UNDERSTANDING RABBANI LEADERSHIP CONCEPT BASED ON … · CONCEPT BASED ON THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) Hailan Salamun*, Firdaus Khairi Abdul Kadir Centre for Fundamental

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International Journal of Management (IJM) Volume 11, Issue 7, July 2020, pp. 79-92, Article ID: IJM_11_07_009

Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=7

ISSN Print: 0976-6502 and ISSN Online: 0976-6510

DOI: 10.34218/IJM.11.7.2020.009

© IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed

UNDERSTANDING RABBANI LEADERSHIP

CONCEPT BASED ON THE LIFE OF THE

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)

Hailan Salamun*, Firdaus Khairi Abdul Kadir

Centre for Fundamental and Continuing Education,

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia

Rofishah binti Hj. Rashid

Institute of Teacher‟s Education,

Dato Razali Ismail Campus Terengganu, Malaysia

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a new

organizational framework that builds on the concept of Rabbani leadership. Special

attention has been put on spirituals in organizations, and roles as exemplified by

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) whose approaches differ substantially from common

spiritual values. The faith and work of Rabbani leadership framework identifies five

distinct organizational leadership principles at work (i.e. develop Benevolence

(Ihsan), empowerment, brotherhood, knowledgeable culture, and management). This

paper specifies two potential antecedents of Rabbani vertical leadership. Specifically,

the paper identifies the Leaders Code of Conduct as well as the consequences of

leadership as potential predictors of subsequent Rabbani leadership. Moreover, it

articulates how Rabbani vertical leadership might result in principles of Rabbani

leadership, besides demonstrating how both vertical and principles of Rabbani

leadership can act as key factors in the creation of faith and spiritual organizational

framework.

Key words: Rabbani Leadership, Spiritual context, Social justice and humanity,

Sustainable prosperity

Cite this Article: Hailan Salamun, Firdaus Khairi Abdul Kadir and Rofishah binti Hj.

Rashid, Understanding Rabbani Leadership Concept Based on the Life of the Prophet

Muhammad (PBUH), International Journal of Management, 11(7), 2020, pp. 79-92.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=7

1. INTRODUCTION

A central idea of evolutionary leadership is based on the effective leadership practices in

organization and cultural evolution. A key area in which the concept of the effective

Understanding Rabbani Leadership Concept Based on the Life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)


leadership has been used to explain various leadership model is in relation to human traits,

behavior, contingency and contemporary theory of leadership. The effective leadership

concept may assist us in understanding the modern leader‟s style. An evolutionary leadership

approach attempts to understand how organization‟s activities needs to be evolved under

environmental conditions which leaders and followers make deals.

Successful organizations have created programs to bring spirituality to the workplace.

Previous research has demonstrated that by addressing the spiritual side of human experience

organizations help reduce stress, enhance creativity, and improve problem solving (Pawinee

Petchsawang & Dennis Duchon, 2012). Chaston, J., & M. Lips-Wiersma (2014) assert

spiritual leadership is critical to organizational performance and employee engagement (Alan,

M. Saks, 2011). They added spiritual leadership is becoming increasingly important in a

world organization where overall productivity levels are rising, longevity of people is

increasing and the financial sector is becoming more complicated. Developing spiritual

values, any organization may become more profitable, whom the employee have high

commitment in the workplace (Christian Vandenberghe, 2011).

In the view of J. Chaston and M. Lips-Wiersma (2014), the spiritual leadership still in its

infancy. To obtain in-depth follower perspectives alongside leader perspectives, leadership

concept will end up with dual-sided leadership theory. One question arises, how to combine

both code of conduct and effective leader – principles of leadership in a holistic framework?

More importantly the theory had developed significantly for transforming organization whom

leaders and their employees‟ spirituality may be developed as holistic human beings in terms

of their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. In this regard, Rabbani leadership

was initiated to provide Shari‟ah-compliant leadership services to Muslims who preferred not

to deal with conventional leadership model because of religious convictions.

The primary objective of this study is to create the foundation for Rabbani conceptual

model of leadership and to develop Rabbani leadership model from Islamic perspective based

on the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his approach. To come up with a framework of

Rabbani leadership from an Islamic perspective would require not only having appropriate

Shari‟ah-compliant services but also an understanding of the broader Islamic values and

principles governing leadership practices in general.

Rabbani leadership makes the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a reference to

understand the real meaning of leadership. Religious and moral spirit (fear of God) dominated

leadership during the Prophet‟s (pbuh) and the four caliphs‟ reign. From an Islamic

perspective, the Islamic roots of leadership generally exist in the primary sources of Shari‟ah

(Qur‟an and Sunnah) in addition to the practices of the early Muslims (Khaliq Ahmad,

Ogunsola O.K., 2011).

2. METHODS

This paper sheds some lights on the leadership practices from the life of Prophet Muhammad

(pbuh) covering Quranic and Hadith views on the subjects. This content analysis approach

will cover both analysis of secondary data and other available literatures on the subject. In

addition, Muslim scholars‟ view related to Rabbani leadership will also be covered for better

understanding. All the data are analyzed and presented according to the selected themes as

mentioned in the paper.

Hailan Salamun, Firdaus Khairi Abdul Kadir and Rofishah binti Hj. Rashid


3. RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS

3.1. The Nature of Rabbani Leadership

The word „rabbani‟ is an Arabic word rooted from the word rabb and added the letters Alif

and letter nun makes its pronunciation as rabbani. The word developed its phrase be robbi,

rabbana, robbuna, rabbani and rubbubiyah and ohers referring to God the most gracious one.

When it is said Islam is rabbani it shall mean the rights that belong to Allah Almighty. All the

legal concept of the principle of value and scale in the religion of Islam stem from Allah

SWT. Humans just adapt to Islam and carry it out alone based on the teaching of the Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh). Al-Baidhowi (1968) interprets rabbani as people who have perfect

knowledge. Whereas Al-Alusi (1987) interpret the word rabbani as, a person who is; a)

knowledgeable, b) knowledgeable and wise; c) knowledgeable and righteous; d) smart in

regulating human affairs.

According to Ibn Hisham (213H) in the prophetic biography, Ibn Abbas (3 SH - 68 H)

explains that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) invites the Jews and Christians to become Muslims.

They asked: O Muhammad! Are we invited to worship you as in Christianity who worship

Jesus (Jesus)? The Prophet responses: We seek refuge in Allah from this attitude. Na'udzu

billah to worship other than Allah, or to worship other than Him. I was not sent for that. Nor

is it commanded to do so! Then come down verse 79 in surah Ali Imran who explained that it

is not supposed that the Prophet ruled worship other than Allah. Naturally they became part of

the Rabbani generation through the teachings of the Book and following its contents. In that

verse, Allah explains that the prophecy of the Prophet (pbuh) is to call mankind to become

Rabbani generation as recorded in surah Ali Imran verse 79 „Kunu Rabbaniyyin‟. The verse

clearly shows the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) conveying revelation to his people to guide

them to become rabbani generation from among Sahabahs, tabiin, tabi 'tabiin up to the

present generations.

Rabbani leadership specifically include the pursuit of righteous and moral goals for both

individuals and the organizations in which they work. According to Iehsan (2003), the

rabbani education methodology highlighted must be based on an understanding of the role of

human life in the world as a servant of God (al-Zariat: 56), as well as human as Khalifah (al-

Baqarah: 30). In addition, the human life is also to undergo the test provided by Allah based

on Surah al-Mulk; verse 2 (Haron Din, 1988). Human beings who carry out responsibilities

based on divine and humanity consciousness (Hablun min Allah wa hablun min al-Nas) will

be able to control his life towards the happiness of the world and hereafter (Faisal Othman,

1993).

Rabbani concept that deal with the conduct of leaders are in turn divided into two kinds:

concept that stress the consequences of leaders‟ actions and those that emphasize the duty or

rules governing leaders‟ actions. In assessing consequences, there are three different

approaches to making decisions regarding religious conduct: Divinity, Humanity, and

Development of human life (Salamun, H. and Shah, S., 2013). Adibah Rahim (2013) assumes

Islamic conduct has a good relationship between khaliq (the Creator) and makhluq (the

creature), and between makhluq (the creature) and makhluq (the creature) themselves.

Thus, Rabbani leadership falls within two broad domains namely concept about leaders‟

conduct and concept about leaders‟ character. Such character could be acquired through

training and practice. Adibah Rahim (2013) combines these two domains conduct and

character in one word, which is an Islamic ethics. Al-Ghazali (1988) stated that man consists

of two forms, conduct and character. Conduct refers to the physical form of mankind while

character refers to the spiritual form of mankind. Thus, Islamic ethics from al-Ghazali‟s point

of view is rooted in the soul and manifested through man‟s actions.



In regard to leadership, rabbani has to do with what leaders do and who leaders are. It is

concerned with the nature of leaders‟ behavior and with their virtuousness. In any decision

making situation, religious issues are either implicitly involved. The choices leaders make and

how they respond in a given circumstance are informed and directed by their Rabbani

concern. Rabbani leadership refers to leadership on shared responsibility and accountability

by showing leadership practices driven by rabbani considerations to get the pleasure of Allah

Almighty (Salamun, H., Rahman, A. A., Aziz, H, Rashid, R., 2018). In the rabbanis'

leadership, considerations have relevance to the goals and purposes of human creation. All the

planning, activities and engagement of energy resources in organization are linked to the

upholding a tawḥīd vision, social justice and humanity, and sustainable prosperity (Salamun,

H. and Shah, S., 2013).

3.2. Rabbani Leadership in Spiritual Context

Tanyi, R. A. (2002) claims spirituality is understood to be a multidimensional concept without

an agreed upon definition. She refers to nursing authors that transcendence, unfolding

mystery, connectedness, meaning and purpose in life, higher power, and relationships are

interpreted as spiritual. Petruţa-Paraschiva Rusu and Maria-Nicoleta Turliuc (2011)

emphasize the majority of theorists say there is a distinction between religiosity and

spirituality. Some researchers use spirituality and religiosity interchangeably, which there is a

belief in the supernatural which to some extent influence the behavior of human being.

Religion is understood as an organized of structured set of beliefs and practices shared by a

community related to spirituality (Moss, B. (2005). However, Richards, P. S., & Bergin, A. E.

(1997) assert religion as a subset of the spiritual. Those who are looking for spiritual

experience means having a transcendental relation with a superior being, whereas being

religious means adopting a certain religious structured set of beliefs and practices. In this

context, Moss, B. (2005) claims the word „transcendence‟ is the heart of the major

monotheistic religions. Hence, it is acknowledged that not every individual who seeks

physical and mental health, tolerance, pro-social behavior and positive interpersonal

relationships pursues a particular religious belief or faith.

Islamic leadership and evolutionary western based leadership models emphasize inquiry

from the human experiences. Rabbani leadership follows the life of Prophet Muhammad as

the true benchmark for leadership. The Prophet‟s actions should be understood as an

interpretation, a prophetic and divine interpretation, of the Holy Qur‟an (M. A. Muqtedar

Khan, 2001). The key of leadership characteristics in Islam is that individuals‟ relationships

with God do not require intermediaries. One‟s relationship with God – needs no mediator;

indeed, in principle, when it comes to religious matters, Muslims need no leaders at all.

Muslims themselves are deeply conscious of this fundamental principle, and the most

celebrated Muslim leaders, i.e. those who most abide by the teachings of the Qur‟an and the

principles of the sunnah (Darwish Almoharby and Mark Neal, 2013).

There is no distinction between religion and spiritual, in the context of attachment to

Allah. Islamic spirituality and post-modern western spirituality is different and has its own

source. Islamic spirituality is based on the words of God as expressed in the Qur‟an

(Muslims‟ Holy Book) and cannot be based on human speculation. In Islamic perspective,

religion is the „way of life‟, which provides the roadmap to one‟s ultimate purpose in life to

live continuously in relationship with God. The concept of religion based on its own sources

of knowledge cannot be equated with the concept of religion as understood in the west today.

The term "religion" in the Holy Qur'an prescribes the meaning of „deen‟ and does not limit

itself to the personal rituals and faith as usually understood by the term religion. Thus, the



separation between religion (the roadmap) and spirituality is not accepted in the Islamic way

of life (Farizah Ahmad, Mazanah binti Muhammad, Amini Amir Abdullah, 2011).

Islam encourages spiritual development, syariah compliance and the application of the

Qur‟an and the Sunnah to civic and political decision-making. Al-Quran and the Sunnah are

the highest sources of power and authority in Islam. For Muslims, both of these texts are

understood to be the absolute source of enlightenment on any civic, political or personal issue.

Abu Bakr (ruled 632-634), the successor of Prophet Muhammad stressed that as long as he

held the power as khalifah then he commanded people to execute the divine rules. He added

that other than Allah and the Prophet there were no legitimate grounds for his power and

authority. He ruled the government which provide the Islamic governance system in politics,

society, economy, and all other matters, were thus seen to derive their legitimacy with syariah

compliance.

Islamic leadership has two interconnected types of authority, referent and charismatic

authority rooted in the Prophet Muhammad‟s personality and actions, there are the sacred

texts (Quran and Sunnah) and Islamic rational-legal authority for the understanding and

promotion of good leadership. Darwish Almoharby and Mark Neal (2013) argue these two

truths are the basis of Islam, foundational to any subsequent reasoning about the

particularities of leadership in one situation or another. It further explores the implications of

this model for organizational leadership, where not only cultures but also religions. The

discussion may develop and describe a multiple-level ontological model of leadership which

proposes and creates an integrative model of organizational leadership (Dzulkifli Abdul

Razak, 2017). The concept of rabbani leadership based on inner meaning, leader values,

vision and moral examples at multiple levels of being to prior behavior of organizational

leadership.

Thus, the writing examined the leadership qualities and personal attributes exemplified

from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) enumerated in the holy Qur'an, the Sunnah and seerah

(biography of prophet Muhammad) to propose rabbani leadership model. Leaders code of

conduct, the consequences of leadership and principles of his leadership were scrutinized to

construct a model that can influence a follower‟s mind and can achieve quality decision

making.

Table 1 Rabbani Leadership Framework

Leaders Code of

Conduct

The consequences of leadership What makes for an effective leader-

principles of leadership

Divinity

Courage and justice

Humanity

Temperance and justice

Human life

Wisdom and justice

Every leaders will make decisions which

have consequences off ;

Upholding the Vision (tawḥīd)

Vision: upholding the context of worshiping

and submission to Allah by “Command to

good and forbid the evil” in every sphere of

life.

Upholding social justice and humanity

Humanity: Upholding a complete code of life

(syariah) traced from two sources: Quran (the

Holy Book) and Sunnah

Sustainable Prosperity

Prosperity: Managing and developing natural

resources for the benefit of human‟s lives

Cultivating benevolence

Knowledgeable culture

Brotherhood

Empowerment

Management



Based on the framework, the study will elaborate the practical dimensions of Rabbani

leadership covering leaders‟ code of conduct such as Divinity: courage and justice;

Humanity: temperance and justice; Human life: wisdom and justice; and their consequences

on leadership responsibilities. There are three important responsibilities where the leaders

have to observe throughout their leadership period.

3.2.1. Upholding the Vision (Tawḥīd)

Islam is based on the concept of Tawḥīd, or Unity of God. Al- Tawḥīd is the key element in

Islamic worldview concept. Muslims are strictly monotheistic and fiercely reject any attempt

to make God visible or human. Islam rejects any form of idol worship, even if its intention is

to get "closer" to God, and rejects the Trinity or any attempt to make God human. The

teaching is based on religious scripture that is the holy Qur‟an and al-Sunnah. It compresses

both the world of seen and unseen. Tawḥīd, or the doctrine of absolute unity implies that only

He is worthy of worship, of service. The obedient person lives his life under this principle

(Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi, 1995).

The development of Islamic leadership concept refer to Prophet Muhammad‟s (pbuh) life.

Rabbani leadership was bestowed on a person who recognize himself as a servant. In fact, the

way a person emerges as a leader is by first becoming a servant for the sake of God. This

foundation happens within the context of worshiping and submission to Allah Almighty. All

human being are called to “Command to good and forbid the evil” in every sphere of life.

Salma Naz (2018) asserts when Muhammad (pbuh) reached the age of 40, he received

revelation from God, and started preaching Islam in Mecca. The Prophet migrated to Medina

because Muslims faced persecution in Mecca and found it difficult to practice their religion

(Matan Uberman and Shaul Shay, 2016); Mustapha Isa Qasim, 2014). The prophet (pbuh)

thought that Mecca was no longer a safe place, and he waited for permission from Allah to

leave Mecca. Elaine Padilla and Peter C. Phan (2014) summarize Muhammad accepted an

invitation to move his community north from Mecca to the city of Medina when the situation

became unbearable for the prophet (pbuh) and his companions.

Every single leaders help themselves and their followers by setting direction, build an

inspiring vision, and create improvement to their organization. Hence prophet Muhammad

(pbuh) involved articulating, communicating and inspiring a vision to all Muslims throughout

an organization or Muslim community. He was showing courage and the ability to take

calculated risks were essential attributes of a leader. A leader must be seen as someone who

was not afraid to face danger when he delivered Tawḥīd and revelation to Mecca population.

He was successfully cultivating benevolence among his companions and captivating

communication to transform individual goals into the ummah goals. These attributes describe

rabbani behavior, which promoted the concept of Tawḥīd, or Unity of God by cooperation,

creativity and innovation through informal and formal sharing of divinity (al-Quran). The

Prophet (pbuh) employed divine teaching to reshape the culture and climate of humanity. The

Prophet‟s teachings addressed the soul that was the most important component of humanity.

He taught with wisdom and changed the souls of individuals among companions like Umar

ibn Khatab. Hence, it looks like that learning process was gradual in nature until it could

develop a culture of knowledge within Muslims community and consequently they were had

to give up on drinking alcohol, killing, civil wars and others (Miiro Farooq, Siraje Abdallah

Ssekamanya, 2018)

The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) publicly preached Islam for over a decade. Hijrah, it was

not a last minute decision to flee in desperation. Rather, it was a carefully thought out plan by

the Prophet, and his followers could start a new life. Hijrah signifies a new beginning in Islam

who portrays Muhammad as a new leader and has courage to fight the message of Tawḥīd.



Courage is the act to ensure the harmonious state of balanced in managing anger, display of

desires and domination. Balanced of principles virtues will result in quality that gives rise to

mobility endurance, dignity and suppression of rage. In the early stages of the spread of Islam,

the Prophet (pbuh) preaching secretly. But after facing a certain situation, the Prophet (pbuh)

change the strategy of da'wah outright. The holy prophet Muhammad (pbuh) using a new

approach climbing to the hill of Safa in Mecca to build a direct connection to the Quraish

conveying da'wah message. At the top of the hill, he spoke aloud to invite the Quraish to

worship God and to leave the idols and to testify that Muhammad was his messenger.

It is clear that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is honest and true as a bearer of happy news

and warnings to all mankind. Whatever news or message delivered is true because everything

comes from Allah Almighty as His word in surah (An Najm: 4-5) which means: And he does

not say it (the Qur'an) of his desires. His speech is nothing but revelation revealed to him.

"Accordingly, the nature of siddiq or true has a close relationship with the heart. The honest

heart was born out of sincerity to influence all intentions, in words, actions and acts of

worship merely relying on Allah Almighty. While being honest with others by doing acts that

can give great benefit to others. The honesty possessed by the Prophet (pbuh) encouraged

others to believe in him holding a trust. The nature of siddiq or honestly is part of the

character that describes the words, the great deeds of Muhammad (pbuh). Musyrikin of

Mecca believe in the Prophet because he is honest in words and deeds when interacting with

other members of the community who are famous for the practice of Jahiliyyah. The honesty

of the Holy Prophet is an inner impulse which is guided by Allah Almighty to be able to

highlight his kindness affecting pure desires, and courage in all actions.

The existence of the Quba‟ mosque and the Nabawi mosque in the journey of the Prophet

proved that the importance of maintaining a relationship with God in every mission of the

struggle. Spahic Omer (2010) states that the functions of buildings are created to be at the

complete service of their users. As a result of this principle, the Prophet‟s Mosque eventually

evolved into a multifunctional community centre catering to the spiritual, social, educational

and political needs of the nascent but dynamic Muslim community. This historic event clearly

demonstrated how much the first Muslims needed the institution of the mosque for their

pursuits to be facilitated and further spurred. The prophet (pbuh) advocate to his companions

to fulfill several things in every mission of the struggle, taking into account the mission of the

oness of Allah (Tawḥīd) (Sahih Muslim, hadith 1716).

It is clear that the key characteristics of leadership in Islam is that individuals‟

relationships with God do not require intermediaries – spiritual leaders included. One‟s

relationship with God – needs no mediator; indeed, in principle, when it comes to religious

matters, Muslims need no leaders at all. Muslims themselves are deeply conscious of this

fundamental principle, and the most celebrated Muslim leaders, i.e. those who most abide by

the teachings of the Qur‟an and the principles of the sunnah (Darwish Almoharby and Mark

Neal, 2013).

3.2.2. Upholding Social Justice and Humanity

In Islam, one of the leaders' responsibilities is to guide followers closer to Allah Almighty and

carry out all His commandments. Islam gives a complete code of life, thus it introduced its

own conduct and principles of life that can be traced from two sources: Quran (the Holy

Book) and Sunnah (actions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)). Islam is a religion which

provide a complete way of life. Every rule that is good for humanity has been ordained in the

Shariah of Allah Almighty. Everything human needs, in order to live successfully, can be

found in the Quran.



Amongst these very important divinely instructed laws is the law of establishing justice

(Dr. Farhat Naz Rahman, 2012). Similarly as with the issue of conflict and peace, many

guiding principles are given in Quran and Sunnah (actions of the Prophet Muhammad) on the

issues of contemporary world (Salma Naz, 2018). When prophet Muhammad (pbuh) migrates

from Mecca to Medina, he is the head who is leading Muhajirun from Mecca and Ansar from

Medina. Those who traveled with the prophet during the Hijrah were called the Muhajirun

“emigrants,” and those in Medina who became Muslims were called the Ansar or “helpers. He

spent his lifetime during Mecca period teaching and mentoring his followers in the core

Islamic virtues and values. Help people look beyond their self-interest and he stressed the

universal brotherhood of mankind, enjoined benevolence, kindness and justice and argued

against the egoism (Almoharby, D., & Neal, M., 2013). They were no longer a small,

oppressed religious group in Mecca; they were now an autonomous religio-political

community of Believers that dominated Medina (Donner, Fred M., 2016).

Before migrated to Medina, there are conflict between „Aws‟ and „Khazraj‟. They have a

communal dispute based on the honour and superiority of their own tribe. Everyone claimed

their supremacy over others and did not hesitate to hurt others in favour of his own clans.

When Prophet Muhmmad (pbuh) arrived at Medina, he launched the notion of Islamic

brotherhood so that they began to think every Muslim as their brother irrespective the color,

caste and clans. This remarkable policy showed Muhammad (pbuh) was a successful leader

undoubtedly. He has binding the humanitarian relationship among the people of Medina, the

Muslims with the Jews (Azahar Yaakub, 2006; Mustafa Monjur, 2011).

Accordingly, prophet Muhmmad leadership able to guide and control change to achieve

the stated context objectives. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) empowered his companions to

migrate from Mecca to Medina. When Muhammad (pbuh) received permission to leave

Makkah, he left Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib to clear debts and return deposits to people, despite the fact

that they were his enemies and that he had to leave Makkah because of them. Abū Bakr‟s son,

„Abdullāh was assigned to gather intelligence and report to Muhammad (pbuh) while Abū

Bakr‟s daughters, Asmā‟ and „Ā‟ishah were tasked to provide food. Empowerment is the

willingness to enable people with skills and knowledge to use their talents and energies to

become increasingly effective. When people are empowered, they are able to solve work-

related problems and make decisions, preferably as a team unit. Allāh Almighty revealed

Surah (Qur‟ān, 9:40) that “He (The Almighty) motivated him and his companion to rely

completely on the Almighty‟s Power, Mercy and Wisdom. Muhamamd (pbuh) continuously

encouraged his companions to practice what they believed in. He urged the companions to

practice Islam even if situations move against personal wishes and gains (Qur‟ān, 4:135)

(Miiro Farooq, Siraje Abdallah Ssekamanya, 2018, Daud Ismail, 2016).

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) started with three fundamental things; there were construction

of mosque, creating brotherhood between Muhajirun and Ansar, and drafting Medina

constitution. He called for agreement with different groups of people; they were his

companions, Jews and Christians. It was agreed in the meeting a constitution should be

drafted to carter for the needs of each party in the agreement (Mustapha Isa Qasim, 2014).

The citizen of Medina warmly welcomed him and almost all of the pagans of both „al-Aws‟

and „alKhazraj‟ accepted Islam spontaneously. Muhammad (pbuh) tied them with the

brotherhood of Islam and the existing enmity vanished and never back again.

Among the key issues that the Prophet‟s lessons emphasized was the concept of love and

brotherhood. He taught the companions about being careful while dealing with one another in

their day-to-day life. The Prophet Muhammad‟s (pbuh) endeavor to unite the followers

together upon the same common values starting from individual, family and community

levels. He explained the rights for each category and ensured that duties towards one another



were upheld in the society. The companions sacrificed their riches to others for the sake of

Allah and worked together as believers towards fulfilling the goals of the Ummah (Miiro

Farooq, Siraje Abdallah Ssekamanya, 2018).

Islam aims at building a society based on religion, morality and social justice. The Qur'an

asks the Muslims to give share in the wealth of the country proportionately to everyone in

accordance with his capacity and work, and particularly according to his needs. The Prophet

in fact designed to bring about social justice by his moral teachings (Ahmad Hasan, 1971).

The Prophet solved the economic problems of the nascent Muslim society by introducing the

institution of brotherhood (mu'akhat). The Prophet by doing so implemented the injunction of

the Qur'an which describes Muslims as brothers and urges them to cooperate with each other.

Social justice is strengthened through the concept of ukhuwwah (brotherhood). Brotherhood

makes Muslims responsible to each other. The commitment of Islam to justice and

brotherhood demands that Muslim society take care of the basic need of the poor (Mohd Rizal

Muwazir @ Mukhazir, Rusnah Muhamad and Kamaruzaman Noordin, 2006).

Based on the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the main objectives of social solidarity

should be to demonstrate responsibility not only to Allah and human beings, but also to

environment. The concept of rabbani model who manifest tawḥīd in leadership by playing

man‟s role as that as vicegerent of God (Khalifah Allah) on earth. Muhammad was a rabbani

leadership model, who signifies the acceptance of unity of Allah, provides one single

direction in guaranteeing a unified spirit in adhering to Shariah Islamiyyah.

3.2.3. Sustainable Prosperity

The basic guidelines which were laid by the Prophet in the early stage in Madinah where he

established a city-state. He formed a blue print of how Muslims should deal with other

religions and ethnicity to manage them in unity as an ummah. He granted minority rights to

different religious groups through pledges, documents and mutual agreements succeeded in

creating a healthy social atmosphere. In Madinah, the prophet was successfully established

new system to manage the development of both spiritual and material growth of the different

religious groups living under the Islamic rule. Historians of medieval Islam consider the

Constitution of Medina to be a window into the political context and social dynamics of the

early Muslim community. The interplay between religious identity, tribal politics, community

building, and defense potentially find expression in the document and are addressed in

varying degrees by the historiographical literature written about this document (Anver Emon,

2001).

M. A. Muqtedar Khan (2001) argues Medina was based on a social contract, was

constitutional in character and the ruler ruled with the explicit written consent of all the

citizens of the state. Comprehensive law and Shariah governance framework is essential to

ensure the sustainability of Islamic society goals. Both elements are essential towards the

process of social justice in diversity. The transformative and sustainable nature of the new

development agenda as well as the principles of Islamic system which support socially

inclusive and development-promoting activities has the potential to contribute to the

achievement of the sustainable prosperity in the country (Ruzian Markom, 2018). Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh) wrote a constitution that proposed one united ummah (community) out of

the plurality and diversity of Medina, whose population was mostly idol worshippers, with a

large contingent of Jews and at least a few Christians (Spahic Omer, 2010).

In Medina, the Prophet openly preached for 10 years until his death. In politics, there are

three main elements inherent to a group of people to be called a real community or political

society, namely the existence of a particular region that binds them to live together and work

together with a sense of security to develop the resources of their lives and practice their



religion; social conscience to work together to achieve a common goal; and a legitimate

political authority in the community capable of maintaining peace and promote the

community (Patmawati, 2016).

The wisdom of the Prophet compiled strategies and using the expertise of others helped

him to successfully establish a Muslim state of Medina. Knowledgeable person inherits

wisdom who may illustrates his skills in facing the situation he faced because of his

knowledge, beliefs and skills. Many hadiths suggesting the importance of knowledge and

skills. The Prophet immediately changed the name of the town, Yathrib, to Medina. The word

“Medina” a root of “tamaddun” means civilization. The change describes determination, the

people who aspired a civilized society. The formation of the people of Madina and then

transformed into a state and government, was marked by the agreement written in 622 AD

between the prophet and community groups in Medina (Patmawati, 2016). .

Human beings play an important role in managing natural resources and developing them

for the benefit of their lives (Muhammad Syukri Salleh, 2002). As God's word (al-Mulk,

67:15) which means:

"He it is Who hath made the earth easy for you, and walk in all directions, and eat of His

provision, and unto Him ye will be raised."

Human development approaches to addressing religion and spirituality at work and its

surrounding. The word Adl in Arabic language defines as developed and excellence. Wisdom

is the human quality of knowing deeply and acting aptly in primal instinct (fitrah) that

distinguishes true from false in making conscious balanced decision. Balanced of principles

virtues will result in discretion to higher level of motivation and morality, excellence, subtle

implication of action and the hidden defect of the soul. Islam gives very much emphasis on

the importance of ethics and its significance for the development of individual and society.

Good individual will produce a good society at large (Rahman, A. A., Said, S., Salamun, H.

Aziz, H., Adam, F. and Ibrahim, W. A.W., 2018).

Islam teaches man that he should accept and protect everything in the world as a value.

The philosophical background of the Islamic attitude to the environment is respect for plants

and animals and the ecological balance of nature for the sake of Allah who created all things

which therefore have a value. According to Islam, the protection of environment as well as

utilization of natural resources for business purpose should be socially responsible. The right

to utilize and harness natural resources, which Allah has granted man necessarily involves an

obligation on man‟s part to conserve them both quantitatively and qualitatively. As a khalifah,

Muslim businessman is expected to preserve and protect their natural environment. (al-

A‟raf:74) Mohd Rizal Muwazir @ Mukhazir, Rusnah Muhamad and Kamaruzaman Noordin.

(2006).

Adibah Rahim (2013) argues ethics must be counter part of other sciences, such as, law,

politics, science, economics, and others for such sciences become soulless or insignificant if

detached from ethics. As such, basic ethical principles like justice, freedom, equality, and

rights should be exist and applied in all disciplines. Otherwise, they would have been so many

problems occurred. So, ethics should exist in each and every field of discipline. Apart from

knowledge, skills are also considered important and are part of the factors that help Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh) succeeded in the mission of Hijrah.

The effort to manage and develop natural resources requires knowledge and skills. Many

verses of the Qur'an and traditions touch on the importance of science. Zulkifli Mohamad

(2007) examines the hadith related to science advocating for Muslims to have some skills,

namely; knowledge management skills, systems management skills, thinking skills,

organizational skills and etc. In order to ensure the happiness and goodness of life, man needs

to refer to the code of ethics to monitor his relationship with God, with his family, with other



fellow men in society. For example, ethics provide some manners in performing ritual

obligations, such as, performing five daily prayers within stipulated time and also the manners

in reciting the Qur‟an in which ablution is necessary. It shows the beauty of Islam that

everything should be done in proper ways. Therefore, man cannot ignore the code of ethics

because negligence of it would lead to the deviation and going astray from the syariah. In

terms of the relationship between man and his fellows, it is clearly mentioned in the Qur‟an

that Muslims are brothers; thus, one should possess ethical characteristics, such as, helpful,

kind hearted, generous, and polite to one another (Yusuf H.R. Seferta, 1985).

4. CONCLUSION

This rabbani model emphasizes the leader‟s code of conduct, the consequences of leadership

and managerial skills of leadership‟s principles. These attributes are the important elements to

construct a rabbani leadership model and to determine its relationship to leader-follower

mutuality and their decision-making quality. Drawing on a priority links between spiritual

leadership theory and prophet Muhammad leadership that have recently garnered the interest

of scholars, that links the leader‟s personal qualities to synergy and decision making quality.

Altruism is proposed to enhance the relationships between a leader‟s personal qualities and

relationship to leader-follower mutuality. There are many Qur‟anic verses and hadiths which

indicate the importance of ethics which it leads to close human relationship. The Qur‟an

mentions,

“Let there arise out a group of people inviting to all that is good enjoining what is right

and forbidding what is wrong. They are the one who attained success”.

These two important points can be highlighted from the above verse; first is calling others

to all that is good, and second is enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.

Accordingly, Rabbani leadership focus on the virtuousness of members and their motives in

organization. Leaders are taking steps to ensure justice and honesty, influencing and enabling

others to pursue righteous. They are responsible to work together achieving the moral goals

for themselves and their organizations and helping others for the sake of Allah Almighty.

Leadership in Islam is a trust (amanah). As pointed out clearly by Prophet Muhammad in

one of the hadiths, "Every one of you is a shepherd and everyone is responsible for what he is

shepherd of" (Bukhari and Muslim). The Prophet explained that everyone is responsible

within his or her domain. Just as a father is responsible for his household and a mother for

taking care of children and domestic affairs, the imam is responsible in his organization for

the accomplishment of organizational goals and the provision of advice to the needy.

Accordingly, each one shall demonstrate the leadership role within his or her limits and scope

of responsibilities.

There are few examples of Rabbani leadership one can perceive from the life of the

prophet such as the leaders code of conduct as well as the consequences of leadership

responsibilities. It expresses how Rabbani leadership model demonstrating principles of

Rabbani leadership can act as key factors in the creation of faith and spiritual organizational

framework. The faith and work of Rabbani leadership framework identifies five distinct

organizational leadership principles at work (i.e. develop Benevolence (Ihsan), empowerment,

brotherhood, knowledgeable culture, and management).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This study is part of the project under research grant (FRGS-59280) funded by the Ministry of

Higher Education (KPT). The authors are grateful to the Ministry of Higher Education,

Malaysia, for the financial support granted towards the success of the research project.



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Documents

UNDERSTANDING RABBANI LEADERSHIP CONCEPT BASED ON … · CONCEPT BASED ON THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) Hailan Salamun*, Firdaus Khairi Abdul Kadir Centre for Fundamental