Leadership

19
Aug
2016

4 Personal Development Lessons from Surah Al-Kahf

Virtues of Surah Al-Kahf

From the established Islamic traditions for Fridays is to recite Surah Al-Kahf. Regarding this, the ProSurah Al-Kahfphet (peace be upon him) stated, “Whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf on the day of Jumu’ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.” (Bayhaqi)

One of the meanings of ‘light’ in such contexts is guidance. This means that Surah Al-Kahf serves as a means of guidance for those who recite and reflect upon it once a week. As part of our weekly reflection on Surah Al-Kahf, here are four Personal Development lessons extracted from the four core stories of Surah Al-Kahf.

1. Focus on what is within your control

A common lesson in personal development is the motto: “Do not allow what is outside your control to stop you from doing what is within your control,” The people of the cave personify this lesson. These were a small group of seven believers in a town that wanted to harm them.

Not many options were available for them, but they focused on the few options they did have. They did have the choice to believe, so they did. They did have the option to leave town, so they went to the cave. And they have the power of dua, so they invested in it and were saved through a miracle.

The lesson is clear: Don’t focus on what you can’t do, focus on what you can do. Allah will take care of the rest.

2. Wealth is not success. It is what you do with it that matters.

The second story of Surah Al-Kahf focuses on the parable of a wealthy farmer who was deluded by his wealth. He began to boast and look down upon others, and eventually he lost everything. This story teaches us that wealth is temporary and is not the true measure of success. Wealthy people can fall and poor people can rise up. These changes in financial situations occur all the time.

As believers, we see wealth not as success but as a tool and resource. It can be used for success if we use our wealth to do good deeds and help others. When we have  wealth, we need to do the opposite of this man. We need to stay humble, thank Allah, care for others, and utilize that wealth to benefit the ummah. In this lies the real success.

3. Benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of others

True Personal Development requires us to humble ourselves and learn from others. Whether it is through their books, articles, lectures, workshops or personal mentorship, we learn from others and cannot learn on our own.

In Surah Al-Kahf, we see the example of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) travelling a great distance to meet and learn from the wise Prophet Khidr (peace be upon him).

Prophet Musa’s (peace be upon him) long journey and willingness to learn from others should inspire us to be the same. Whether it is Islamic knowledge or personal development, we rely on those with more knowledge than us to grow. We need to humble ourselves in order to learn from them.

4. True Leadership is about justice

The final story in Surah Al-Kahf is about Dhul Qarnayn. He was a leader and Allah gave him power over many countries. Allah tested him with power and said that he had the ability to treat people kindly or punish them. Dhul Qarnayn passed the test by choosing the middle way: Justice.

Dhul Qarnayn chose to be kind to good citizens and punish the criminals. In doing so, he showed us the true meaning of leadership. Leaders don’t treat everybody the same. They do not treat the criminals and law abiding citizens the same. This is not justice. Justice means protecting those who are good by punishing the criminals.

Islam teaches us to be just, even if it is against our own selves and our own families. This justice is something we all must learn if we wish to succeed in leadership roles. We must not favor people due to family relations or other reasons. Each situation must be viewed objectively and each individual dealt with justly.

Conclusion

Surah Al-Kahf is a powerful Surah full of amazing lessons. The more you reflect on it, the more you learn. Try reflecting on it from new perspectives and you will gain new lessons. Let us try to do this during our Friday recitations.

Learn more Tafseer with our exclusive eBook: Themes of the Quran

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Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership
04
Jun
2016

Muhammad Ali – A Legacy in breaking barriers

A few hours ago, the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali passed away at the age of 74. We ask Allah to accept his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings, and enter him into Paradise.

Muhammad Ali

1942-2016

Muhammad Ali left the world today, and people from all walks of life are united in their sadness at the passing of this legendary sportsman. But Muhammad Ali’s legacy is not defined by sports alone.

The love that people have for Muhammad Ali comes from a much deeper place. It comes from his courage, his passion, his compassion, his humanitarianism, his sense of accountability to God, and his determination to accomplish goals that seemed impossible.

Initially, I was going to write a list of my favorite Muhammad Ali quotations. However, being that Muhammad Ali had the gift of speech, there are simply too many to write about. I decided then to write about what Muhammad Ali represented to me.

For me, Muhammad Ali’s legacy was proof that there is no barrier we cannot break, no stereotype that cannot be overcome, and no goal too high to achieve. The exception being things outside human control, like health and death.

Think about it. Here is a Muslim African American named Muhammad who has just passed away. Yet people all over the world are saddened by his loss. When you think about all the racism, Islamaphobia, and other forms of bigotry that still are so prevalent in modern society, this is amazing that the death of a Muslim could cause such universal sadness. When you think about the racism that existed at the time in which he rose to fame, it seems almost impossible that someone could achieve what he did.

Achieving the impossible was always a challenge that Muhammad Ali love. After all, he was the one who said:

“Impossible is just a word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

Muhammad Ali overcame every barrier people put in front of him. He proved that Muslims and African Americans can accomplish their dreams and goals, despite all the bigotry that exists in the world. He showed us that we should simply push through towards our goals and ignore, or better yet, challenge those who promote hatred and intolerance. To put it in his own words, Muhammad Ali said:

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Courage was a way of life for him. This can be clearly seen in his defining moment, when he refused to enlist in the army and fight in Vietnam. In that moment, Ali showed us that you can say no, and that you should said no and bear the consequences, when pressurized to do something wrong. From his entire life, this is the moment I remember him most for. He showed me that having the courage to say no is one of the best things a believer can do.

Pleasing God by caring for his creation

One of the biggest tests of life is fame and wealth. Muhammad Ali had achieved the highest level of fame, and the wealth that goes along with it. Often this much fame and wealth can lead people into living selfish indulgent lifestyles. Yet Muhammad Ali dedicated his retirement to serving humanity and making this world a better place.

Once during an interview, he was asked about what he would do when he retired. Ali replied, “When I retire from boxing, I want to focus on meeting God, and serving the community,” He also said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” These statements indicate the kind of man Muhammad Ali was deep down inside.

Beyond the flashy charismatic athlete, he was a humanitarian who feared His Creator and prepared for the Afterlife. He did  not allow worldly success to distract him from the ultimate success. He spent his retirement in helping people, guiding people, and uplifting society.

Muhammad Ali truly a gifted athlete, and a gifted speaker, but his legacy is much more than that. From Ali, we learned:

  1. Dedicate your life to meeting Your Creator
  2. Serve humanity and make this world a better place
  3. Aim high, aim to be the best at everything you do, and don’t let cultural and racial barriers get in the way of success
  4. Don’t let worldly success distract you from the ultimate goal
  5. Be brave, and do the right thing, even if there are consequences for doing so
  6. and finally, constantly grow and evolve.

I’ll end with one last quote from Muhammad Ali on that last point:

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

Written by Shaykh Ismail Kamdar, author of Guidelines for Confused Muslims. Learn how to distinguish true Islamic teachings from false teachings with this new eBook. Purchase your copy today.

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Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership, Positive Thinking
09
May
2016

You want good leaders, but are you prepared to follow them?

The Realization 

A realization dawned on me recently. I was sitting in a meeting for one of many Islamic organizations that I am involved with. The elders in the organization praised the new young leader and said they were happy to have him as one of their leaders.

Then the new leader held them accountable for work they were not doing and set an ultimatum. The elders began to grumble, some walked out, others muttered to each other about how young people how no respect. Others said they have been doing things their way for years and are not going to change to suit this new young leader. At the end of the day, there was no compliance.

I know what happens next, I’ve seen it happen in cycles for years. The young leader begins to realize that nobody Leaders 1takes him seriously, and eventually he burns out. Then he resigns. The elders then tell him that he was doing a great job, and they will miss him, and they give him an applause as he leaves. Then a new young leader is appointed, and the cycle repeats itself over and over again.

I realized that day that many organizations are stuck in a cycle. I also realized that everybody wants someone else to lead, but nobody wants to follow. In this lies one of our biggest challenges as an ummah, who is ready to follow the leaders?

So you want good leaders?

So you really want good leaders? Or do you just want someone else being held responsible for your mistakes? Understand this very well: If you want a good leader, you need to be ready to follow him even when you disagree with him!

This reminds me of a quotation attributed to Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him). When he was the Caliph, there was a lot of turmoil. Someone questioned his leadership and said such turmoil didn’t occur in the time of Abu Bakr and Umar. To this, Ali is reported to have replied, “This is because they had followers like me, and I have followers like you,” This shows us that the quality of the followers is just as important as the quality of the leader.Leaders 2

We spend so much time talking about the qualities of leaders, we forget to discuss the other side of the equation: every good leader needs good followers in order to succeed. So let’s take a step back and talk about what are the qualities of a good follower in Islam.

1. Obedience

There is no point appointing a leader, if nobody is willing to follow the leader. Leaders need followers, and as Muslims, we must follow our appointed leaders in all that is permissible, even when we disagree with them. It is this last point that many of us fall short off. We only follow the leader when he agrees with us. At that point, you need to ask yourself, am I trying to lead the leader?

The rule is simple: if someone is appointed as leader of a group, then his decisions should be respected and followed, unless he calls for something that is haraam. If you are not willing to follow him when you disagree, why select him as a leader?

2. Humility

We always talk about humility as a quality of good leaders, and that is true. Yet humility is also crucial in followers. If the leader is humble and his followers are arrogant, they could potentially walk all over him and take over. Humility is an essential quality of every believer, whether you are in a position of leadership or not. Be humble, always.

3. Shuraa and Naseeha

It is the duty of wise followers to advice the leader and partake in group discussions. However, at the end of the day, we should respect the leader’s decision, even if it goes against our advice, as long as the leader isn’t calling towards Haraam. Advice, discuss, then respect the decision. That is how Shuraa is supposed to work.

4. Not obeying in Haraam

This point is simple. If the leader calls for something which is prohibited, then you should not obey him and should remind him that it is prohibited. This rule is so fundamental that it is better to lose a job because of such disobedience than to commit haraam in order to please your boss.

5. Following, even when you disagreeLeaders 3

As stated above in the first and third point, it needs repeating and emphasizing. This is where so many Islamic organizations fall apart, when people’s egos stop them from following orders, because the leader didn’t choose his opinion. Swallow your pride and follow through. There is a reason he is in the leadership position, as he may have experience and wisdom that you do not have.

6. Respect and politeness

Be politely and respect everybody. Manners are an essential part of our faith, so never forget your manners.

7. Dua and seeking forgiveness

Pray for Allah to always guide those in leadership positions to make the best choices, and ask Allah to forgive them and us for our shortcomings. They will make mistakes, so do you. Ask for their forgiveness, as you ask for your own.

8. Being a team player

It may seem cool to be rebellious and sarcastic, but it is not Islamic and it causes instability in your organization. be approachable, friendly, vision-focused, and flexible. Stay focused on fulfilling the vision of the organization even when you disagree with the route. At the end of the day, we are all working towards the same goal, so let’s function like a real team and stay focused.

In order for this ummah to succeed, we do need great leaders but we also need an ummah that is vision-focused and humble enough to follow the leaders. If we want things to change, let’s start with ourselves. Be the kind of team player you would like others to be if you were in a leadership position.

May Allah bless this ummah with strong leaders, sincere followers, and a clear path to revival in every way.

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Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Leadership