LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION

Islamic Leadership

Dr. Ismail Hussein Amzat

 Leadership in Islam
Leadership in Islam is a trust (amanah).

It represents a psychological contract between a leader and his

followers that he will try his best to guide them, to protect them
and to treat them fairly and with justice.

Hence, the focus of leadership in Islam is on doing good.

According to Seerah (History) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)

indicates his ability to envision what his companions could not.

Leadership Embedded in Islam since long time ago starting with:

appointment of a leader during a trip
husband as a house leader
(Beekun & Badawi, 1998)
 Leadership and Management from Islamic Perspective

Islam is the guide to eradicate all problems in our social life.

Allah (Swt) has addressed the believers as Ummah, which implies the
necessity of leadership in Islam.

Allah says to his Prophet Mohammad (Sm) I have perfected your

religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for
you Islam as your religion (Surah Al-Maidah).

Mohammad (Sm) says Every one of you is a shepherd and every one
of you is responsible for what he is shepherd of (Sahih Al Bukhari).

Islam as a complete code of life has a set of principles, guidelines for

managers to lead the human resources in an organization . (Ather &
Sobhani, 2007)
 Basic Leadership and Management operation from
Islamic Perspective

1) Shura
Shura is the first principal of Islamic leadership and management
Quran made it compulsory for Muslim leaders to consult those
who have knowledge and can provide advice (Check Surat 42:38)Surat Shura .
Also (3:159) Surat Al Umaran

2) Justice
Leaders should deal with people justly and fairly regardless of
their race, colore, nationality or religion (Check Surat 4.48) Surat Nisai

3) Freedom of thought
Islamic leaders should allow constructive criticism
Members should be allowed to express themselves freely
 The Moral bases of Islamic Leadership
Leadership in Islam is rooted in belief and willing submission to the
Creator, God. It centers on serving Him.

To serve God, a Muslim leader is to act in accordance with the

injunctions of God and His Prophet (saw), and must develop a strong
Islamic moral character.

This moral character will be reflected by his increasingly strong belief in

God as he progresses through 4 stages of spiritual development:

1)Iman
Iman or faith in God is the core of Islamic moral character
Iman implies belief in the Oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad
(saw).
A leader should bow his ego, his ideas, his passions and his thinking to God.
Iman also implies belief in the life hereafter and in ones ultimate accountability
for ones deeds.
 The Moral bases of Islamic Leadership
2) Islam
Islam is the second layer of the moral personality of an Islamic leader and
followers.
Islam means the achievement of peace with God, within oneself and with the
creation of God, through willing submission to Him.
Ali Ibn Abu Talibs (ra) letter to Malik al-Ashtar an-Nukai, the new Governor of
Egypt, stresses this point in the following manner:
Malik, you must never forget that if you are a ruler over them, then
the Caliph is a ruler over you, and God is the supreme Lord over the
Caliph
3) Taqwa
As pointed out by Maudoodi, the essence of taqwa lies in an attitude of heart
and mind rather than in an outward form
Taqwa will restrain a Muslim leader or follower from behaving unjustlywhether
to community members, to customers, to suppliers or to anybody else.
4) Ihsan
Ihsan is the love of God.
This love of God motivates the individual Muslim to work towards attaining Gods
Pleasure.
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) describes ihsan as follows: To worship God as if
you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must
consider that He is looking at you
 Coaching as Tarbiyyah and Self-development
Al-Quran is a guidance and instruction for all men in carrying
out its mission as khalifatullah on earth.

Al-Quran is a guide for civic education on moral and spiritual.

Muhammad Naqib al-Attas opinion that in Islam, there are

two terms that are used for the meaning of education,
namely tarbiyah and tadib (al-Attas, 1996).

The birth of Tadib for education in the classical times

during Bani Abbas. Muhammad SAW as follows:

Allah has taught me that I am well educated
 Coaching as Tarbiyyah and Self-development
Tarbiyah in Islam is very important, for indeed all of the Deen is based
upon tarbiyah (i.e. the education and upbringing of the people).

Tarbiyah in Islam starts first of all with the education and training of
our own selves, then of our families, and then of the community at
large.

This Tarbiyah is most important with respect to our children, so that

they are brought up upon the correct path of Islam.

Giving Tarbiayh to our children benefits both in this world and after we
have passed to the next.

Prophet Said:
"When the son of Adam passes away, all of his deeds are stopped except for
three. Some kind of charity that is continuous, or knowledge which the people
are benefiting from, or a righteous child who is praying for him.
(Shaikh Aways, (n.d)