PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) LEADERSHIP, COMMUNICATION AND ETHICS
CHAPTER
II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
ALI
ZOHERY, Ph.D.
Prophet
Muhammad preached for twenty-three years and consequently the writings in the
Qur’an and the Adith contain thousands of accounts of his interactions and
public communication. His public
communication contained many references to values necessary to follow completely
Allah’s will. In his book, Muhammad
in the Qur’an, Raza (1982) traced the verses in the Qur’an that
described Prophet Muhammad’s character
values:
“And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character”
(Qur’an 68:4). This was not only a claim, but Prophet Muhammad had already won
from his fellow-citizens of Mecca the recognition of his magnificent morality
inasmuch as he had won the title of Al-Amin, a title rarely conceded to
anybody in the pre Islamic days (Khan, 1998).
Raza
(1982) quoted from the Qur’an a verse that declared Prophet Muhammad to be a
mercy to all the generations of men, a worldwide community value: "We sent
you not (O Muhammad), but as a Mercy for all creatures" (Qur'an, 21:107).
This verse contains not only a reference to the merciful dealings of
Prophet Muhammad with his opponents but also signifies that the Prophet’s
arrival was not only a mercy to the Arabs, but it was also a mercy to the whole
of humanity (p. 169). Even today,
the writings and words of the Prophet Muhammad are relevant for all of humankind
and his words will remain pertinent and appropriate for the masses indefinitely.
The
Prophet’s manner of preaching is indeed unique.
By leading through example, He was able to share the word and will of
Allah through his actions and interactions.
In the Qur’an, the Prophet’s way with the people was described in the
following verse: "By the grace of Allah, you (O Muhammad) are gentle
towards the people; if you had been stern and harsh-hearted, they would have
dispersed from round about you" (Qur'an 3:159).
And also: “Most certainly, you (people) have in the messenger of
Allah an excellent pattern (of behavior)” (Qur’an 33:21).
This verse points to the most significant truth and a distinguishing
character of the Prophet (Raza, 1982, p. 164).
Many
accounts of his prophethood describe his interactions with the people and how
they held him in esteemed remembrance. In
his book, The Sealed Nectar, (1996). Al- Mubarakpuri quoted Ali ibin Abi
Talib describing Prophet Muhammad thus:
He
was the most generous of heart, truthful of tongue, softest in disposition, and
noble in relationship. He who first set eyes upon him feared him, but he who
associated with him loved him. Those who described him would say: “I have
never seen before or after him anyone similar to him, peace be upon him.
(Al-Mubarakpuri, 1996, p. 493)
The
Prophet Muhammad is continuously remembered for his dealings with those he
shared the word and will of Allah. His
kindness to them and his interest in their well being are typically mentioned.
Michener (1955) wrote about Muhammad’s life and his treatment of the
poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the oppressed thus:
Muhammad,
the inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A.D. 570 into an Arabian
tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly
solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the
downtrodden. At twenty, he was already a successful businessman, and soon became
director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five, his
employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen
years older, he married her, and as long as she lived, remained a devoted
husband. (pp. 68-70)
According
to Sharma (1935), "Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was
felt and never forgotten by those around him"
(p. 12).Mahatma
Gandhi, well-known for his compassionate character to all people, described the
character of Muhammad similarly to how others describe him:
I
wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts
of millions of humankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the
sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the
rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous
regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his
intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission.
These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every
obstacle. (Young India, nd)
Carlyle,
one of the greatest thinkers of the past century, described Prophet Muhammad’s
sincerity thus:
the
great man's sincerity is of the kind he cannot speak of: nay, I suppose, he is
conscious rather of insincerity; for what man can walk accurately by the
law of truth for one day? No, the great man does not boast himself
sincere, far from that; perhaps does not ask himself if he is so: I would say
rather, his sincerity does not depend on himself: he cannot help being sincere!
(1840, p. 59)
Carlyle’s
glowing description of the Prophet, based on his research of the Prophet’s
interactions with others and his desire for them to do according to God’s
will, continued describing the Prophet Muhammad as:
a
silent great soul, he was one of those who cannot but be in earnest, whom nature
herself has appointed to be sincere. While others walk in formulas and
hearsays, contented enough to dwell there, this man could not screen him
in formulas; he was alone with his own soul and the reality of things. . . Such
sincerity, as we named it, has in very truth some thing of divine. The
word of such a man is a voice direct from nature's own heart. Men do and
must listen to that as to nothing else, - - - all else is wind in comparison.
(1840, p. 71)
Carlyle
described Prophet Muhammad’s fidelity in the following situation with his wife
Ayesha thus:
It
is a boundless favour. He never forgot this good kadijah. Long afterwards,
Ayesha his young favourite wife, a woman who indeed distinguished herself among
the moslems, by all manner of qualities, through her whole long life; this young
brilliant Ayesha was, one day, questioning him. “Now am not I better than
kadijah? She was a widow; old, and had lost her looks: you love me better
than you did her?” “No, by Allah!” answered Mahomet: “no, by Allah! She
believed in me when none else would believe. In the whole world I had but
one friend, and she was that!... (1840, p.76)
It would have been easier to repel the temptation of the devil than to
give way to the ego of a young, loving, brilliant and beautiful wife like lady
Ayesha. Why not let her hear the soft soothing balm of flattery, it will
not harm anyone. Even the soul of Khadija, the mother of the Faithful,
would look light-heartedly at the trick. There is no shamming, no innocent
"white lies" with Muhammad. Traits of this kind show us the genuine
man (Deedat, 1990, p. 24).
Finally,
Carlyle described Prophet Muhammad’s faithfulness and interest in the people
as:
a
man of truth and fidelity; true in what he did, in what he spake and thought.
They noted that he always meant something. A man rather taciturn in
speech; silent when there was nothing to be said; but pertinent, wise, sincere,
when he did speak; always throwing light on the matter. This is the only
sort of speech worth speaking! (1840, p.69)
Community
Values:
Again,
it is important to remember that the public communication of the Prophet was
meant for those who were able to hear it when he delivered the message, and for
those who would, for centuries later, read it or hear it from others.
Shaw (1936) described what the modern world would be like under the
leadership of Prophet Muhammad:
He
must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to
assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its
problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness. (p. 8)
The
accomplishments of one man over the space of twenty-three years are indeed
impressive. He preached a religion,
founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous
social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to
practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of
human thought and behavior for all times to come.
Carlyle
(1840) wrote,
"how one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering
Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two
decades" (pp.
287-288).
The
Prophet is the face and voice of Islam, providing a clear and direct path to
Allah and His will. Researchers
Gibbon and Ockley, explaining the Prophet’s importance to the spread and
devotion of followers to Islam wrote:
I
Believe in One God, and Mahomet, an Apostle of God' is the simple and invariable
profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded
by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never transgressed the measure
of human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion. (1870, p. 54)
Muhammad
was nothing more or less than a human being. But he was a man with a noble
mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of one and only one God and
to teach them the way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God.
He always described himself as "a
servant and messenger of God," and so indeed every action of
his proclaimed to be.
Speaking
on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, Sarojini Naidu said:
It
was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the
mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered
together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant
and king kneel side by side and proclaim: “God Alone is Great”... I have
been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes
man instinctively a brother. (1918, p. 169)
Today
after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad have
survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interruption. They offer the
same undying hope for treating humankind's many ills, which they did when he was
alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad's followers but an inescapable conclusion
reached by a critical and unbiased history.
Researchers
Gibbon and Ocklay (1870) continued with their praise of the Prophet:
the honors of the Prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue,
and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within
the bounds of reason and religion. (p. 54)
Even
though the Prophet could have exploited his position as a successful secular and
spiritual leader, Muhammad never chose to do so.
Smith (1874) wrote about how Muhammad restrained his power:
He
was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar
without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard,
without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say
that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammed, for he had all the power
without its instruments and without its supports. (p. 92)
The
Prophet’s ability to lead and inspire has not waned through the years since
his death. In fact, his leadership
ability continues to inspire. Besant
(1932) described how his admiration for the Prophet increased every time she
read about Prophet Muhammad thus:
It
is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet
of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but
reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme.
And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar
to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a
new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher. (p. 4)
Although
the Prophet was widely revered and admired, his legacy and teachings are still
interpreted with distrust and skepticism, usually by those in the West.
Watt (1953) wrote about Prophet Muhammad’s leadership,
integrity and being misunderstood in the West thus:
His
readiness to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the high moral character of
the men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the greatness of
his ultimate achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose
Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the
great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad. (p.
52)
But,
for each skeptic of the Prophet’s words and writings, there are many more who
believe in his words and his preaching and find the teachings important for
their daily, practical needs. Michener
(1955) wrote about the practicality of Muhammad’s
teachings thus:
In
all things Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died,
an eclipse occurred, and rumors of God's personal condolence quickly arose.
Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, "An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute
such things to the death or birth of a human being.” (pp.
68-70)
Prophet
Muhammad’s Patterns of Communication as a World Leader
In
his book, Muhammad Man and Prophet, Adil
Salahi (2002) wrote about opening up international horizons when Prophet
Muhammad planned to spread the message of Islam beyond
In
the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This letter is from Muhammad
the slave of Allah and his Apostle to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantines.
Peace be upon him who follows the right path. Furthermore, I invite you to Islam
and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward,
and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by
misguiding your subjects. And I recite to you Allah's statement: O People of the
Scriptures! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah
and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall
take others as Lords beside Allah. Then if they turn away, say: Bear witness
that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah). (Qur’an: 3: 64)
All
the Prophet's letters were stamped with the words: “Muhammad Rasul-ullah"
(Muhammad the Messenger of Allah). Three of the Prophet’s letters have been
preserved. (Salahi, 2002)
The
reactions of the Monarchs differed. Heraclius, Negus and Muqauqis received the
letter from the Prophet with such respect that each gave a courteous reply.
Negus and Muqauqis showed the highest regard to the envoys.
Chosroes II was indignant and tore the letter into pieces, saying, “My
slave dares to write me thus.” When
his reply was conveyed to the Prophet, he said, “even so shall God shatter his
kingdom to pieces” (Salahi, 2002) Choroes II wrote to Badhan, who was his
governor in
Global
morals, values and principals of the Prophet Muhammad
In
his book, Islam Teaching and Principles, Higab (1996) stated that the
message of Islam is general to all humankind. Scholars who interpret the meaning
of the Qur’an state that any verse beginning with the phrase “you people”
actually addresses humankind indefinitely. The
Prophet Muhammad himself remarked: “I
am a messenger, sent by God to you in particular, to humankind in general. I am
warning you…” (p. 224) The message of Islam has a universal stamp, because
its purpose is to serve all of mankind without color or racial discrimination.
In Islam, all are treated equally: there was one human race at the
creation of the universe, one form of human nature, and so it is now. God
desires different nations to get to know one another for a purpose of getting
together in friendship, which leads to peace instead of strife (pp. 223-224).
In situations when there were no instructions from Allah to Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet used to counsel and ask his followers about their opinions in the matter. For example, during one of the battles, a follower advised the Prophet to change the location of the Muslim troops. When the Prophet realized that the suggestion of the follower would benefit their fighting the enemy, he asked the troops to change their location as the follower’s suggested (Salahi, 2002). While the Prophet could have made decisions without input, and could have used the power and prestige he enjoyed both secularly and spiritually to influence others for his own gains, the Prophet, instead, was interested in the advice and suggestions from those around him. Muhammad then was a great leader and provided comfort and strength to those whom he counseled and led. He did as suggested by Masserman (1974), an American psychoanalyst, who delineates the different functions that the leaders must fulfill:
Leaders
must fulfill three functions: 1) Provide for the well being of the led, 2)
Provide a social organization in which people feel relatively secure, and 3)
Provide them with a set of beliefs. People like Pasteur and Salk are leaders in
the first sense. People like Gandhi and Confucius, on one hand, and Alexander
and Caesar on the other, are leaders in the second and perhaps the third sense
Jesus and Buddha belong in the third category alone. Perhaps the greatest leader
of all time was Muhammad, who combined all three functions. To a lesser degree,
Moses did the same. (p.35)
The
Prophet Muhammad had all the qualities a leader is supposed to have as described
by Masserman (1974). He was a leader not only in one aspect of life but he led
his community to success in every field. Hart
(1978), in his published book on ratings of those who contributed towards the
benefit and uplifting of humankind, placed Muhammad as the number one person who
influenced humankind. He realized
his choice may be controversial and responded:
My
choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may
surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man
in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular
levels. (p. 33)
Without question, the Prophet Muhammad had many opportunities to lead and
guide his spiritual and secular followers. Instead
of wielding his power and prestige for his own gain, he instead spent his time
reinforcing his message by treating those around him well, and upholding the
values he lauded in his public communication. Scholars of leadership have
recognized the Prophet’s prowess at inspiring and leading others and have
compared his abilities to religious leaders of similar stature, suggesting his
success on many levels was superior to others.(Hart, 1978)
The Prophet’s unique ability to lead and direct, while exhibiting
transformational and extraordinary values, makes him a leader to research and to
emulate.