From the book Muhammad: The Ultimate Leader From Western Business Perspectives
By Daud Batchelor
Chapter 1: The Most Influential Person Who Ever Lived
Of five non-Muslim biographers cited by Khalid Yassin, who had studied leaders throughout human history, three of them determined that the most profound human being who has impacted on humanity was none other than the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad .
One of the biographers, Michael S. Hart, a Christian, noted that Jesus Christ (on whom be peace) was not a father or husband, and was not a ruler, a military commander, nor a statesman. Consequently, he remarked that Jesus (owbp) cannot be a full role model for us. However, he believed Muhammad was as influential as Jesus Christ (owbp) on a spiritual level, and as well, “Muhammad, may well rank as the most influential political leader of all time.” Hart stressed, “It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.”
This is the key—Prophet Muhammad was both a temporal leader as well as a spiritual leader. This is what we need to restore in the World today, leaders who have this rare combination of qualities. Although Christians may be surprised about Hart’s primary choice of Muhammad , Hart provides cogent reasons why:
“it may initially seem strange that Muhammad has been ranked higher than Jesus. There are two principal reasons. First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as they differed from Judaism), St Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament. Muhammad however was responsible for both the theology of Islam and its main ethical and moral principles. In addition, he played the key role in proselytizing the new faith, and in establishing the religious practices of Islam.”
The best character references for Prophet Muhammad are however, those of God Himself: You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct). [Qur’an 33: 21] Ibn Kathir in his Commentary on the Holy Qur’an (tafsir) clarified the meaning of the above verse as “Why don’t you take Muhammad as an example and follow his lead?” God reinforced this view by informing Muhammad : Verily, you are on an exalted standard of character. [Qur’an 68:4]
When the Prophet’s young wife ‘Aishah (ra) was asked to describe Muhammad’s character she replied: “Verily, the character of the Messenger of Allah [the ethics underlying his behaviour] was the Qur’an.” [Muslim] His daily life was a true picture of the Qur’anic teachings, and he himself was the embodiment of all the virtues enunciated by the Holy Qur’an. Ibn Kathir elaborated in this regard that “whatever the Qur’an commanded he did it, and whatever it forbade, he avoided it.”
Muhammad was the most successful change leader that the world has witnessed (see Chapter 5). The social achievement of the Messenger was a total human reality, by any standards, “In an amazingly short time, starting with a small band of people, he built up a highly educated group of people who had all been instructed by him, irradiated by his presence, purified by his practices and guided by his revelations.”
The Message Source of All Prophets is One
God in His Wisdom and Mercy sent a series of prophetic messengers to teach mankind about their Creator and their duties to worship Him so that they may take heed and either be rewarded as recipients of His Good Pleasure or suffer the eternal pains of those who denied Him. The eminent American scholar, Sheikh Nuh Keller, further elaborates on the special characteristics of God’s prophets:
“[They] were trustworthy, intelligent, truthful, and fully conveyed their messages. [God] protected them from sin, and from every physical trait unbecoming to them, though as human beings, they ate, drank, slept, and married. They were the best of all created beings; and the highest of them [emphasis added] was him whom Allah chose to be the final seal of prophethood, our prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). Though the Sacred Law of the Prophet [Muhammad] (Allah bless him and give him peace) superseded all previously valid religious laws, it was identical with them in beliefs, such as tawhid or Oneness of God’, and so on, a fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) emphasized by saying, “Let none of you say I am superior to [the prophet] Jonah,” (Bukhari, 4.193: 3412), for the illumination of Jonah’s tawhid (upon whom be peace)—under the darkness of the storm, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the belly of the fish—was not less than the illumination of the Prophet’s tawhid at the zenith of his success as the spiritual leader of all Arabia (Allah bless him and give him peace). The light of their message was one, in which sense the Koran says, “We do not differentiate between any of His messengers” (Koran 2:285), showing that previous religions were the same in beliefs, and though differing in provision of works, and now abrogated by the final religion, were valid in their own times.”
God also advised though: Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour) ... [Qur’an 2:253] Consequently, individual prophets have special titles given by Allah himself, such as Abraham—the Friend of Allah (Khalilullah), Jesus—the Word and Spirit of Allah (Kalimatullah, Ruhullah), and Muhammad—the Beloved of Almighty Allah (Habibullah).
Although in this book we find Muhammad to be the Ultimate Leader, we do not call him “the best of creation.” Prophet Muhammad corrected an admirer who had stated this by saying, “That is [Prophet] Abraham, upon whom be peace.” [Muslim]
Muhammad: The Last Prophet
It is appropriate that Prophet Muhammad , known to many as Al-Insan al-kamil (Perfect Man), was the vessel chosen to deliver God’s Mercy and transmit the pure light of His Guidance to humanity. There has come to you a Light [Muhammad] from God, and a Clear Book [al-Qur’an]. [Qur’an 5:15] God in His mercy sent His prophets and messengers to call people to worship Him alone, to give glad tidings to those who accept the guidance and warn those who reject it.
Muhammad’s appearance as God’s Messenger, conveying the Scripture of the Holy Qur’an, was God’s response to the prayer of Muhammad’s ancestor, Prophet Abraham (owbp), who prayed a few thousand years earlier for God to send an apostle from the people of Makkah: Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Your Signs to them and instruct them in the Scripture and in Wisdom and purify them from sin: You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise. [Qur’an 2:129]
Faith in Muhammad as God’s Ultimate (Last) Prophet is a fundamental tenet of Islam, as stated in the Holy Qur’an: [Muhammad] is the Messenger of God and Seal of the Prophets. [Qur’an 33:40] The uniqueness of Muhammad can be further appreciated from the pre-eminent position in which God created his soul. Muhammad stated that “I was the first of the Prophets to be created and the last of them to be sent.” [Suyuti] The reader is referred elsewhere for the significance of Muhammad being the first prophet created. God gave Muhammad many honourable titles in the Qur’an, such as Light, Luminous Lamp, Warner, Giver of Good News, Clear Truth, the Compassionate, the Trustworthy, the Foot of Truthfulness, Mercy to the Worlds, the Straight Path and the Generous, to name but a few.
Muhammad is the prophet exemplar for all humans from the time his prophethood commenced until the end of time, for three very sound reasons. Firstly, unlike other prophets he was sent to all of mankind together: We have not sent you but as a universal (Messenger) to men [Qur’an 34:28]; secondly, Islam as a holistic way of life supersedes all previously valid religions since Muhammad was asked to proclaim it [Islam] over all religions. [Qur’an 9:33]; and thirdly, Muhammad had such extensive roles that he is able to serve as an example of leadership in virtually all key roles of human endeavour.
Muhammad’s Character: Innate Qualities or Acquired?
The book Ash-Shifa (Healing by Recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), the most frequently used handbook in which Muhammad’s life and qualities are described in detail, was written by the 12th Century Judge, Qadi ‘Iyad. He notes that man’s beautiful qualities can be placed into two categories: those which are innate and those which can be acquired. Innate qualities, in which man arguably has little choice, include physical beauty, strength of intellect, eloquence of tongue, acuteness of the senses, and nobility of lineage. On the other hand, qualities of good character, which can be acquired with disciplined effort and practice include among others, knowledge, patience, thankfulness, being just, doing without, humility, generosity, courage, and good manners, which all characterise Muhammad . The purpose of this book is to encourage readers to acquire such special leadership qualities for themselves.
Qadi ‘Iyad considered that Muhammad is the most perfect of mankind in good qualities and virtue. He believed that the abundance of such qualities exemplified by Muhammad , “qualities of perfection that cannot be acquired,” could only have been possible as a Gift to him by God Almighty.
Muhammad clearly envisaged however, that people can change to a better character and that many qualities are not innate but can be acquired over time through dedication and effort: “I was sent to perfect good moral character.” This is in line with God Almighty’s statement that: Verily, God does not change people’s condition unless they change their inner selves. [Qur’an 13:11]
This knowledge is most encouraging for the person who is prepared to struggle to change his or her own self towards acquiring and perfecting the great leadership attributes shown by Muhammad . Bina Brown, a modern writer on leadership, commented similarly, ”Some people are simply born with the X factor that makes a great leader, but most have to continually work on it.”
Muhammad’s Relationship with God Almighty
The great regard held by God for Muhammad is illustrated by the following Qur’anic verse where God stressed that He praises Muhammad before the angels who also invoke blessings on him. God instructs that all believers should send blessings on Muhammad and ask God to invoke peace upon him as well. InnAllaha wa-mala’ikatahu yusalūna ‘alan-nabī. Ya ay-yuhal lathīna amanū salū ‘alayhi wa sal-limū taslīma. Verily Allah and His angels bless the prophet. O you who believe bless him and invoke peace upon him. [Qur’an 33:56] We have in Prophet Muhammad a human being whose life was a perfect example of Islam as a total way of life. Muhammad was no doubt, a human being but different from others in being divinely inspired as God’s Messenger. “Say: I am but a human (bashar) like you who is divinely inspired that your god is but One God.” [Qur’an 18:110]
Consequently, as a fellow human, we can aspire to be like him and follow his example. God indicated that he has full confidence in Muhammad’s leadership and his teachings so that whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed God (Qur’an 4:80). Further, they will be successful: So those who believe in him and honour him and help him and follow the Light that has been sent down with him, these will be the successful. [Qur’an 7:157} We need to understand and follow the way of Muhammad in his relationship with his Creator, which showed the following characteristics:
His total belief and reliance on Almighty Allah in whatever condition.
His constant endeavour to be always in communion worshipping Allah.
He lived in a continuous state of meaning while the sensory state also existed (but his ego and desires were under his full control).
Prayer (ritual salat and du’a supplications) and continually remembering Allah (dhikrullah) were the basic sources of his strength and equanimity.
A constant appreciation of the blessings and protection of Allah influenced his thoughts and actions.
He acknowledged that there was no power and no strength but through Allah.
In times of trouble and sorrow, as well as joy, he always accepted and humbly acknowledged the Majesty and Power of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful.
During his ten years in Madinah Prophet Muhammad organized 64 military campaigns, leading 26 of them in person; campaigns that placed the whole of Arabia under his control. More important though was his role as a teacher. He taught his people that the ideal they must aim for was to perpetuate their consciousness of spiritual realities amidst their daily lives and ordinary business. “By him in whose hands is my soul, if you remain always in my presence or in the remembrance of God, then would the angels come to take you by the hand as you lie in your beds or as you go your ways…” [Muslim]
He was like a man living and walking in two worlds, the world of the seen monitored by the senses and the world of the Unseen (ghayb) in his communion with God and God’s messenger Gabriel or in Arabic, Jibrail (owbp). This is also why the Prophet said, “Two things of your world were made lovely to me, perfume and woman; and the coolness of my eyes is in prayer.” [Nasa’i] This Hadith shows he did not consider himself being only part of this temporal material world (dunya) but within the spiritual realms. What was important was his inner state of sincerity and communion with Allah, which reflected in his outward manner with people.
Because of his special relationship with God and the honour He gave him, Muhammad insisted that Muslims should love him more than their own selves. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) is reported to have said to the Prophet , “I love you more than anything except my soul which is between my two sides.” The Prophet replied, “None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul.” ‘Umar said, “By the One who sent down the book [the Qur’an] on you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides.” The Prophet said, “‘Umar, now you have it!” [Bukhari]
Resulting from Muhammad’s acceptance of his role as God’s Messenger, several key leadership traits developed in his being. These include the qualities of having the conviction of his mission and a clear purpose, and then being entirely focused and assertive in achieving his objective. Knowing the reality of the value of the world and sacrificing his all to achieve his mission, he lived a simple life, without concern for achieving personal wealth, power or status.
The noble twentieth-century Turkish reformer, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, challenges us to think more deeply on the grand contribution to humanity provided by Prophet Muhammad : “The Prophet announces and brings tidings of eternal happiness, unveils and proclaims God’s infinite Mercy, observes and heralds the beauties of the Realm of the Lord’s Sovereignty, and discloses and shows the Divine Names’ treasuries. If you observe him as a devoted worshipper of God, you will see him to be a model of love, an embodiment of mercy, the pride of humanity, and the most illustrious fruit of the Tree of Creation. If you observe him as a Messenger, you will see him to be a proof of God, a lamp of truth, a sun of guidance, and the means of happiness. His light has lit up from east to west like dazzling lightning. Half of the globe and one-fifth of all people have accepted the gift of his guidance and preserved it like their lives. So, why do our evil commanding souls and devils not accept, with all its degrees, the essence of his mission: There is no deity but God?”
Eternal Miracle of the Holy Qur’an: Proof of His Prophethood
The Holy Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad in stages during his prophethood and faithfully collected, checked and verified, to provide the Canonical text, which is read and recited today by billions of people. It is the grand evidence of the Prophethood of Muhammad , its strongest proof and most specific sign for four reasons. Firstly, it comprises the claimed Revelation from God and citations from Him that Muhammad is His Last Prophet and Messenger. The Prophet is reported to have said: “There is no Prophet but he was given signs, because of which people believed in him. That which I have been given is the revelation that Allah has revealed to me, and I hope that I will have the greatest number of followers on the Day of Resurrection.” [Bukhari] God Almighty in the Qur’an challenged the unbelievers: Say: “if the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped each other.” [Qur’an 17:88]
Qadi Abdul Jabbar explains, “Prophet Muhammad challenged his people with the Qur’an and made it the evidence of his prophethood that made them oblige to follow, obey and submit to him … The Arabs were known for eloquence, they had their own way of disdain and pride, and they were ready to make all efforts to remain leaders instead of following a new leader and submitting to him. That is why they attempted all means … to prove that Muhammad was a false Prophet. But they ultimately surrendered and failed to produce anything like the Qur’an, and this is a strong proof that it is from Allah as a clear evidence of Muhammad’s prophethood.”
Secondly, the miracles of the former Prophets overpowered certain classes, e.g. the magicians at the time of Moses and the doctors at the time of Jesus, but the Holy Qur’an over-powered a whole nation—eloquent orators, poets and all. Thirdly, the Qur’an was sent to a people who produced remarkable literary works and orations, so they were sent a revelation suitable to their understanding in perfect Arabic, which they could recognise in its rhetoric and fluency as a miracle originating from God, the Lord of the Worlds. Fourthly, the miracle of the Qur’an, which in Arabic is the pristine word of God Almighty, is eternal and able to spread worldwide and continually affects people’s hearts and draws them to Him. It is no wonder that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today.
Said Nursi highlighted a multitude of other evidences supporting the Prophethood of Muhammad :
“Just as this radiant proof of Divine Unity is affirmed by the unanimous consensus of all Prophets and saints, he [Muhammad] is confirmed by hundreds of signs in the revealed Scriptures (e.g. the Torah and the Bible), thousands of indications of his Prophethood that appeared before his mission, famous reports of voices from the Unseen, the unanimous testimony of soothsayers, indications of thousands of miracles (e.g. splitting of the moon), and the justice of truth of his Shari’a Law (the Law). Similarly, his laudable virtues that reached the utmost degree of perfection; his total confidence in his mission and most excellent qualities in relation to its fulfillment; and his awesome fear of God, worship, serenity, and firmness, all of which show his belief’s strength and his total certainty and complete steadfastness. These clearly show his claim’s truthfulness.”
MUHAMMAD THE ULTIMATE LEADER: From Western Business Perspective