LEADERSHIP QUALITIES IN ISLAM: LESSONS FOR CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN MUSLIMS

Abstract

Many people have decried the deplorable condition of the developing countries and have placed the major cause of their predicament on the dilemma of bad leadership. In Islam, good leadership, which is known as Qiyādah can be traced back to Prophet Muhammad who was able to transform the disintegrated and anarchic Arabs of Jāhiliyyah period into a well-organized state. This, eventually, led to the establishment of Islamic State in Madīnah, which was based on piety, equity and justice. The study, therefore, examined some Islamic leadership qualities as lessons for contemporary Nigerian Muslims. Methodologies employed in this study are historical, moral and sociological approaches. Our study revealed that leadership necessarily involves responsibilities, duties or jobs to be done for a given people and for certain specific goals. The study also showed that people have misunderstood the context of leadership as there are still bad, immoral and wicked rulers. In conclusion, the study identified some leadership qualities provided by Islam and recommended that both the leaders and the followers must be educated as to the values and conditions for achieving expected results.