, understanding of responsibility, and optimism.

Truthfulness (al-sidq) is one of the Islamic leadership qualities that requires consistency between words and actions. In Islamic leadership, truthfulness has comprehensive meanings. A leader should always speak truth and to be truthful from the core of heart, and it is not for affectation but for the establishment of moral standards in the society. The character of sidq provides serenity to the soul, although lies will worry the heart and make it anxious. From the verse of Al-Qur’an stated that, “He did not utter the Qur'an of his own desire, the Qur'an from Allah to him through Gabriel who comes and recites it to him, and taught him (Al-Najm, 53: 4-5)’. It is clear that the Holy prophet Muhammad SAW leads the moslems to be truthfull as explained from the Qur’an that He uttered it based on Allah’s commands. There are three types of truthfulness: truthfulness of speaking, when all the words that is said by the people shoul be based on the fact; truthfulness of heart, where there is no chance to put lies in heart; and truthfulness of action, when the people are living to their heart and their words. Those types of truthfullness must be ballance to be said as a truth. It is needed in speech, intention, resolution, fulfillment of resolution, in action and in all stations on the path. It leads to consistent of organizational culture; reliable and responsible towards shareholders; customers and society as whole. Thus, truth is values that drives commitment of a leader and gives better performance to the organization.

Leadership in Islam is a trust (amanah). It represents a psychological contract between two parties, namely, a leader, and his followers, whereby the leader undertakes the guidance, protection and just treatment of the followers. Islamic leadership is a position with divine trust. He must enjoy this trust with highest degree of responsibility. Allah says, “Those, who, if we give them power in the land, establish Salat and pay Zakah and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, with Allah rests the end of affairs” (Surah Al Hajj). Therefore, Allah gets the people to use the power in doing the right things on the surface of this earth.  In addition, trust as the expectation that followers in an organization can be rely on fulfill their obligations, behave in a predictable conduct, and negotiate fairly even when the possibility of opportunism is present.

Since the leader undertakes the guidance of the followers,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ,trust is a value that should be realized in leadership .  In order to implement this value in leadership means to make every follower a trustworthy person. Concept of trust stresses the idea of responsibility towards organizational stakeholders. As a core value, trust fits within the overall Islamic protocol governing social relationships, and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the best example of trust leader. “I convey to you the messages of my Lord by explaining the commands and prohibitions (and for you a true adviser) warning you of Allah's torment and calling you to repentance and faith, and I am trustworthy in conveying the message of my Lord. It is also said that: you used to consider me a trustworthy person, so how is it that you are now accusing me” (Al-A’raf, 7:68). Thus, leadership is all about trust (amanah) on leaders who are required to guide, protect and treat the followers fairly with justice (‘adl).

Islamic leadership must be sincere enough to achieve the objectives of an organization. The Qur’anic terminology of sincerity is Khulusiat. The Holy Quran urges people to be utmost sincere in his praying, meditations, and good deeds. Sincerity is defined as “congruence between avowal and actual feeling”. When the leader expresses sincere emotions, their outward expression of feelings is aligned with the actual experience of those feelings. When leader expresses insincere emotions, he may either express a different feeling than the one he is actually experiencing or attempt to amplify or suppress the feeling.

Another quality for the leaders is to transcend followers. This quality requires the focus on the leader who shows concern and willingness to sacrifice to provide services for the followers’ well-being, and entertain. The leader has to develop extrinsic and intrinsic needs for the followers as well. Transcendental leadership utilizes values, attitudes, and behaviors (altruistic love, hope/faith, vision) to basically induce followers and thus increases their sense of divine endurance and result in a positive organizational outcome. In addition, it is also a “visioning and ethical” procedure that reveals the needs for legitimacy for both leader power and the followers empowerment to smooth the progress of value similarity”. Therefore, it is both a follower and leader-centered process in sacrificing to result the organization’s objectives.

Moreover, leadership in Islam is not about exercising power and authority. Leadership in Islam is a responsibility given by Allah to the chosen individuals. The Qur’an says: “…Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks. Allah is informed of what ye do (al- Qur’OEn, 58:11). At another occasion in the Qur’an, Allah says: “and We made them chiefs who guide by Our command, and We inspired in them the doing of good deeds and the right establishment of worship and the giving of alms and they were worshippers of Us (alone)” (al-Qur’OEn, 21:73). Islam views leadership as a responsibility which is shared by all adults in a Muslim society. As pointed out clearly by Prophet Muhammad in one of the hadiths, "Every one of you is a shepherd and everyone is responsible for what he is shepherd of" (Bukhari and Muslim). The Prophet explained that everyone is responsible within his domain. Just as a father is responsible for his household and a mother for taking care of children and domestic affairs. Accordingly, each one shall demonstrate the leadership role within his limits and scope of responsibilities.

Leaders are expected to be knowledgeable and well informed. Intensity in knowledge creates humbleness and persuades people how important the person needs to explore in the new knowledge areas. Al-Qur’an refers to it in a unique manner: Those truly fear Allah (SWT), among His servants, who have knowledge, for Allah (SWT) is exalted in Might, Oft-forgiving (Fatir, 35:28). The leadership notices that he or she needs to carry task that related in, economic, intellectual, political legal, education or military field in which acquire necessary specialized knowledge, skills and expertise. Knowledge brings leader have the ability to see full view of situation to deliver right outcomes at right time. In organization, knowledge is valuable because it is the power to create difference and to provide competitive edge. Muslim leaders must be knowledgeable in all aspects and it is important to the leaders in perform their tasks by following shariah and Islamic laws because they need to be capable of analyzing the overall situation, and establishing priorities for action. The leaderships must be able in developing strategies for their implementation in order to support the organizational performance and for the sake of Allah (SWT).

Approachable leader is also needed in the organization. Someone can not be an effective leader if people are hesitant to approach him. Here are several simple steps that can make someone be a more approachable leader: share the  failures, putting pride aside and realizing it is okay to admit the failures will only strengthen communication within an organization; be transparent and real, when someone started leading an organization, one of the core values is transparency. But as the organization has grown, the leader learned that transparency is more about honesty. It might be hard at first, but people will grow to appreciate the openness and trust that his words are genuine.

Leader has an optimistic vision of the future. The concept of optimism bases on attribution theory, which defines optimists as those who have stable, global and internal attributions about positive events, and unstable, external attributions about adverse events. It  is a predictor of psychological adjustment and subjective well-being. they possess skills to carry prosocial relationships and communicate and inspire followers. It associates to characteristics of leadership, as measured by Leadership Practices Inventory, a mediator variable, along with anger, among leadership style, self-esteem and organizational commitment, or between servant leadership and commitment to change. It is also studied in relation to performance, along with, leadership efficacy excellence or applied to the entire organization.

Nowadays, leadership is being considered as a key factor for the success of any organization. Islamic leadership encourages leader to practice the value of truthfulness, trust, sincerity, ready to sacrifice, approachable, open minded, understanding of responsibility, and optimism. There is no doubt that continuous efforts to acquire those qualifications will lead a leader to become a successful leader. A successful leader will lead his organization to achieve the goals of the organization.