The Leader

Three leaders in three different parts of the worlds.

After a month of protest, the red shirt protesters in Thailand continues to remain defiant with their demand for earlier election, they want a new Prime Minister.

In Kyrgyzstan, after the uprising that last for just a few days, the new interim government is now in predicament over refusal of the ousted president to resign. The president warned of a bloodshed.

Whereas Poland mourns the lost their president and other top civilian and military officials in a plane crash.

A lot of chaos is happening around the globe, but the events that happened in past few days in the three countries has brought me into deep contemplation.
While the people in Poland are grieving over the loss of their leaders, the people in Thailand and Kyrgyzstan struggled to remove theirs.

What makes a good leader?

Prophet Muhammad SAW, climbed the ladder of leadership with honour and dignity of the highest level. He lead his followers by first winning their hearts. He was very much loved and cherished by his followers because he was able to develop a strong sincere relationship with them.
Prophet Muhammad was also a person with integrity in his words and actions. A trusted person since his younger days who deserve the title of Al-amin, the trusted one.
A person who won the love and trust of others would automatically be followed. He was the teacher and motivator. He was able to create loyalty among the followers, they are willing to sacrifice their own life for him. And among the followers, he developed excellent potential successors. Good leader is ineffective without good followers.

Prophet Muhammad SAW was also a strong leader with tremendous self-discipline. When he was victorious in the conquest of Makkah, he exuded humbleness and self-restrain. Not a thing on earth can corrupt him. On his last days, he even surrendered his ailing body to his follower to take avenge for his wrongdoing.

Prophet Muhammad SAW showed us that a good leader must be loved and trustworthy in order to be followed. A leader must be able to train good followers so they can become good leaders in the future.

In the end, he became an eternal leader, a leader whose legacy remains until today, 1400 years after his death, and will continue until the hereafter.
Allaahumma solli 'ala Muhammad.

Anyone who aspire to be a leader must learn from him, the perfect model to look up to.

"Indeed in the Messenger of Allah, you have a fine example for he who hopes for Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah abundantly"
( Al-Ahzab:21)