ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Light Is Humility the Essence of Greatness? By Ismat Mukhtar A Muslim Reflects on the Prophet's Conduct… (By Sariya Islam a convert of more than 13 years. She holds a Master's in Business Management and is an experienced Human Resource Professional) Who Is the Perfect Leader?

As I read this description, I realized that effective leaders are those who work for their people, those who are humble, and those who neither flaunt their status nor exploit their power. It is hard to come by such individuals in real life, and you rarely come across the perfect combination of humility, knowledge, and charisma that is required of the perfect leaders. I sat back looking out into the garden and tried to identify an individual who fitted this role.

I thought for a while and then slowly smiled to myself; I had found the perfect leader! I thought of a man who rose to be the initiator of a new way of life that today has about 1.8 billion adherents spread across the world, a man who at the height of his success maintained the humility displayed in his youth.

His wisdom, he asserted, was never his own but rather was divine revelation; at the height of his success, he proclaimed, "I am but an ordinary man." Let me introduce you to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the prophet of Islam.

Charles de Secondat, a French political philosopher and social critic, said, "To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them." This reminded me of the building of the first mosque in Madinah: The Prophet had recently completed a tiring and stressful journey, but when he saw his people enthusiastically laying bricks for the mosque, he insisted he would join them; thus laying the foundations of a society in which nobody's status was too high and no work was too menial.

Through his actions that day, he taught his people enduring lessons on equality, companionship, and respect: [Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is the one who is the most righteous of you] (Al-Hujurat 49:13). Sharing Chores and Errands The Prophet ate with his people - he shared the same bread and drank from the same flask - and when his people went hungry, he starved too.

He lived with his as one of them and their problems were his own: He laughed with them when they were happy, and he cried with them when they were sad. On the battlefield, he was always with his soldiers, and at home he helped his wives with their chores.