veiled4allah: leadership and responsibility in Islam

In a lengthly essay called "Gender-based Exclusionism at a Muslim Student Association" (part one, part two), Shabana Mir discusses her attempts to increase women's participation in the Muslim Students Association at her campus, especially in leadership positions, and where her efforts succeeded and where they fell short.

The overriding theme in this story, at least to my mind, is the lack of accountability by the small group of men who ran the MSA.

Leadership is a heavy responsibility and the leader will be held accountable by God for all his actions in regard to the people he is put in charge of. Taking a leadership position and then failing to uphold it properly is worse than not seeking leadership in the first place. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave some advice in this matter:

Sahih Bukhari Book 89, Number 264: Narrated Ma'qil: I heard the Prophet saying, "Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise."

Because the consequences of failing at leadership are so severe, people should be extremely hesitant of asking for and actively seeking out leadership positions:

Sahih Bukhari Book 89, Number 263: Narrated Abu Musa: Two men from my tribe and I entered upon the Prophet. One of the two men said to the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah! Appoint me as a governor," and so did the second. The Prophet said, "We do not assign the authority of ruling to those who ask for it, nor to those who are keen to have it."

A leader never has absolute power; if what they command is wrong and contrary to Islam, disobedience is not only allowed but is necessary. Each Muslim is responsible in front of God for doing what they believe is best and most correct. If they believe that their leader is doing something wrong, they should speak up. The Prophet (pbuh) said that the best form of jihad (struggle) is speaking a word of truth to an oppressive ruler (Sunan an-Nasa'i No. 4209).

Additionally, the leader should consult with their followers; Quran Surah ash-Shura verse 38 declares that the believers are those whose affairs are a matter of consultation among them.

The MSA leadership that Mir describes failed at a very basic level to meet the standards demanded by Islam. They seemed to think it was sufficient to demand and enforce certain outward signs of Islam, while not giving sufficient weight to the moral spirit that Islam seeks to inculcate. Unfortunately, this attitude is all too common among some Muslims; the Taliban and the rulers of Saudi Arabia are extreme examples of the same thing.

It's not that the MSA leadership sought no consultation at all; rather they sought consultation but if they didn't like what the members were saying, then they circumvented them. Ultimately, Mir and her allies could not get around this attitude and they had to form a separate organization, the Muslim Students Union, to achieve their aims.

This story deals with one student group at one university in one country, but I think most any Muslim who has dealt with official organizations will agree that it speaks to the general situation of Islamic reformers today.