"If leaders go astray, God the Almighty may bring him back,
But, his followers may be led astray, and may not come back."
This scares me. I have a great fear of this. What if I went wayward, and people follow me suit, I won’t be able to bear my burden on the Day of Reckoning, how can I bear the burden of others?
I ask myself, constantly, why would people want to follow me? Why do they follow me? I don’t want them to follow me?
The concept of true leadership is something that is ethereal in nature, and the one who possesses it, has unbounded virtues. He has quashed all vices. He is someone who is Inspired. Someone whom the people see in Public and Private, and would find no difference. Someone Externally and Internally sound.
As the Prophet of Mankind SAW said:
“Birr is good manners, and ithm is that which weaves (evil thoughts) in your breasts, and you hate that other people should know about it.”
(Sahih Muslim 2553)
Leadership has been spoken of by the ancients, Plato had design an entire polity based around the personage of the Philosopher King - an unreachable utopian fantasy many post-enlightenment claim.
But, there must be some truth to this, if all ancient civilisations and cultures had this reveared outlook to leadership, there must be some truth hidden within.
Today, we assume that those who lead us do not have to be of moral nature. That is how we presume politicians and heads of states to be, CEOs of major corporations. But, is this denying thousands of years of human knowledge?
We know the status of true leadership, and it is something that must be cultivated from within the polity, society and organisations. Therefore, we must aspire to bring forth leaders who are moral, and can create greatness, because they themselves are of virtue.
"If the people are upright, then their kings and rulers will be upright,
and if they turn away (from uprightness), then their leaders will turn against them."
(Ibn al-Qayyam al-Jawziyyah)
So, those who lead us, reflect who we are as a society, community, a people.
Therefore, the Quranic injunction is important to note:
"Verily, Allah does not change the state of a people until they bring about a change in themselves.”
(al-Quran 13:11)
But, we cannot change unless we begin to change our own condition, so that this will create the grounds which can nurture the potential of leaders’, and can be a place in which true leaders can thrive.
Quite simply, I cannot lead, because I am not of virtue. All humans should be on the journey of self-purification and meditation to forgo vice and adopt virtue. However, this is a long tiresome journey. For some it takes only a moment, but for most, it is a lifelong commitment, with most never tasting the sweetness of its reward.
