| How to Make a Difference-How Islam Transformed the First Generation of Muslims to Become "Leaders of the World"--by Dr. Waleed Basyouni |
Describing the sahabah (companions of the Prophet (salla Allah alayhee wa sallam)) Allah said: "You are the best community ever been raised up for mankind. You enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and you believe in Allah..." (Al-Imran: 111). This verse was revealed about the companions specifically. However the rest of the Ummah will be included in this verse. Those who follow in the footsteps of the companions will be included in this verse as the best nationed ever brought up for mankind. This is not to be taken for granted. Just by being a Muslim by name does not make you the best. It is only for those who make a difference in this life. This Ummah (the Arab nation specifically) used to only worry about the sheep and the camel, the desert and the rainfall; and at their best they would have trade with the nations around them namely Yemen and Syria. Their culture was basically restricted to poetry. They lived a life of dispute and had no political power. Nobody recognized them; nobody even knew they existed. All of a sudden, they became the main power on the face of the earth. They became the power that decides which direction the world is going. They had become the leader looked upto in the whole world not just in politics but also in science even in manners; they had become the paradigm for the whole world to follow.
Dear brothers and sisters:
What is so amazing about the generation of the sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) is that they were not just a few individuals, it was a community; it was a generation that was a role model as a whole. You know, Alexander the great, his father had once said something interesting. I would rather have an army of deer led by a lion than have an army of lions led by a deer. However, the Prophet (salla Allah alayhee wa sallam) had it even better. So he did not have an army of deer led by a lion, but an army of lions led by a lion. That was what made a difference. They were a community of lions led by a lion. Every one of them (both men and women) saw themselves as individually responsible for their community. They effected a positive change in their community. For everything they wanted to see change, they would see it change in themselves first.
My brothers and sisters:
Allah (ta'la) described this Ummah, the companions and those who follow in their footstep, as the best Ummah ever raised for mankind. This never meant for any Muslim throughout history to be arrogant bossing people around or to think that he is the best just because he is Muslim. By Allah that is not the case. Umar bin al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, this verse has placed a great responsibility upon our shoulders before it is a declaration of honor. It is rather assigning a great responsibility upon us before it can be a claim of honor for us. When the Muslims took on this responsibility and set out to act upon it, their first encounter was with the persians. The persians, being puzzled at the power the Muslim had risen to, said: "What brought you here (a bunch of uncivilized folks to this civil society)? You were busy fighting amongst yourselves." Rib'iy bin 'Amir told them: We were uncivilized as you described. We were terrible. We did not care about anybody. We only cared about ourselves our immediate family and that was that. I live for myself and die for myself. He said, "but then no. Allah has sent us Muhammad (pbuh) to transformed us from being slaves of other people to being slaves only of Allah." This changed them dramatically. He continued to say: "and take the people out of the injustice of others to the justice of Islam and from the narrowness of this life to the vastness of the hereafter."
Unfortunately, sometimes we mix between being a leader and being a boss or a manager. We may think that the title we have as a Muslim makes us managers bossing people around or think that we are better than others. This has become an obsession that dominates the way we think and act.
There is a difference between a leader and a boss or a manager or a ceo.
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Managers like to take credit. But leaders take responsibility.
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Managers like to be heros, but leaders make heros.
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Managers communicate by giving orders, but leaders communicate by persuasion.
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Managers control their subordinates and pass orders on them, but leaders create teams.
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Managers practice their power on people, but leaders practice power with people.
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Managers see tasks as an obligation, but leaders see them as an opportunity.
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Managers react to change while leaders make the change.
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Managers treat people as their employees and subordinates, but leaders treat them as partners they win their hearts.
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Managers implement ideas, but leaders make the ideas and cause them to happen.
The question is you as a Muslim as the world looks at this generation of Muslims who are following the Prophet (pbuh) and practicing the religion of Islam, do you see yourself as a person who has built himself up and the people around him or as a person who has torn them down? Do you see yourself as a person who is making a difference in the society or you are just living there? Are you in your job in your school in your neighborhood just another person or a special person? Are you a person who has a positive influence on the people around and that you have exercised control over yourself. That is what makes you different from others as the companions (RAA) were. They were not just ordinary people they were outstanding as Islam had made them. Being outstanding means to be a leader without needing to have a title, fame or wealth to show your leadership in the society.
For example, look at Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), do you think the Prophet (saw) gave him a title when he became a Muslim? No! Abu Bakr had reached the level he had reached because he had found a great opportunity in serving Islam and leaving a legacy behind him. Do you think that of Umar and Uthman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them)?
Al Tufail bin Amr al Dousi, was told not to listen to the Prophet (saw), so he insert ear-plugs in his ears so as not to hear the Prophet (saw) recite the Quran. But then he thought to himself saying that you are the leader of your people and you can distinguish between good and bad. So he removed the ear-plugs and said, "the minute I heard the Prophet (saw) recite the Quran I knew it was the truth." He embraced Islam immediately after that. Did he say, "Well let me become Muslim like all others and live my life."? No! He came to the Prophet (saw) and said, "O Messenger of Allah pray for me! Because I want to go back to my people and convert them all to Islam." His whole tribe became Muslim. One of the people he had brought into Islam was Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him). Maybe you never heard of the name al Tufail so much, but I guarantee you have heard of Abu Hurairah a lot. Abu Hurairah was one of the fruits of al Tufail bin Amr al Dausi. That was a leader whose name was not to be remembered but his legacy was to be lived after their life. It is not the fame, the title or the name that made him a leader, it was what he had done and thereby made a difference. It is said that if you do not add anything to this life, you are just an addition. Are you an addition to this life? Ask yourself: "If I die today, will I be missed?" "Will anything be missed by my death? Will anything be changed due to my death or everything is going to be business as usual?"
You have accepted this religion. You have become a Muslim to make a difference in your life, your family's life, your community's life and the in the whole society. I think it is about time for so many of us to start thinking positively about ourselves and try to make sure that when we die we will be missed and to leave something behind us that will be remembered.
A lot of us go to work everyday. And when you ask them why do you do so? they will say, "I am trying to make a living." But you know what you should start doing? You need to make a life while making a living. Making a living follows a certain routine everyday--no exitement in that. This leaves no room for change in your life. That is why your life becomes so boring.
Brothers and sisters:
It all starts with yourself: They key to success, the key to leadership, the key to influence people, is the same as the key to master, control and discover yourself before discovering others. The religion of Islam is a great tool to help us to discover ourselves, to discover the soul that Allah has given us. Why we have so much potential in our life yet we never live up to it. I have met so many people in my life and asked them: "didn't you want to have more money? Everybody wants to make more money. Everybody wants to be healthier, to lose weight, etc. Everybody wants to be more organized. Everybody wants to imporve their career and have a better job. Everybody has a long list of wishes. I have yet to see someone who does not have a list of wishes. But the question you must ask yourself: "How many of them has lived up to their potential?" has excelled to the point to achieve their utmost potential? That is why it is important to start with ourselves and change within. There is a quote that says: "the change that you want to see in the world you have to see in yourself first." This is absolutely correct. This is something we had learned long ago. If you don't change while request others to, you will become a hypocrite. A hypocrite is a word which means "actor" who in the early days used to wear a mask. Which is basically a person who has two faces. Yes they say "I want to do this", I want to do that." but they are not making any progress.
InshaAllah in the second khutbah I will mention a few tips that will help everyone of us to have a good control over oneself in order to have a positive influence on the people around them.
ma sha allah is very nice
ma sha allah is very nice