The Leadership and Qualities of a Good Leader in Islam

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
All praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His aid and we ask for His forgiveness. We seek Allah’s refuge from the evils of ourselves and from our evil actions. Whosoever Allah guides, there is no one who can misguide him; and whosoever Allah misguides, there is no one who can guide him.
I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone, who has no partner; and I testify that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His slave and Messenger.
Dear brothers and sisters! Know that, leadership is a great quality of human nature. Every organisation or group of peoples needs a good leader in order to gain their desired success. As a social being, each and every man has to lead his life through a mutual relationship with others. He is completely unable to do something alone. Thus, the necessity of co-operation brings out the idea of leadership in our society. Nowadays, the concept of leadership becomes very influential in financial, political and social arena. From the smaller institutions like family, every organisations and even the world body at large need good leader for the perfection of post-modern civilisation.
Islam, the only authentic revealed religion of the world, does not leave this issue unturned. For the upliftment of human culture and society it clearly discusses about the idea, concept and nature of leadership. Islam gives detailed principles, guideline and direction in this context. The pre-condition and required quality of leadership also described here with great sincerity. This sermon is an attempt to make people aware about the concept of Islamic leadership. The pre-requisites of a good leader are also discussed here carefully, so that with the knowledge of revealed direction we can implement the teachings of Islam and achieve the ultimate success of here and hereafter.
Respected brothers and sisters! Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (Peace be upon him) has guided humanity in every sphere of life. They have also guided us in matters of selection of our leader. Different people have different perceptions related to choice of leadership. Some people think leader should be smart and handsome. Some people think he should be quick and intelligent.
We need to know what Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him) has recommended in this regard.
Dear servants of Allah! ‘Imam’ is an Arabic word which means ‘Leader.’ Imam is the leader of a country who runs administrative tasks of a country. Leader posses some qualities of leadership including qualities of personal character and the ability to motivate others towards the realisation of specific goals are on top of the list. Leadership qualities can easily understand from Qur’an and Sunnah which we are going to discuss in this sermon In Shaa Allah.
Dear brothers and sisters! Allah the Almighty and His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has guided humanity in every aspect of life. They have also guided us in matters of selection of our leader who can lead us. Everyone has different perceptions related to the choice of leadership. But we have to consider Qur’an and Sunnah when we have to specify leadership qualities of our leader. In Noble Qur’an, Allah the Almighty says:
“And We made them leaders, guiding by Our command; and We inspired them to do good works, and to observe the prayer, and to give out charity. They were devoted servants to Us.” [Qur’an, 21:73]
From the above verse of Noble Qur’an, we concluded that it is Allah Almighty who appoints the leader. It is not selected by anyone, nor given in a will, nor established by the committee. The role of the leader in Islam is also summarised, to guide and establish the Islamic society. The main aspects of leadership are Knowledge and Power as mentioned in Noble Qur’an:
“Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Musa (Moses) when they said to a Prophet of theirs, “Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allah”? He said, “Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if fighting was prescribed for you?” They said, “And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?” But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers. And their Prophet said to them, “Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king.” They said, “How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?” He said, “Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favour] and Knowing.” [Qur’an, 2:246-247]
My great people! From the above verse of Noble Qur’an, we came to know that Knowledge guides the leader to the right path he is able to assimilate the situation wisely due to his knowledge and then after penetrating the situation he should have the power to take decision accordingly. If he does not have power then he is unable to implement his decisions that’s why he should have both power and knowledge. Power specifies the psychological decision and physical power. Besides knowledge and power justice, patience sound judgments are also important attributes which should be possessed by the leader.
Being a Muslim we all are leaders in some aspects as mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in one of His Hadith in these words:
“All of you are shepherds, and each of you will be asked concerning his flock.” [Bukhari]
Leadership is about teamwork as no one can alone accomplish anything without followers and for sure Allah’s help. And the important one is that effective leaders are those who are servant leaders. Good leaders are good followers, humble, piety, truthful, simple and they realise that success only comes from Allah, the Almighty.
There is a system of leadership in Islam so the leaders are to be obeyed, and they call to the truth.
May Allah the Most High give us knowledge and strength to choose our leaders by keeping in view the attributes pointed out by Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)! Ameen.
Dear brothers and sisters! Know that, as a result of technological development and modern techniques in today’s world, the strategic effective leadership appeared as modern face of administration. The purpose of today’s sermon is intended to help the professional leaders, whether they are presidents, governors, ministers, traditional/Islamic leaders, team leaders, managers, school  principals, community, religious or any other kind of leaders, to grapple with what exactly their role is, how to be effective in achieving the organisational goals and objectives; and realising the aspirations of their societies. As a leader, what am I to do? If I want to be an effective leader, where do I begin? What do I focus on? Where do I put my energy or my attention? How can I tell if my priorities are right? How to develop my abilities to be a creative leader?, for someone  who is new to a leadership role or for someone who has been on a leadership, these are key questions; we are going to look at in this sermon. Remember, the main Objectives of the sermon is to  give a comprehensive definition of leadership. Because there is often great confusion in people’s mind about the concept  of authority and leadership, this sermon distinguishes between the two terms; in addition, it describes the most important personal, practical and technical characteristics of strategic effective leaders. The sermon presents a model of leadership from Islamic perspective. It shows also the  practical ways of how to create and develop a strategic leader. So, the subject of strategic effective leadership and its role in achieving the visions and objectives of any organisation is so important, specially at the time being. It can be considered as the main tool, which all social and private institutions are used, and dynamic in achieving and accelerating sustainable social and economic development.
Definitions of Leadership
Although Leadership is an integral part of management and  plays a vital role in managerial operations, it is not an attribute of business alone. It is in the army, in the  government, in universities, in hospitals etc. and anywhere. Where people work in groups, the leadership function  emerges and there must be somebody to guide that group.
Dear brothers and sisters! After reading several books on the  subject, I think that the best starting definition of leadership you can use is that:
“Leadership is the ability of developing  and communicating a vision to a group of people that will make that vision true.”
This definition may sound simplistic and practical. Almost  everybody understands it and can grasp the essence of  leadership. According to me it is a great point to start  reviewing and looking to leadership by knowing first who’s a  Leader? For example, Ken Valenzuela (in  2007) stated that:
“A leader is someone who has a vision and can communicate it  and make it happen.”
A leader has to develop a vision, has to communicate it and  has to achieve it. In order to achieve the vision (or goal) the  leader has to master six practices. These can be mentioned  as follows:
1. The leader has to vision the future imagining exciting and  ennobling possibilities. He also has to enlist others in a  common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.
2. The leader has to foster collaboration promoting cooperative goals and building trust.
3. The leader has to strengthen others by sharing power and discretion.
4. The leader has to model the way and clarify his personal  values and set the example aligning actions and share values.
5. The leader has to recognise contributions by showing  appreciation for individual’s excellence.
6. The leader has to celebrate the values and victories by  creating a spirit of community.
Another definition, the Leadership is:
“The art of influencing and inspiring subordinates to perform  their duties willingly, competently and enthusiastically for  achievement of group’s objectives.”
It is the art or process of influencing people so that they will  strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group’s goals. It is important to add the element of “willingness” in the above definition. This element differentiates successful and effective leaders from the  “common run of managers.” In other words, it’s the  willingness of people to follow that makes a person a leader.
Leaders act to help a group achieve objectives with the  maximum application of its capabilities. They facilitate process and inspire the group to accomplish organisational  goals. Most management experts agree that:
“Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group in effort towards goal achievement in a given situation.”
Leadership and Authority In practice, there is often great  confusion in people’s mind about the concept of authority  and leadership. It is useful to make some clear distinctions  between these. Let us look at authority first. Authority has  been defines as the right to command. According to Henry  Fayol, authority is the right to give orders and make sure that  these orders are obeyed. Authority gives the management the power to enforce obedience. He defines it as “conferred power  to perform a service.” Authority can be delegated. We  delegate to people the authority to speak or to make certain  decisions, or certain initiatives on behalf of the group. The  group, in turn, agrees to accept this person’s authority and  respect the actions they take within this authority role. An  important aspect of this is that authority is essential  something that people were given or it is a position that they  are appointed to or elected to. Leadership, on the other hand,  is not something that people is given. It is essentially  something that they take. Taking leadership can be described  as a decision we make to see that things around us work well  or that the situation in which we find ourselves are handled  effectively. It does not require any authority. Remember that it  is not part of leadership to think for, or impose decisions on,  the member of the group. Leadership is an influence relationship rather than authority one. It is an influence  relationship among leaders and collaborators. It is not necessary to occupy a formal position of authority in order to  take leadership. There are many people, for example, with no  formal authority who regularly take leadership and who make  a big differences to the world around them. There are also  people we can think of in positions of authority who are or  were outstanding leaders. Similarly, though, there are people who have authority but who do not take leadership for one reason or another.
First, people have to be thought individually. How is each  member of the group doing? What is going well for them and where do they need a hand? What potential do they have?  Where do they need support from us? Essentially, thinking  about people entails being able to see where they struggle  and at the same time, seeing their strengths and their  potential. Without these it will be difficult for a leader to  figure out what makes sense in any situation.
Secondly, people have to be thought about collectively. This is  quite different from just thinking about each individual. What  is the situation facing the group? What is going on the group  or the organisation as a whole? What are the difficulties,  challenges and what are the opportunities that it faces? What  is the potential of this group? Thinking about these questions  often involves taking account of such issues as relationships, communication, organisation, morale, power, roles, goals,  conflict and oppression. We are trying to understand where  the group as a whole is struggling and how we can assist  that struggle.
A leader is great because of the followers. Nobody can be a great leader without great followers. In order to be an effective leader you must think about people and situation facing them.
Thirdly, the leader must think about what is happening in the  wider situation that has implications for the individuals, the  group or the organisation. What is going in the wide environment help us to make sense of what is happening  within our group? What are the key issues in the environment  that might attend how we see our tasks or how we attain our  goals? Thus the leader tries to understand the process  operating within the group and between the group and the  world at large.
Bennis (in 1998) talks about the leader as someone who  helps define reality, interprets events and makes sense of the  complexity around people. As the sometimes, Tichy (in 2002) says the role of a leader is to see reality. The ability of leader  to name or describe clearly what is happening is often a powerful resource for any group.
Finally, both the group or the organisation and the individuals within it need to be thought about over time. What has  happened in the past for this group? What might be happen  in the future for the group? A good leader thinks about  individuals in terms of their previous experience. What is  happening to them in the present and what is possible in the  future. It is not enough to think only in the short term. The  leader must think about how things will be over the long term. Having a clear understanding of both the past and the  present and how things might evolve in the future. Having a  vision of how things could be different is the key feature of  effective leadership. A good leaders had a possibilities change and develop in the people around them.
Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership entails the common usage of the term  strategic. It is related to the concept of strategy-simply a plan  of action for accomplishing a goal. Strategy is a plan whose  aim is to link ends, ways, and means. One finds both broad  and narrow senses of the adjective strategic. Narrowly, the  term denotes operating directly against military or industrial  installations of an enemy during the conduct of war with the  intent of destroying his military potential. Today, strategic is  used more often in its broader sense (e.g., strategic planning,  strategic decisions, strategic bombing, and even strategic leadership). Since the aim of strategy is to link ends, ways, and means, the aim of strategic leadership is to determine the ends, choose the best ways, and apply the most effective means. The strategy is the plan; strategic leadership is the thinking and decision making required developing and affecting the plan. In short, one may define strategic leadership as the ability of an experienced, senior leader who has the wisdom and vision to create and execute plans and make consequential decisions in the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous strategic environment. Strategic leadership provides the vision and direction for the growth and success of an organisation. To successfully deal with change, all executives need the skills and tools for both strategy formulation and implementation.
Strategic Leadership from Islamic Perspective
Respected servants of Allah! In Islam leadership is a process  of inspiring and coaching the voluntary followers in an effort  to fulfill a clear as well as a shared vision. A strategic leader  from the Islamic view is essentially a teacher and a coach. He  leads by teaching leadership such that the followers in turn become good leaders.
Good leadership is providing a model to be followed. In Islam  leader is not free to act as he chooses, nor must be submit to  the wishes of any group, he in a majority or influential  minority, he must act only to implement Allah’s laws on earth.
The essence of Prophethood is the exercise of power and  authority to achieve the Divine purpose, and this is linked to  leadership. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) thus combined  in his person the authority of the Messenger, a mentor to  common humanity, leader of family, head of state, diplomat,  commander of the army, and a pioneer to a world social order.
The biography of the Prophet, therefore, offers an important  lesson in leadership in all facts of life, and it is quite essential  model for all Muslims and sincere non-Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was a model of conduct for the Ummah (Uswatun Hasana).
Leadership is not a professional calling or a preserve of a few  selected people. The Islamic view is that every Muslim is a  leader in his or her own way. Everybody has leadership  responsibility (remember the Hadith ‘Kullukum ra’in…’) and everybody is accountable on how well they discharged that responsibility. Abdullahi Ibn Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (Peace  be upon him) as saying:
“Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible of  his flock. The amir (ruler) whose over the people is a  shepherd and is responsible for his flock; a man is a  shepherd in charge of the inhabitants of his household and  he is responsible for his flock; a woman is a shepherdess in  charge of her husband’s house and children and she is  responsible for them; and a man’s slave is a shepherd in  charge of his master’s property and he is responsible for it.  So each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible  for his flock.”
The society cannot exist or function well without leaders. When any three Muslims are on a journey they are required to  select one of them as a leader. Lack of leadership is anarchy.  Leadership should aim at excellence in all endeavors. Excellence (Ihsan) is a pillar of religion (usulud Din) and must manifest in whatever a Muslim does. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) taught us to be perfect in whatever we undertake to do (Itqan al amal). Leadership is both science and art. It is  experience and knowledge. Leadership attributes skills are  not inborn but are acquired and anybody can learn to be a  good leader. There are personal qualities that distinguish one  leader from another. For example, Abubakr al Siddiq had a  personality that marked him among men as a leader. The Prophet recognised strength in Umar Ibn al Khattab and always prayed to Allah to strengthen Islam with him.
Special Qualities of the Islamic Leadership
Qualities of effective leadership are: Influence, creates a  vision of the future, rational strategy to move to the vision,  enlists the support of workers and the ability to comprehend  that human beings have differing motivating forces at varying  times and in different situations.
Effective Islamic leaders are model what they breach and  demonstrate integrity in how they behave. There is consistency between their values, their vision, their standard  and their behaviour. For many group effective leaders are  especially able to model a sense of hope and encouragement  for people. They also model the belief and confidence in the  people around them. For example, when Umar Ibn Al khattab  was appointed as a Khalifah (Muslim Leader), he addressed the people, saying:
“Now that I am in charge of your affairs, be sure that  roughness has been increased. My severity will show on the  unjust and the enemies of the Muslims. But for those who are  peaceful, religious, and with good intentions, I am softer on  them than they would be with each other. I will not allow any one to be unfair or to encroach upon somebody else. But  those who do, I would  put  their  face  on  the  ground,  and put  my  foot  on their  chest  until  they  accept  what  is right. With  all  this  severity  I  am  ready  to  lower  my  head  to  the  poor people and  to  the  contented. You  can  find  in  me  the following  characteristics  which  I  promise  to  maintain:
Firstly,  I  will  never  touch  any  money  from  the  tax  we collect,  or  from  alms  money. Secondly,  nothing  of  state  money  will  be  spent  except  in the  right  way. Moreover, I am going to increase what is assigned to you and to defend  the country.  I  also  promise  not  to  lend  you  to destructive  wars,  and  not  to  leave  soldiers  for  long  period  on  the  front  lines.  When  you  go  on  an  expedition,  I promise  to  take  responsibility  for  your  families  until  you  come  back.  Slaves  of  Allah,  watch  Allah  in  every  action. Help  me  in  governing  you  by  being  righteous;  and  help  me  against  myself  by  giving  me  the  right  advice  and  by stopping  me  from  committing  any  thing.  Having  accepted  what  I  wanted  to  say,  I  ask  Allah  for  forgiveness  for  me and you.”
Self-confidence  is  seen  in Umar’s  speech which reflects his ambition and  strength.
In  this  speech  Umar  clarified  his  policies,  stating  that  severity  will  be  used  against  the  unjust  and  against aggressive  people,  while  kindness  will  be  shown  to  the  kind  and  the  obedient.  Money,  on  the  other  hand,  will  be spent  where  it  is  appropriate,  and  soldiers  will  not  be  kept  away  from  their  families,  and  their  families  will  be looked after, the country  will  be defended and  people  consulted  in decision-making. History shows  that Umar’s  words  were  not  mere  promise, they  were  prove  in  action.  There  is  another  point  in Umar’s leadership  that  relates  to  social change, namely his being kind, generous, merciful and caring.
Umar’s  strong  personality,  his enthusiasm  in  applying  Islam  and  his  unfailing  sense  of  justice,  have  all  contributed  to  his  unmatched  success  in holding  the  Muslim  Arabs  together,  expanding  Islam,  establishing  the  required  financial  supervision  and  the judiciary, and  building  urban  centers  in Iraq and Egypt. So, the effectiveness of leadership depends on the following:
1. Personality  and  character  of  the leader.
2. Quality  of  the workers.
3. Quality  and atmosphere  of  the  Jama’ah.
The importance of the personality and characteristics of a  leader is that: Leader  is  the  symbol  of  the  organisation and represents  its nature and quality. Leader  is  the  center  of  authority. And he  is  the driving  force  for  the  Jama’ah.
Another  Spiritual, Practical  and Technical  Qualities  are:
1. Taqwah, deep spirituality  with  excellent  conduct  and character  are  the  special characteristics of  a leader  from  Islamic point  of  view. This  is  to be  done  through a  constant struggle to develop:
a. Close  relation with Allah the Almighty.
b. Love  of  the  Prophet (Peace be upon him), love of the Sahabah (Prophet’s companions)  and love of the Ulamah (Sincere Islamic scholars).
c. Concern  and  fear  of  the  accountability in the Day of judgment (Akhirah).
d. Knowledge  and  practice  of  Islam,  administrative  experience,  and  wisdom  (hikmah)  of  leadership. He must deeply have understanding  of  the  religion and  its  application in  the  changing  environment. Establishing Islam is  the true  objective of his life. He must  be an  example for  Iman (faith), Ilm (knowledge), and  Amal (action). He must have true love and  priority  for  his mission and the  Jama’ah.
2. A  leader  must  demonstrate  his  dedication  and  commitment  to  the  organisational  mission,  goals  and  objectives by hard work and self-sacrifice. He must be honest,  trustworthiness, and someone with history of selfless service.
3. Competence. He  should  have  the  critical  skills  of  leadership, i.e., observation, analysis,  coaching,  recognising the potentials, delegation and feedback.
4. Decision  making  ability  after  appropriate consultation and  then  ability  to  implement  the decision.
5. Successful  leader  should  be  flexible  in  his  attitude  with  Hikmah (wisdom)  depending  upon  the  situation  but  he  should  be firm  in his decisions and zeal  to move to the objectives.
6. Strategic  leaders  must  have  the  potential  to  understand  their  own  moods  and  emotions,  as  well  as  their  impact on others.  He must  be  friendly  and social.
7. Effective  leaders  are  proficient  at  delegation. They  are  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  delegation  will  avoid overloading  of  responsibilities  on  the  leaders.  They  also  must  recognise  the  fact  that  authorising  the subordinates to make decisions will  motivate  them  a lot.
8. Strategic  leader  should  have  ability  to  speak,  write  and  use  modern  techniques  of  communication.  Moreover, he must  have good physical health.
9. Strategic leader  should be willing  to  take risk. Routine work  how  well  done never  makes  a leader. Good  leaders always charter  the unknown. They  must  accept and  seek  new challenges.
How to  create and develop  a Strategic Leader
Creation  and  development  of  a  strategic  leader  involves  a  number  of  important  aspects.  First,  the  most  important, indeed foundational,  part  of  this preparation  concerns values, ethics, codes,  morals,  and standards.
Second,  the  path  to  strategic  leadership  resembles  the  building  of  a  pyramid. Shortcuts  do  not  exist,  and  one  can’t start  at  the  top-strategic.
Leaders  are  made,  not  born
Strategic  leaders  gradually  build  wisdom,  defined  as acquiring  experiences  over  time. Strategic  leadership  begins  with  organisational  values,  ethics,  codes,  moral  and  standards,  the  foundation  of  our profession.  Upon  this  foundation,  the  leader  develops  an  abstract  body  of  expert  knowledge  based  primarily  on experience  and  basic  skills.  Continuing  education  can  expand,  and  accelerate  development.  One  must  also remember  that  there  are  certain  activities  that can  accelerate  these  experiences  and  widen  perspectives.
Next  the leader  exposed  to  command  responsibility  and  accountability,  a  vital  phase  during  which  the  Leader  gets  his  or her  first  real  taste  of  consequential  decision  making.  Further  education  in  strategic-thinking  skills  enhances  the leader’s  competence.  In  each  case,  a  leader  could  have  opportunities  to  exercise  strategic  competency  in  support of  a  strategic  leader.  Ultimately,  the  leader  will  participate  in  strategic  decision  making  and  become  a  strategic leader.
Self- assessment  and  development  are  so  important  interpersonal  skills.  Self-assessment  will  help  identify strengths  and  weaknesses.  As  a  follow-up  to  the  self-assessment,  aspiring  leaders  should  ask  themselves  a  series of  questions: What  are  my  strengths?  How  can  I  capitalise  on  them?  Where  are  my  weaknesses?  What  can  I  do about  them?  Where  do  I  want  to  be  in  the  future?  How  can  I  get  there?  Do  I  really  want  to  commit  to development?  The  last  question  is  the  most  difficult  one. Those  who  answer  yes  are  ready  to  begin  the  journey toward becoming strategic  leaders. Self-learning  is  also  valuable,  especially  reading.  All  strategic  leaders  read  outside  their normal  area  of expertise. Strategic  leaders  do  expand  their  perspective  and  increase  their  conceptual  ability,  in  fact,  many  of them  are  experts  in  a  number  of  unrelated  fields. Becoming a “dual expert” helps  one think in multiple dimensions.
I  conclude my today’s sermon  by  answering  for  the  question, how  to  create a leader? Turning  other  people  into  leaders  is  a  vital part  of  leaders job,  what  can  we  do  to  achieve  this?  Simple  steps  to  turn  people  into  leaders are as follows:
First,  we  have  to  raise with  people  the  possibility  of  their  becoming  leaders. This  we  can  do  in  a  variety  of  ways.  We  can  ask  them  for help. We  can  praise  their  leadership qualities;  we can  create  roles  and ask  them  to  fill  them. We  can talk  about  the need  for  leadership. And anything  that  encourages  people  to  think  of  themselves  as  having  a  leadership  role  will  be helpful.
I also  conclude  by  answering  for  the  question,  what  about  those  who  are  not  born  leaders  but  have responsibilities? We can say to them they should try to acquire the required  qualities of leadership. We don’t ask for position, yet it’s not  allowed  to  escape  from  the  responsibility. We know that  the  position  is  not  attractive,  but full  of  responsibilities.  We  should  have  firm  faith  in  Allah.  He  is  the  one  who  gave  us  this  responsibility  and  he will  help us  to  fulfill  it.
O Allah! We beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated and he whom You make Your enemy shall never be elevated. Blessed and dignified are You!
And we thank You for what You have decreed, we ask Your forgiveness and we repent to You. O Allah! Please lead us to the good deeds for no one leads to them but You; please lead us to the good conduct for no one leads to it but You; please make us do well in the religion, which is our dignity, and make our lives good for it is our existence, and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our Final Destination. Please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil.
O our Master, the Lord of all Worlds! Please make us desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, and make us by Your benevolence independent of all others, and make our obedience to You turn us away from our disobedience; and by Your generosity and mercy elevate high the word of rightness and of the religion; lead Islam to victory, and grant Muslims dignity in every place on earth. Show us Your strength against Your enemies. O Allah, the most Generous!
I pray, may Allah give us taufiq to choose our leader by keeping in view the attributes pointed out by Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him).
Oh Allah! Do not give leadership over us to someone who doesn’t fear you and doesn’t have mercy upon us. Ameen.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Ever-Living, Who does not die, and Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday Sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Jumadal-Thani 9, 1440 AH (February 15, 2019), by Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusaumurtada@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
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