Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 2

2.1 Responsibility ......................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Strength and trust .................................................................................................. 3
2.3 Role Model .............................................................................................................. 4
2.4 Consultation............................................................................................................ 4
2.5 Humility .................................................................................................................. 5
2.6 Empathy .................................................................................................................. 5
2.7 Committed/Passion ................................................................................................ 6
2.8 Ensuring Unity ....................................................................................................... 6
2.9 Jihad ........................................................................................................................ 7
3.0 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 8
References ..................................................................................................................... 9

1.0 Introduction
Throughout history, people have always been searching for the ideal leader in
each community to bring them to success and harmony. However, the ideal leader is
like the phoenixs feathers and unicorn's horn, very hard to be found; and the below
ideal leader which could include ordinary leader or even bad leader is innumerable,
can be found easily, anywhere, anytime. In my opinion, this is probably due to the
person is unable to control and master his/her nafs, in other words, his/her psyche.
Therefore, I will try to list down and briefly describe the ten personality traits and
characteristics of my desired leader, in my order of preference, from a perspective of a
Muslim, mostly pictured with the example of the second Caliph for the Muslim
community (ummah), Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (R.A.).

2.1 Responsibility
Leaders should possess a greater sense of responsibility than others; they should
feel deeply responsible for whatever is under their authority. Responsibility entails
accountability in this world and in the hereafter. For example, Umar (R.A.), once said
that he was afraid that a mule might fall on the mountain roads of Iraq and break its
legs, and Allah (S.W.T.) might question him why he had not paved the roads in that
area on the Day of Judgement. Umar (R.A.) was also very careful in appointing his
leaders, and the leaders he chose were highly scrutinised by testing the performance of
his governors by appointing them on an ad hoc basis for two to three months, prior to
regular appointments (Jabnoun, 2012, pp. 332,333). This example showed us the extent
to which Umar (R.A.) felt his responsibility, which in return allowed him to reach a
historically recognized leadership and managerial excellence (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 230).
The reason I put responsibility as the first desired characteristics of a leader is that, in
my opinion, having high sense of responsibility alone can lead to many other beloved
characteristics such as being just and equal, being honest, being conscientious, etc.

2.2 Strength and trust

Leaders must both be skilful and trustworthy; in other words, they must be
strong and faithful. The absence of one of these two characteristics in a leader can
seriously undermine organizations or nations. Even it is mentioned in the Quran:

Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy.
(Al-Qur'an 28:26)
It is indeed not on easy task to find someone who is highly skilled and highly
faithful. On many occasions, we find people who can score very high on one quality
but moderately on the other. Often, one needs to choose which quality is more important.
Following the example of Prophet (S.A.W.), we can conclude that the needed skills
come first, while faith is also required (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 225).
Other than that, trust is essential for quality performance. Trust implies
accountability, predictability, and reliability. Without trust, there will be no
commitment and no motivation. Trust is considered to be the foundation of teamwork,
subordinates involvement and empowerment. Indeed, if leaders do not trust people,
their subordinates will not be open with them, impeding thereby the leaders continuous
improvement capabilities. Furthermore, if leaders do not trust people, leaders will
neither empower subordinates not believe that the customers or citizens are right.
People with a high level of responsibility are more likely to create an environment of
trust because of their dependability (Jabnoun, 2012, pp. 363,364).
Just as trust being considered to be the foundation of a team, in my opinion,
strength or skill can also be considered as the thrust for progression of a certain
organization or nation. It is impossible for members trusts each other fully in a team,
organization or nation but lacks of required strength and skills to develop the team,
organization or nation; or having specialized skills and strength in certain fields but
does not trust among themselves. Both will lead to disastrous outcome for a team,
organization or nation. Therefore, in my opinion, the elements of strength and trust
should exist in every team, organization or nation.
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2.3 Role Model

Leading by example is often necessary during the implementation of tough
decisions. Leaders must be role models, letting their actions speak louder than words.
Leaders have a responsibility to create and maintain the culture of the organization or
nation (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 229). One does not enjoin the truth without starting with his
own actions, not does he prohibit bad without first abstaining himself. One cannot
blame others and not blame oneself, just as some leaders have said: Better yourself for
yourself and others will follow (Yusef, 2011, p. 135). And leaders whose speech
contradicts their deeds will sooner or later lose the ability to influence their followers.
Islam strongly deplores those who do not practice what they say. For example, during
the treaty of Hudaybiyah, the Companions (may Allah be please with them) resisted the
decision of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) to shave, sacrifice and return to Medina
without entering Mecca. Umm Salamah (R.A.) recommended that he lead by example.
She said: O Messenger of Allah! It is too hard for them to accept the settlement since
they desired victory. You should stand up and go out without uttering a word, then
sacrifice and shave your own head, and then they will obey! He did so, and the
Companions immediately followed. (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 229). However, in my opinion,
leaders should not just stop to be a role model, leaders should help his/her subordinates
to reach his/her own standards, so that the overall standards of the community can be
elevated.
2.4 Consultation
In the process of decision-making, leaders should turn to the opinions of others
to take advice with them. This allows leaders to engage with the understanding and
forbiddances of his subordinates so that their subordinates might share their experiences
to him (Yusef, 2011, p. 134). Consultation will lead an organization or nation to adopt
participative style of management and leadership, where people are continuously
involved in decision-making. Umar (R.A.) did not take any major decision such as
appointments of governors and army commanders without consulting the people.
Umar (R.A.) also kept people of the highest talent among his companions with him in
Medina so that he could benefit from their opinions. However, consultation did not stop
at the level of the highly experienced and qualifies Companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.);
it was so abroad that it included everybody in the society, regardless of age, race or
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gender. When the council of advisors failed to reach a decision on the issue of sharing
the land of Iraq and Syria, Umar (R.A.) requested a general public meeting in Medina
to help him come to a decision. Moreover, Umar (R.A.) organized an annual
conference during or after Hajj (the Pilgrimage) for Muslims so that they could give
their opinions about public matters and so that their complaints about the way the
government is run could be addressed (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 330). We can see from this
example the importance of consulting others in leadership, especially Islamic
Leadership, this is basically what is being promoted nowadays, it is just being renamed
as Democracy and Referendum. However, in my opinion, not only the Democracy
nowadays have not reach the standards set by Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (R.A.)
about 1400 years ago, but the definition of Democracy itself is becoming different
day by day.
2.5 Humility
Leaders should also have the self-confidence and self-awareness to recognise
the value of others by being humble. Leaders should also be willing to admit they could
be wrong and they are willing to correct their mistakes (Abdullah Abdul Rahman,
Transformational Leadership: 8 Steps to Effective Transformational Leadership in
Malaysia, 2015, pp. 23,24). Being humble will also produce the habit of continuous
learning, willingness to listen and be corrected, willingness to cooperate, respecting
others, etc. Even Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) has mentioned: Charity never
decreases wealth. Allah only increases a forgiving person in honour, and whoever is
humbled for Allah is elevated (by Him). (Muslim) The Prophet also said that: The
one who has (in his heart) even an atoms weight of arrogance, shall not enter paradise.
(Muslim) Umar (R.A.) also stated that: The one I loved most is the one who tell me
my faults. (Agha, 1999, p. 62) Besides that, Umar (R.A.) put his words as actions.
2.6 Empathy
Leaders should also be empathic towards others, they are more capable of
checking the appropriateness of their decisions. Furthermore, empathy promotes trust
among subordinates, who are likely to reciprocate the empathy of leaders by giving
more. This is also a vital element of Servant Leadership, and the best example of
Servant Leadership is Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 231).
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2.7 Committed/Passion
Leaders should exhibit an obsession to achieve the goals of the organization or
nation. Leaders should be willing to work for long-hours and devote their attention and
energy to attend to the affairs of the organizations. Leaders tend to be enthusiastic about
the organization or nation, and in doing so they inspire and motivate others for getting
things done (Abdullah Abdul Rahman, 2015, p. 10).
In my opinion, leaders should also be committed to the quality of the tasks that
are going to be done as quality is very much emphasised in the teachings of Islam. Just
as the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: Allah, the Almighty, wants that when one of you does a
job, you do it well. (al-Bayhaqi; a reliable hadith according to al-Albani) This is
similar to Total Quality Management (TQM) which I preferred to be adopted by leaders
and myself. TQM can be defined as the strategic commitment to improve quality by
combining programs and methods with a cultural commitment to searching for
incremental improvements that increase productivity and lower costs (Jabnoun, 2012,
p. 331). Umar (R.A.) was also very committed to high quality, if not the perfect
performance, in every aspect of life. Umar (R.A.) would not rush if it meant
performing a task with a low level of quality. If he noticed that a certain process was
not going as it should, he would take immediate corrective actions. The attitude of
Umar (R.A.) is similar to the management philosophy of continuous improvement that
is adopted in TQM and Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing (Jabnoun, 2012, p. 333).
2.8 Ensuring Unity
In my opinion, ensuring an organization or nations unity is also an important
characteristic of a leader. Leaders should prevent his organization or community from
being separated into different divisions. This is warned by Umar (R.A.) when a man
rejects a marriage proposal for the mans daughter giving the reason of having a high
social position: I have learnt that you have your groups, with people sticking to their
own friends and relatives. People now say: this one belongs to the group of so and so
and this one is a friend of such and such. Everyone remains close to his own group. I
fear that this would lead to people splitting into groups and divisions, each of which are
content with what they have. Should the Muslim community face a serious or
emergency situation, people will go to their own group to agree a plan. By God, this
6

will quickly undermine your faith, honour and unity. I can see people in future
generations saying: this is the view of so and so, splitting Islam into divisions and
sections. It will not take long before an elite comes to be distinguished from the rest of
society. People will thus go back to their old ways to jahiliyyah. (Ali, 2012) In short,
Umar (R.A.) is trying to prevent the Muslim community from splitting into groups and
divisions by discouraging people from being only in their own groups or tribes.
2.9 Jihad
First of all, I need to clarify that putting Jihad as last in this list does not meant
that Jihad is not the most preferred. In fact, it is the opposite, in my opinion, Jihad
should be the most preferred after having responsibility and strength and trust. The
reason I place Jihad as the last in the list is that a leader might not necessarily be a
Muslim. Hence, it is better to begin with the traits and characteristics that could be
adopted by all leaders, Muslim or non-Muslim. However, it is strongly encouraged for
Muslim who is a leader, or who want to be a leader, or ready to be a leader, to place
Jihad as the most important trait or characteristic after responsibility and strength and
trust.
Unfortunately, Jihad is often translated into English as holy war, perhaps by
the groups that have control over information and news. In fact, it must be noted that
was has never been described as holy in any of Islams primary texts or even Islamic
literature. Linguistically speaking, Jihad is an Islamic term that applies to a broad
spectrum of activities, ranging from daily striving to meet the days challenges, to the
striving against ones desires and self, to the struggle to provide for ones family, to
sacrifice for seeking knowledge. In short, Jihad is the act of striving or struggling in
the way of Allah (S.W.T.). Therefore, Jihad is not limited to war; it includes struggling
with ones soul, speech, body and wealth so that the message of Allah (S.W.T.) reaches
all human willing to receive it.
Islamic scholars have referred to different types of Jihad, such as Jihad against
the self (to understand Islam, act upon it, call others to it and be patient with the
difficulties of making this call), Jihad against the Devil/Shaytan (repelling Satanic
whispers, doubts and lusts). Jihad against the tongue (controlling it, using it to enjoin
what is good, forbid what is wrong, spread the correct teachings of Islam and answer
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false ideologies), Jihad against aggression (with the purpose of protecting Islam and
the lives, honour and property of Muslims) and other types of Jihad like Jihad against
the hypocrites, Jihad against oppressors and Jihad against mischief makers (Jabnoun,
2012, p. 394).
As you can see, from Jihad alone, many other quality characteristics such as
being honest, self-restricting from errors, persevere and patience grew. This is also one
of the reason I place Jihad just after being responsible or accountable and having
strength and trust as a trait or characteristic that should be adopted by leaders, especially
Muslim leaders.
3.0 Conclusion
To conclude, the ten personality traits and characteristics of my desired leader,
as a Muslim are:
1. Responsibility;
2. Strength and,
3. Trust;
4. Role Model;
5. Consultation;
6. Humility;
7. Empathy;
8. Committed/Passion;
9. Ensuring Unity;
10. Jihad
However, in my opinion, other than some vital traits and characteristics such as
responsibility, strength and trust, role model and consultation, some other traits and
characteristics which are not as important as these such as empathy, humility, passion,
etc. should be adopted by a leader as equal as possible, which means it is hard to arrange
or prioritise them based on their level of importance unless the leader is in a situation
that requires him/her to play a certain role. Otherwise, I believe and hope it is better for
a leader to agree on the arrangement in regards to his/her personality traits and
characteristics above.

References
Abdullah Abdul Rahman, D. (2015). Note 1: The Meaning of Leadership.
Abdullah Abdul Rahman, D. (2015). Transformational Leadership: 8 Steps to
Effective Transformational Leadership in Malaysia. Petaling Jaya: MPH
Publishing.
Agha, M. (1999). Al-Farouk: Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. Beirut: Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyah.
Ali, H. (Director). (2012). OmarSeries [Motion Picture].
Al-Qur'an
Jabnoun, N. (2012). Islam and Management. Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing
House.
Yusef, '. a.-H. (2011). The Principles of Leadership in the Light of Islamic Heritage
and the American Experience. Riyadh: Maktaba Darussalam.