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Planning without implementation is useless. In some countries, there is no defined concept of long-term planning and solutions to immediate problems. Others, who do so, are normally faced with the problem of “analysis-paralysis”, spending too much time on fine tuning solutions which lack basic resolutions. The result is simple; there appears to be too much ado about nothing.
Only few nations are implementing their strategies effectively. I therefore wish to offer some principles of the messenger of Allah Muhammad,(s.a.w) as highlighted by the scholars in the ongoing situation of our country as a solution to be emulated by all our leaders. They are generally accepted principles that the prophet believed in and worked with, which lead to the successes recorded during and after his life time.
These principles are necessary for effective strategy implementation in the context of our problems including Islamic Resolutions.
Leadership can be defined as “a dynamic relationship based on mutual influence and common purpose between leaders and collaborators in which both are moved to higher levels of motivation and moral development as they effect real, intended change.”
(Rost, 1991). At the same time, Burns [1978] defines leadership as “leaders inducing followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations — the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations — of both leaders and followers.”
Both definitions stress the transformational dimension of leadership whereby, both the leader, and the followers enrich each other. Whereas transactional leaders approach followers with an eye to exchanging one thing for another (e.g., jobs for votes, board positions for donations), transformational leaders recognize the needs of potential followers and seek to fulfill their higher-order needs. They strive to engage the follower’s full person in order to engender mutual inspiration and elevation.
The Prophet (saw) said: If Allah puts anyone in the position of authority over the Muslims’ affairs and he secludes himself (from them), not fulfilling their needs, wants, and poverty, Allah will keep Himself away from him, not fulfilling his need, want, and poverty. Sunan Abu Dawud
On these bases, it is a well-known fact that the Prophet of Islam (saw) was a supremely successful man in the entire human history. But he was not just a hero, as Thomas Carlyle has called him. According to the Qur’an, he was the best example for all mankind. He has shown us the way of achieving supreme success in this world. By studying the life of the Prophet (saw), we can derive those important principles which were followed by the Prophet (saw). Indeed, the Prophet of Islam (saw) was a positive thinker in the full sense of the word. All his activities were result-oriented. He completely refrained from all such steps as may prove counter-productive.
First Principle: To begin from the possible
This principle is well explained in a saying of Aisha She said: “Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier choice.” (Al-Bukhari) To choose the easiest option means to begin from the possible, and one who begins from the possible will surely reach his goal.
Second Principle: To see advantage in disadvantage
In the early days of Mecca, there were many problems and difficulties. At that time, a guiding verse in the Qur’an was revealed. It said: “With every hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease.” (94:5-6).
This means that if there are some problems, there are also opportunities at the same time. And the way to success is to ignore the problems and avail yourself to the opportunities.
Third Principle: To change the place of action
This principle is derived from the Hijrah. Hijrah was not just a migration from Mecca to Medina. It was to find a more suitable place for Islamic work, as history proved later on.
Fourth Principle: To make a friend out of an enemy
The Prophet (saw) of Islam was repeatedly subjected to practices of antagonism by the unbelievers. At that time the Qur’an enjoined him to return good for evil. And then, as the Qur’an added, “You will see your greatest enemy has become your closest friend” (41:34). It means that a good deed in return of a bad deed has a conquering effect over your enemies. And the life of the Prophet (saw) is a historical proof of this principle.
Fifth Principle: To turn minus into plus
After the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as the prisoners of war. They were educated people. The Prophet (saw) announced that if any one of them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students were Muslims, and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank. Here I shall quote a British oriental who remarked about the Prophet of Islam (saw): He faced adversity with the determination to writing success out of failure.
Sixth Principle: The power of peace is stronger than the power of violence
When Mecca was conquered, the entire Prophet’s (saw) direst opponents were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the word. But the Prophet (saw) did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind of behaviour was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam.
Seventh Principle: Not to be a dichotomous thinker
In the famous Ghazwa of Muta, Khalid bin Walid decided to withdraw Muslim forces from the battlefield because he discovered that the enemy was unproportionately outnumbered. When they reached Medina, some of the Muslims received them by the word “O Furrar (O deserters!)” The Prophet (saw) said “No. They are Kurrar (men of advancement).” Those Medinan people were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or retreating. The Prophet (saw) said no. There is also a third option, and that is to avoid war and find a time to strengthen yourselves. Now history tells us that the Muslims, after three years of preparation, advanced again towards the Roman border and this time they had a resounding victory.
Eighth Principle: To bring the battle in one’s own favorable field
This principle is derived from the Ghazwa of Hudaibiyya. At that time, the unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, because obviously they were in an advantageous position. But the Prophet (saw), by accepting their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact. It was a ten-year peace treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non- Muslims had been on the battlefield. Now the area of conflict became that of ideological debate. Within two years, Islam emerged as victorious because of the simple reason of its ideological superiority.
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