By Nasiru Yahaya Isa
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said explicitly that “The leader of a people is in their service.” When this is taken in context with the prophet’s description of leadership as Amanah (trust), it becomes clear that, this is the only way we can view leadership from the perspective of Islam. This idea is further reinforced in the famous Hadith that “Every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects.” Leadership is the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide others towards a common goal. In Islam, leadership is not just about power or authority, but it is also about responsibility and accountability. This write-up explores leadership from an Islamic perspective vis-à-vis what obtains in today’s democratic dispensation.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the perfect example of leadership. He demonstrated all the essential qualities of a good leader, including justice, consultation, responsibility, humility, compassion, and mercy. He treated all individuals equally, regardless of their social status, ethnicity or religion. He consulted with his followers and sought their opinions and feedback before making any decisions. He was always responsible and accountable for his actions and decisions. He remained humble, even when he was the leader of a growing community, and showed compassion and mercy towards all individuals, including his enemies.
Leadership is a sacred trust, entrusted to individuals who vow to serve the greater good. However, when political leaders view leadership as a means to accumulate wealth, prestige, and power, the consequences can be devastating. This phenomenon has become increasingly prevalent, undermining the fabric of democratic governance and eroding public trust.
The principles of Islamic leadership are still relevant in the modern world. Leaders who apply these principles to their leadership styles create a positive impact on their followers and society. Any Leadership that revolves around the principles of justice, consultation, responsibility, humility, compassion, and mercy, will consequently have a peaceful and harmonious society. A leader that recognizes these essential values and is guided by them accordingly, have veritable tools towards addressing some of the challenges of underdevelopment faced by the modern world, such as social inequality, political instability, insecurity, environmental degradation and economic hardship. By promoting justice and fairness, leaders can work towards reducing social inequality and promoting social justice and security. By consulting with their followers and seeking their opinions and feedback, leaders can promote democracy and accountability. By promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability, leaders can contribute to the preservation of the planet for future generations.
In Islam, leadership is based on several principles that are derived from the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah (teachings). These principles include Justice, consultation, responsibility and accountability, humility, compassion and mercy. Justice is a fundamental principle of Islamic leadership. Leaders must treat all individuals equally and fairly, regardless of their political affiliation, status, relationship, ethnicity, or religion. Islamic leadership requires that leaders do not show favoritism or bias towards any individual or group. Consultation is another essential principle of Islamic leadership. Leaders must consult with their followers and seek their opinions and feedback before making any decisions. This helps to build trust and respect between the leaders and their followers.
Responsibility and Accountability are other important principles of Islamic leadership which requires leaders to take responsibility for their actions and be accountable for their decisions. Leaders must be transparent and open to criticism and feedback from their followers. Humility is also an essential trait of Islamic leadership. Leaders must be humble and not let their position of power or authority, dilate their ego. They should always remember that they are servants of Allah and should serve their followers with humility and respect. Compassion and Mercy are core values of Islam, and they should be reflected in the leadership style. Leaders should show compassion and mercy towards their followers, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalized.
However, and most regrettably, our political leaders of today see and treat leadership as a reward which makes people desperately compete for it. They will turn its attainment into a goal, and will be tempted to bend the rules to get it. They will play politics to move ahead. Once people are awarded a position, they are often motivated to tackle the issues they have a personal interest in as opposed to the needs of the community. This is one possible explanation as to why there is so much focus on white elephant projects which have less or no impact at all, for human development. These projects often result from poor planning, lack of demand or misallocation of resources leading to inefficiencies in an economy. Today, we have found ourselves in such a bizarre situation where the sole aim of these leaders is to enrich themselves and not to impact positively. For these political leaders, leadership is never built on a foundation of selfless service, because they will always prioritize personal rewards over well-being of their constituents.
In Islam, leadership is seen as a position of authority that comes with a significant responsibility to govern justly, uphold the welfare of the community, and maintain social harmony. Islamic teachings emphasize the concept of “Amanah”, which means trust or responsibility. Leaders are considered trustees of their authority, accountable to both their community and to God for how they exercise their power.
The Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad stress the importance of justice, fairness, and compassion in leadership. Leaders are expected to make decisions that benefit the greater good and promote social justice, without favoritism or discrimination. This balance between authority and responsibility is intended to create a harmonious and just society where the rights and dignity of all individuals are protected.
Today, we have unfortunately found ourselves in such a messy situation when power is bought and not earned. The electorates are deliberately made so pauperized and vulnerable to easily accept peanuts and elect political leaders against their wishes and conscience. The issue of vote-buying by way of giving out cash, rolls of sphagetti, pieces of wrapper, sachets of detergent, toilet soaps and other household essential commodities which were used in influencing and manipulating the electorates in the exercise of their franchise in the past general elections will definitely come to mind, which is so disturbing and unfortunate. All political parties without any exception are culprits. The electorates have sold their conscience and have been paying the price. The electorates who sold their votes in exchange of rolls of sphagetti have been severally seen at different parts of the country queuing up in in the midst of stampede, scampering for cups of rice, garri or grains or even loaves of bread from these political leaders that cannot even feed a nuclear family for a single day.
The process that brought the political office aspirants to stand for election are shrouded with egocentric and self-centered interests of the “political god-fathers” who force on the party members and install as their anointed candidates, puppets who either do not have the capacity to lead and perform, or do not have an iota of passion and patriotism to serve. The hearts and minds of these god-fathers are beclouded and pre-occupied with thoughts of excessive power control and self-aggrandizement and therefore, when their anointed candidates come into power, the choice of appointees and associates is informed by personal relationship, total loyalty and complete subservience. Therefore, whoever they harbor around them in the corridor of power, wining, dining and making decisions are flocks of friends, family members and close associates that lack the interest or capacity to make meaningful contribution for good governance. The consequences of this will be inequality and injustice aggravated by deliberate government policies favoring special interests which exacerbate social and economic disparities as a result of undue favoritism and nepotism which have today become the order of the day within the corridors of power.
The gross incompetence of the political leaders in government and their associates involved in decision-making will invariably neglect citizens’ needs, and undermine public trust which fuels discontent. Any clueless political leaders who do find themselves in the position of authority will often avoid accountability, perpetuating impunity with disdain and fuelling social tensions, leading to conflicts and divisions resulting in protests. When the society is unfortunately afflicted with these self-serving leaders surrounded by yes-men, stifling dissent and constructive criticism, the end-point will be uninformed government decisions resulting in the misplacement of priorities in the execution of developmental projects. Critical issues in governance will be left unattended and relegated, leading to stagnation and regression. There will be generally absence of transparency and lack of accountability in governance, because these leaders merely see themselves as the sole owners and not as servants or shepherds over those they govern. They are therefore, overwhelmed by insatiable desire to enrich themselves, their family members and close associates which stifles progress.
For our nation to move forward, our political leaders at the local government, state and national level must begin to shift attention and focus on capacity and work towards having well-informed citizens in leadership positions who have the passion and patriotism to prioritize the well-being of their fellow citizens and the nation. Leadership is about service to humanity and not self-aggrandizement. Public office should not be seen as a personal ATM, with leaders exploiting resources for self-enrichment. Policy decisions should be dictated by the people’s needs rather than personal or special interests.
As we go to cast our votes to elect our political leaders in subsequent elections, it is high time we begin to reflect and think of the repercussions of selling our votes and conscience. We must think of the consequences of electing bad and incompetent leaders at different levels of government, both in the executive and legislative arms. I supposed by now a lot of lessons have been learned. Therefore, when it comes to choosing the right political leaders, the electorates must look out for capacity and several key qualities to inform their decisions in making their choice to electing great leaders. In the view of former First Lady Rosalym Carter, “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be”. The electorates should direct their searchlight on these kind of leaders.
I hope we will all be well-informed comes 2027, because we are all liable. It is my hope that, this write-up serves as a call to action, reforming leaders to adhere to Islamic principles and prioritize the well-being of their citizens, placing emphasis on the importance of informed decision-making and accountability in governance.
Nasiru Yahaya Isa, a Rtd. Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State, is the Financial Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sokoto State and can be reached @ nasiruyahayaisa@gmail.com
