𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸

I find it fascinating that Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) became softer when he became Caliph, fully aware of the responsibility he carried. He cared so much that he even thought about the welfare of a goat in the Euphrates under his leadership. Although many remember him for his firmness, we often overlook the mercy in his heart, which made him such a thoughtful and responsible leader.

Leadership is often shown to us as something authoritarian - decisive, unyielding, and sometimes ruthless. Think of Julius Caesar, commanding armies with an iron fist, or Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed the “Iron Lady” for her uncompromising approach. T

One of the stories we read in Surat Kahf is that of Dhul-Qarnayn

What can we learn from his leadership style?

Sometimes we forget… Leadership isn’t only for those with titles or big platforms. Every one of us is carrying a small world on our shoulders, a home, a child, a marriage, a team, a dream. And in those spaces… you are the leader Allah entrusted.

In Surat al-Kahf, Dhul-Qarnayn moved across lands not to prove himself, but to serve, to protect, to uplift, and to walk with a heart anchored to Allah.

He had power, yet he stayed humble. He had options, yet he chose justice. He had praise, yet he replied,

📌 “This is a mercy from my Lord.”

He teaches us something tender and profound:

There are so many takeaways from the response Musa (AS) gave in this moment, standing between the Red Sea and the army of the worst and most powerful man in the world, while his people panicked around him.

When leading, model the best course of action instead of telling people what to do. Musa (AS) demonstrated modeling good action as a leader. He could instead reprimand his people for lacking trust in Allah, after all the miracles (and tests) they saw and all the ways Allah had already delivered them. He could have said, 'Allah is with US' , which would have felt like a dismissal of legitimate emotions in a terrifying moment. Instead, he said, 'Allah is with ME.' He spoke for himself onl

O Leaders! Be careful when you guide. Allah ﷻ is just. He will give recompense according to your deeds i.e., for action like followers, and double for your misguidance. The sad part, whom you misguided will make du'aa against you and you have clearly caused their lives. May Allah ﷻ protect all of us and guide us to the straight path. No wonder this is duaa in Surah al Fatihah

‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir narrates: While I was driving the Messenger of Allah (saws) through one of those narrow passages, he said to me: 'O ‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir, should you not ride?' I held the Messenger of Allah (saws) too high in regard to ride in his stead, but he again said: 'O ‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir, should you not ride?' I then feared that it would be insubordination, so the Messenger of Allah (saws) descended, and I rode for a short time. He rode again, and then he said: 'O ‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir, may I teach you two of the best surahs that the people recite?' I said: 'Of course, O Messenger of Allah!' He then taught me to recite Surahs al-Falaq and an-Nâs. The call to establish the prayer was made, and th

‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir narrates: I clung to the feet of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, teach me to recite Surah Hud and Surah Yusuf.' The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to me: 'O ‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir, you will not recite anything more beloved o Allah, nor more significant to Him, than: Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ 'I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak [113:1] [Authentic: Narrated by Ahmad (17418), and at-Tabarâni in al-Kabeer (17/312), and ad-Dârimi (3482)]

Anas b. Mâlik narrates: A man from the Ansâr used to lead them in prayer in the Masjid of Qubâ’. Every time he would start the prayer, he would recite [the surah] until its end: Say, 'He is Allah , [who is] One…. [112:1] Then, he would recite another surah with it. He would do that in every unit of prayer, so his companions spoke to him and said: 'You recite this surah, but then you do not feel it is enough until you recite another one. Either recite it, or leave it and recite another surah.' He said: 'I am not going to leave it. If you want me to lead you in prayer with it, then I will. But if you do not like it, then I will leave you all.' They used to regard him as the best of them, an

Jâbir b. Abdullah narrates: My father was killed on the day of Uhud, and he left behind two gardens. He owed some dates to a Jewish man, and the dates that he owed the Jewish man would have taken up all of the contents of the two gardens. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to him: 'Would you take some this year, and defer some to the next?' but he refused. The Messenger of Allah (saws) then said: 'When it is time to cut the fruit, call me.' I called him over, and the Prophet (saws) came along with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. We began cut and weigh for him from the bottom of the tree as the Messenger of Allah (saws) was supplicating for blessings. We ended up fulfilling the full amount owed to him

Al-Barâ’ b. ‘Âzib narrates: The first one to come to us from the Prophet’s (saws) companion was Mus‘ab b. ‘Umayr and Ibn Umm Maktoom, and the began to teach us to recite the Qur’an. Then ‘Ammâr, Bilal, and Sa‘d came, and then ‘Umar b. al-Khattâb in a group of twenty. Then came the Prophet (saws), and I never saw the people of Medina become as overjoyed as they did with him. I even saw the children and infants saying: 'Here comes the Messenger of Allah!' He did not come until I had recited Surah al-A‘la, along with surahs similar to it. [Authentic: Narrated by al-Bukhari (4941)]

Jâbir b. Abdullah narrates: We were on an expedition when a man from the Muhâjiroon struck a man from the Ansâr in the back. The Ansâri man said: 'O Ansâr!' while the Muhâjir said: 'O Muhâjiroon!' Allah made the Messenger of Allah (saws) hear it, and he asked: 'What is this?' They said: 'A man from the Muhâjiroon struck a man from the Ansâr in his back. The Ansâri man called the Ansâr, and the Muhâjir called the Muhâjiroon.' The Prophet (saws) said: 'Leave it, for it is putrid.' The Ansâr’s population was larger when the Messenger of Allah (saws) first arrived, but then the Muhâjiroon outnumbered them. Abdullah b. Ubay said: 'Is that what they did? By Allah, when we return to Medina, the m