Sh Alaa speaks at the 42nd Annual ISNA Canada Convention.
May 20-22, 2016
Alaa Elsayed – Principles Of Leadership The Prophets Guide
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the struggles of leaders in modern times, including loss of control and failure to follow orders. They criticize the way leaders are handled and the lack of understanding among their leaders. The importance of leadership and responsibility is emphasized, along with the need for language and language knowledge. The speakers emphasize the importance of taking responsibility and being a leader in Islam, as well as listening to others and making sure one is doing the right thing.
AI: Summary ©
Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah salam aleikum, wa rahmatullah we get to my direct assistance. Now.
Just to start off about leadership, please know that a leader or a leadership in itself is a behavior, it's not a position, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to give you a title that you're a leader, I'm going to put a little bit of a banner on your door or give you a tag that you become a leader, it's impossible, that would have been so easy for any leader to just have a title and get a piece of paper or actually go to perform something and come back and that's it. It's a behavior it's an ongoing so let's find out it's just a behavior. There's also a character, a matter an act of behavior in action, walking the talk. So let's find out really about Prophet Mohammed
Salim and also the successes after him and when it comes to the deen and the dunya so we'll talk about the experts in the field including Lee I will tell you what exactly what a leader is in a nutshell in a few minutes that we have here with you, but um, Hamza will join us soon inshallah. So, the first thing understanding what that means is first we have to walk the talk, the leader has to lead by example.
The actions speak louder than the words
Allah subhanaw taala actually mentioned that in the Quran you heard it earlier on. Yesterday it was mentioned
Why do you say what you do not do Kabuto McLennan De La Paloma, let alone so it is a grave in the sight of a lot that you actually do what you do not say or say what you do not do. See what you mean. And mean what you say walk the talk. First thing we have to understand that a leader has to lead by example. And we have so many in a prophet Mohammed Salah Salem time, where he had led the example of the army itself. As a matter of fact, I leave now butala was known to be a powerful fighter.
I live in Abu Dhabi was the one that fought honorably would if you go back in history and find out who knew it was
men of string theory. I'm Rob Nord.
This was that allies the tribe that has the War of the Azov when they came in and they had about 10,000 and so on the beginning of the war would in the trench, the hunt duck they actually climbed they were so powerful and they had great horses the climb to him and others I'm gonna know what it says may you may you batters who will actually fight me? Nobody moved nobody moved.
Except I know I will message about life so school generally be quiet. There is my guru who will go up to him to fight him. He's asking and not none of the whole Muslim army was willing to fight on the node
and then the second time alumni because I will go fight him says yeah Aliya Tolkien a third time it says he will kill you as well enter up to hero sola No, I will. I will kill him inshallah. Messenger of Allah, Allah Azza wa sallam.
So reluctantly, I had nobody else except me. So I mean, to make a long story short, it's not about the battle. It's about that person that tells you after a long time, they've seen a big clouds heard a lot of noises between the two swords fighting. And through the midst of a big cloud after a long harsh fight. They heard the words Allahu Akbar.
And the whole Muslim army may tech, be it Allahu Akbar, because they knew that was leaving that'd be thought of that was victorious. That man, the only one that had the strength and the power to fight honorably? What was the one that says either either shut down or please, you know, if the army was really going into the battle, the Nixon coin isn't that you feel the heat of the battle?
And everybody was so tired and everybody was so afraid. Who would the fight who would go behind? He says Amina, we would go behind Prophet Mohammed Salah Selim to be protected.
Who would who would be in the lead of the army? It was prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is not among the leaders and I don't do politics will lie, but I'm just trying to tell you, when did we lose it?
When did we lose the leadership?
When we took the backseat we've chosen dunya before the deen we've chosen life before the hereafter because our leader Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam used to lead the army and even for himself though what I told you about the fighter he used to hide behind him
To take security to take a break, he wasn't the one that sends the army and sits at home. He wasn't the one that lets his sons and daughters and everybody else killed his dying. Instead of him sitting there having his caviar, and whatever it is, and pinkie up and drinking tea with a posh passion, that caviar on the strawberries and cream and speaking in a beautiful, excellent.
Allah help us will light. And that's exactly what's going on what kind of leaders do we have nowadays, you cannot help seeing how the whole oma, this whole nation of islam is going backwards because of our leaders. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm not gonna go to the conspiracy theory, I'm not gonna go like this. You know what, it's not us. It's our leaders, I'm just telling you regarding this matter. And I'll give you the proof of that.
I would have not been as he's not the law. And
it took him very few months to turn this whole room around. Why he led by example, he lived by example, that's the one I'm talking about. leading by example, he married the daughter of a king, what's the first thing to do? He says, You know what, this dress that you have full of jewelry off.
It's not befitting you to be the next, the wife of the leader, and you have all these jewelry and these people are dying of hunger.
It goes back to the Muslims.
He gave her a choice. She's less thorough, and how could I choose Anybody else? Yes, no problems had to lead by example. I'm not gonna go into the story of that takes another hour.
But you can see this
on his own son, his own son had and starting up a business, raising cattle and camels and all of that, and cheap. And all of a sudden, he's walking.
He's walking, he sees these beautiful big camels.
Whose camels are they? It's your son. Bring him to me.
What are you doing? Because I'm a merchant. I'm a businessman, just like everybody else, my family from my own wealth. But what you're doing is you're telling him that this is I am the son of this man. So what did he do? What did the people do?
The the cattle, feed the camels of that son of Amida, momineen. quench the thirst of the camels of the son of ameerul. momineen says sell it, take your original investment and give the rest for the Muslims. So pan Allah G. Can you understand that? Now compare that to the people who run our countries and tell you what, well I know these people, they come and tell me These are big business people, they will lie when we started the business here, the son of the that person
I'd like to travel. And obviously I won't be traveling after this, but that's okay.
The son of the president or the king says, You know what, if you don't get me a cut from your business, you cannot open the business here. It's business. And that's one of the leaders that says it's a vision, not money.
If you're a true leader, you're about a vision, not money. But nowadays, what do they do? They charge you if you want to open a business in our land, you have to give me a cut. Do you believe this man? I'm gonna cut up rajala Lohan says sell it because exactly what you're doing. You're using my influence? To gain money? No, no money. It's a vision.
rajala What did you do? When there was no job? There was a famine among Muslims. What did you do? They say feed me.
When they you know he lost so much weight as a matter of fact, that nation says he's going gray. He's going gray, not yellow. He's going gray in the face, even though he was known to be white.
Why? Because there was a firm and phase that was going we were going through as Muslims. And the people were saying yeah, I mean, I mean, you are a leader with fearing for your life eat something. They give them a piece of meat. What did he do?
He said all Muslims ate what I what you're giving me that all Muslims eat what they're giving me what you're giving me? They said No, I will not eat what you're giving me unless I know that every Muslim around the world is given what I'm eating.
Yeah, see ya My dear brothers and sisters. You understand why we're actually losing it? And I don't mean we'd like to sound negative. I heard Dr. Aalto. Have you learned from me? Allah bless him alive. So yeah, me. And everybody that left her family and their friends and their home. And they came here because I know what it's like, well, life's not easy travel. It's not easy to be family.
May Allah bless them all and Granton for every step this Athol a good deed and erase the bad deed and elevate and rank in heaven. I mean, so yeah, I mean,
so that's exactly what he did. As a matter of fact, he made sure when he took the lead, that's the case. I woke up Casa de la jolla. And when did he take the lead when he What did he do? He says, you know, obey me if I obey.
The correction is set right off the bat. But when the people changed one thing in the dean didn't want to pay this account for example, arms.
So they used to give it to that messenger. masuleh he's now deceased, or they have to sell to the sim. We don't give it anymore. What did he say? Look at this banner, look at the banner and not the compensation of what we're doing. We're selling our dean. Suppan the light I leave Well, lucky. What we're doing now What did I say? A young Casa de noir Anna. Hi.
Allahu Akbar is a young Casa de la Anna. Hi, you know what that means? Is this religion going to be decreased? Are you taking out anything of this religion and I'm still alive.
That means he will never tolerate anything to be taken out of the dean. What are we doing nowadays? We're selling our dean.
You know, what a job. Yeah. No problems. You know, we live out in the West now. You know, you know, it's a choice. I heard the president saying that publicly. Allahu Akbar. Yeah, he don't you Are you not afraid? My brother? Are you afraid to meet Allah subhanaw taala. I said this, and you said the exact opposite. you reject the commander, the commander and you think that you're the commander while law you're not the commander, not in my book. Because you are maybe a king or president now. But you have the King of kings are holding you accountable on Monday.
So that's exactly how we started being in the lead. How we held on to it, we lost it in the khilafah. We lost it when we held on to the dunya.
We sold we sold out. So when I just talked about leading by example is just one there's too many. I don't have enough time to go through I will take you through a few things. That's all that's all I can share with you inshallah. But understanding that leading by example is one of the most important as we said it's a behavior and a character. So let's go a little bit of a character, not just the behavior.
Look, Allah Subhana Allah, Allah mentioned these things in the Quran.
Allah subhanho wa canu bi Tina up noon. So what is mentioned in the Quran, we have made them to be leaders, inviting others to our ways, what their character was the attribute that was given. But when they had patience, when they had patience, and they had knowledge about what we're giving them in the command.
What is that actually alluding to?
Allah Subhana gelila says we've given that sons of Jacob, Ben Israel, in the Jews, we made them to be leaders at that time, when they do do it we because we will.
We have given the book to Musa alayhis, salaam, Moses May peace be upon him. We have given him the revelation Do not be doubtful about meeting him meaning this Ron Raj, in the night journey, the ascension, he met Prophet Musa Allah Islam. And he says we made the the Jews to be leaders at that time under the leadership of Prophet Musa alayhis. Salam May peace be upon him when they had those two. First thing you have to have patience, a leader have to have patience. And I believe Dr. Altaf mentioned something, you know what? 950 years 950 years of the blue holidays that I'm telling people there's only one God 950 years.
And then we take week. You know what, you can't take the heat. I can't take the heat, man, I gotta get out of the kitchen.
You know, I learned something from chef de la from Chicago, Illinois. Hello, Hola. I remember a long time ago,
I attended a wedding I believe or a fundraiser I can't recall. And he says, You know what I used to get these moments where I think that's it. I am so tired. I can't take it anymore.
And he used to say that I remember vision even when I went to sleep or something like that. He says, Well lucky. I remember the interval low. If you turn and walk away, Allah will let you step to come on later. Telecom. Allah will change you. You don't want to be in this path. You don't want to carry the batter. You don't have the patience. You don't have the resilience.
You don't have it. What do you do? perseverance says I will change you. You know this Dean is gonna go whether with you or without you.
And now if I change you that they will people will not be like you. And that's what
our Amir Sheikh Abdullah does have it all said and I think it hit me. Well, I said, You know what, I'm learning.
I'm still learning. The shift says, This is what keeps me going. And that's what keeps us forced to go into sometimes, you know, you, you know, this is, this is gonna be a music therapy session. No. So I, this is good. This is therapeutic. I'm venting. I feel much better. I'm turning the table on you how many times you
Come to me. Come on guys. Have any of you has you have any of you come ever to the dispersal fellowship, Abdullah says, You know what? My husband is a great guy, he's not giving me a hard time whatsoever. And if you come in that every any of you brothers, my wife, she's the best. She doesn't nag at all. She's an all she's the best that any of you guys know we don't do that.
And I thank somebody
for helping me out to get me off though anyway, so you understand that. And that's what it is, takes patience, it takes a lot of patience. But let masaharu so you need to be patient, where can you be it? No, you can, you also have to have this knowledge of what you're talking about. So acquiring knowledge is also in there. And that is also something as mentioned in the Quran, like Prophet, Yusuf Alayhi. Salam,
Allah has entered make me the leaders of that the treasures, the control of what to do what not to do in this now the difficult time, what did what do you attribute is a
half of you.
That means you can ask to be a leader if there is nobody else around. And you have to have these two characteristics. Not just the issue we have now is what I want to be called on this. I want to be this type of title. But are you doing anything to help Islam and Muslims? No, I just want to sit on this thing. And I want to be the just called this. No, Effie, you have to help it this. This comes with responsibility. We learned that from Prophet Mohammed Salim. We're allowed to
carry crock we raised your your mentioned your honor. Why? Because your title comes with responsibility. And that's when the leaders actually come in to do what? Yes, I want to be called a leader. Yes, my brother but how did you help? Yes, ooh, yes, my sister. How did you help? Remember you will be held accountable. Remember?
Allah He I fear on judgment day that Allah will hold me accountable for a camel that put the foot in the hole. And hello when asked me why did you not pave the path for this scammer?
That's responsibility. So when allowed to Pilate Allah told us about that in the Quran is what? Yes, you have, we have raised you honor meaning your your name is mentioned next to us. You become a Muslim.
Only worshiping Muhammad Rasul Allah.
In the same thing as karma, same thing, the same thing. So we raised Your Honor, yes. But that honor that title that comes with responsibility. So we have to take responsibility, which means what if it is to be it's up to me? Don't tell me Don't point the finger. Don't point the finger. If you're the mirror. If you're the responsible person in this community or any organization or in the world, you must take responsibility. You have to say hi, here I am.
I am here for you. Leaders before one woman in history of Islam. Somebody harmed her 100,000 Army Strong came to aid one single Muslim woman. The man says hi Anna, as
you know the leader of the minimum near the time, what did you say? Is I am your ajira He did not say I am your Emil.
Now do you understand that mentality? What do we do now? I am I am
you don't even talk to me. Shoo, shoo. Are you talking? Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? That's what we do. Can you talk to these guys, Allah help you alive? Not even that Listen, I'm a big religious organization, somewhere out there overseas, very well known in the world. Just to talk to somebody there.
They have a secretary and the Secretary has a secretary and the Secretary has a secret door. Well, Ah yes. You just to go to see somebody and did I say that out loud? I'm sorry.
The mentality is totally different. Their mentality is different. So we have that Polian. I mean, have we have it? I mean, now trustworthy, trustworthy,
that you're supposed to lead the people away from the Hellfire and to gender. That is the Amir. That is responsible individual that is a leadership.
And you have to be influenced, influential. What does that mean? If you come to a community, what have you changed? What have you done for me lately?
What do we say? What have you done for me lately? No. You're supposed to be the one that changes. Say you the mom, the leader of the community is the one that serves them. The one that says we're supposed to serve you, you tell us what to do. We don't want to tell you what to do. This center is yours. A good leader is supposed to listen, listen. This is communication skills. Now. I mean, there's a long list. It takes two
days to finish this, you understand? It's a course.
So I mean, only I've done. So let me just go through it quickly. Okay.
It hasn't devotions losing the husband's ninja as Nizam hasn't
as
you get the puppy look, did you get that? Yeah, I get that deer in the headlights.
And you know, I would be very afraid if you actually understood anything I said so far. I'd be worried about you.
Like you coming from Mars, you're doing this movie thinking? Did you notice anything? No, you didn't understand me. So I skill of a leader also his communication skill while I'm at
home. So I'm talking about the characteristics that's in the Quran and the Sunnah, and in the lead to really find out what it's about. So Allah Subhana, Allah, Allah says, I have not sent a messenger except with that tongue to the people, meaning what the language know, the understanding of the environment, understanding of the mentality, speak in their language, not necessarily linguistically, understanding what they're going through, living with them, feeling them living their issues, dealing with them being the cure.
And also understanding how to deal with them, making sure with them listening to their issues. The first first thing I took a course in University of Waterloo about communication skills, you know what the professor said, Please sit down, lean forward, square shoulders, eyes fixed, nod your head once in a while repeat some what I say and make sure that you tell me what to use. Now I can give you the certificate or you can stay here for the rest of the course and that's communication skills. Okay, here's what happened leaders how later you know can you speak to somebody? How the leaders
can you speak to you you don't have time? You know, they don't even sit and listen to you. You know, I get criticized so much and I heard the smell of lesser I get you know what some of the people complain about me you know what they complain? guess one of the complaints? I smile
Well, it's an official complaint by the way you understand? It's an official complaint here. One of the people complained because I smile or make people laugh that's it it's an official complaint because it's supposed to be apparently any ma'am. has to have the 111 you know the 111
I'm sorry. You're talking to one guy you want good so you want somebody that you know is emotional I get sometimes bla bla but you're supposed to do is probably Mohammed bin Salman mahaya he was not a better person. But Sam is for Allah linguistically means ongoing.
smiles a lot mahaya greets everyone. So if you know that you know that it doesn't cost you right it's it's free. Smile sadaqa It's okay. A greeting person that leads that leads us online supposed to be Welcome. Come talk to me. And by the way, Allah subhanaw taala told Prophet Mohammed Salim that
while I thought drones alladhina, the owner of Bom,
Nevada, he, he says you know what the people you know, some of the leaders only talked to him in
the Animal Society. If you're a doctor bah bah bah, if your engineer probably or if you ever businessman blah blah blah. You Swiss bank account you have a private jet to private yacht you talk to me you don't you're shoo, shoo, shoo your peasants
you know that the Arab society in the Quran time? What did you do the Ask Prophet Mohammed Salah says kick blood habasit odilon most most muscle in a after a swipe? Sorry swipe alumi
Amar NASA kick him out.
All of these poor people get them out. Oh we better
and that's the end by the way. It's revealed in the Quran.
Allah subhanaw taala right away revealed it while a todo de La Nina una bamaga. to actually
do not kick these people want Allah Subhana Allah to Allah the ask and do you believe?
As a matter of fact, he was given he was given a command was good enough. Second Allah Deena.
Be patient with those who are same people. So it's not about this. So Allah subhanaw taala, told Prophet Mohammed Salim to be with those people. So everyone will lie. Sometimes this person of Allah was took somebody in, and the person was so humble, the person who's so humble, and as we spend time with them, and we listen to the issues and all of that. All of a sudden, they found out that this guy's a billionaire. Well, it wasn't the intention. It happened in different cities, so many people that are so humble, and all of a sudden, you know what you do with them like a human being you don't look at $1 sign, you deal with everybody the same. When as a leader, you're supposed to say that
everybody's better than me and that I'm the better than everybody else. You're supposed to be humble.
Not the other way around.
You cannot say as such, and we have that
evidence to say that Mohammed Salim was the walking example.
Of course, a good leader is supposed to also have Shula with the people
he has to be firm with has to be firm. For example, you mentioned in the even in the battles in the battles he made sure with them. What do you think? Is it better or not? He made sure that before art in Medina, do we stay in Medina? Do we go out? But he was firm, when it's time to be firm? You have to make a decision. You cannot play politics. No, you can play who's public? Who is more popular? Am I gonna keep my seat before as I make the right decision? the wrong decision doesn't matter. As a leader, you don't do that. As a leader, you're supposed to do the right thing. Even though there may be right, you have to know the difference between what's the right thing to do, and doing things the
right way to different things totally.
Two things are different. What is the difference? doing things right and doing the right thing? What's the difference? Could somebody tell me
due to budget cuts on time.
You know, going by the book is doing things right? But sometimes you cannot go by the book because it's not the right thing to do.
For example, I learned this from my mirror, may Allah bless him. For example, if you want to come in and ask for help or whatever, you know, we have to make use of the form and go into this. But you have to live with Allah and I can't speak for him because he's not here. He hates that and I know that may Allah bless him inshallah. He has some, you know, some stashed something help. So when the person comes in, he's desperate. He does he cannot wait for the application. He cannot wait for this. And you know, the person comes in he gives him
he's doing the right thing is not doing things right. But that's the right thing to do. So you're making sure that even probably Mohammed Salah Michiko Mashallah
even he listened to his wife, and of course, among them, Pamela, also to have a succession planning, I'm adamant about this. One of the reasons you'll see youth in my halaqa is because not exactly the same thing. I'm supposed to be training people. I'm supposed to be training this youth to come and push them forward. Why do you think I put them on the pulpit? Why do you think I put them on the harder Why do you think the made them lead the prayer gives some of the stuff that we do and the time is up and that's so much it? In a nutshell. May Allah subhanaw taala give us a good leader your Allah, may Allah make us among the good leaders Yala benevolent, mean as wodgina with regional
Quran, Allah Jalla tequila Mama, Allah give us that our family be the apple of our eyes and let us be leaders within within Amin. Welcome Don hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salam aleikum wa sahbihi