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Leadership of the Muslim community
is an awesome responsibility that is too seldom shouldered by those
most deserving of this sacred trust. Yet, because the divine
imperative for Muslims to establish leadership is so universally
confirmed, the Ummah is traditionally not without some semblance of
helmsmanship that, at least verbally, invokes the name of Allah and
the Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh).
The ultimate standard for Muslim
leaders is the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Recognized by many non-Muslim
historians and social scientists as the person who most influenced the
course of human history, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) best embodies the
personal qualities necessary for effective, God-fearing leadership.
Since his time, the barometer by which any Muslim leader is measured
continues to be that of the last Messenger of Allah.
Throughout the ages, Allah, in His
infinite Mercy, has preserved the historical record of individuals who
most closely approximate the leadership qualities exhibited by the
Holy Prophet (pbuh). Despite their obvious differences in disposition
and leadership styles, Abu Bakr Siddiq, Umar ibn Khattab, Uthman ibn
Affan and Ali ibn Abu Talib are accepted as those sahabah (companions
of the Prophet) who were most deserving of the trust of leadership
after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). After this period of
righteous leadership, varying degrees of scoundrels and weak Muslims
have conspired, usurped and manipulated themselves into leadership
positions among the Muslims. Leadership, once the exclusive domain of
the best among us, has only infrequently been held by those rare
individuals who sacrifice their own worldly comforts for the pleasure
of Allah and the benefit of the Ummah.
In the 20th century, Allah has
elevated to the global stage Muslim leaders such as Shaheed Hassan al-Banna,
Shaheed Sayd Qutb, Maulana Abu Ala Maududi who have tremendously
impacted the course of the Islamic movement in this century and
beyond. While one may disagree with the ideology or Islamic movement
methodology of these leaders, it is nevertheless an indisputable fact
that few individuals have left such an indelible mark on the global
Islamic movement as these individuals; Allah knows best of course.
An ironic, yet logical, twist to the
history of Islam in North America is that a person who was only Muslim
for 11 months perhaps most influenced the future direction of Islam.
Unlike other Muslim leaders, the influence of Al Hajj Malik Shabazz,
Malcolm X, was not predicated on his knowledge of Islam,
accomplishments within an Islamic organization or even immediate
acceptance by the existing Muslim community. His leadership model was
more remarkable because of his example of sincerity, personal
discipline, courage and clarity of vision. His clarity of vision is
particularly noteworthy when placed in the historical context of the
socially-turbulent decade of the 1960s.
At a time when immigrant Muslims in
North America generally withheld the invitation to Islam from the
indigenous non-Muslim population, Malcolm embraced Dawah as his
mission. On 4 September 1964, the Muslim World League commissioned him
as an official Muslim "preacher" to the United States.
Because of his tireless efforts for the cause of Islam, Alhamdulillah,
hundreds of thousands were introduced to Islam for the first time in
North America through his autobiography, recorded speeches or personal
contact. Determining an individual's impact on his environment is a
subjective exercise at best. However, the brief Muslim life of Malcolm
affords him the status of being one of the foremost Muslims produced
in the West.
Courage. Vision. Sincerity. These
terms have become almost synonymous with Malik Shabazz. Muslim
leadership for the 21st century must follow the Quran and the Sunnah
while boldly exhibiting the qualities of courage, vision and
sincerity.
September
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October 1996
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