If you were to ask a group of Muslims (or even
non-Muslims for that matter) to give you an example of a person who reached the
pinnacle in embodying management and leadership skills, they would,
after mentioning the Prophet, direct you to Umar bin Al-Khattab.
He assumed the role of Caliph after the death
of Abu Bakr and his reign lasted for 10 years, during which he established a
public treasury, courts of justice, a calendar using the era of Hijra, and much
more.
Before delving into his biography and extracting
instances which exemplify his leadership qualities and good management, it’s
important to make a distinction between the two, as they are often used synonymously.
Management is ‘to achieve your goals in a way that
makes best use of all your resources’.
We see Umar bin Khattab exemplifying this with
regards to his wisdom in delegation. He once dismissed Khalid ibn Waleed from
leadership, not due to disdain or hatred, but because he saw the hearts of the
Muslims getting attached to Khalid, and beginning to associate his presence
with victory, instead of attributing it to Allah. (AlBidaya wa Nihaya)
He would advise those under his control, and is
reported to have said to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas,
“I urge you
and the troops who are with you to fear Allah in all circumstances, for fear
of Allah is the best means of preparation to face the enemy and the best plan
at times of war. I command you and those who are with you to be more cautious
of sin than of your enemy, for the sins of an army are more alarming for them
then their enemy. And the Muslims are only granted divine help because of their
enemy’s disobedience towards Allah.”" [Al-Faarooq ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, by Muhammad Rasheed Rida, p.
119]
Ineffective managers are known to delegate a lot in
order that they can be free to think, but what this does is prevent them from
working with and through people mentally, and thus not
getting the most of their resources. We find that this wasn’t the case with
Umar, who made sure to have a knowledgeable body of companions (AlQurra) close
to him, in order to consult them. In addition to this, we find that he didn’t
establish the Hijri calendar entirely on his own, but through consultation with
Ali ibn Abi Talib. [Tarikh al Islam
by Imam Dhahabi]
Another resource which Umar bin Khattab took
advantage of was time. It was part of his daily routine to visit the homes of
soldiers who were on the battlefield and ask their women if they needed
anything from the market. He would personally deliver letters to them from their men, supply them with paper and ink to write back, and if they were illiterate, he would write letters for them. He would patrol the city at night,
making sure that everyone under his leadership was taken care of, and has been
reported to have said to Mu’awiyah ibn Sufyan:
“If I slept during the
day I would have neglected the people, and if I slept during the night I would
have neglected myself. How can I sleep when I have these two concerns, O
Mu’aawiyah?”"[Futooh Misr Wa Al-Maghrib, p.105]
He was also an effective leader;- one who influenced change
and gave people direction.
He struck a perfect balance in his dealings with
people, and was never too proud to accept advice, nor too soft that people
walked all over him.
Once Umar left to see Allah’s Messenger in whose company there were some Quraishi women who were talking to him and asking him for more financial support raising their voices. When Umar asked permission to enter the women got up (quickly) hurrying to screen themselves. When Allaah’s Messenger admitted Umar, Allah’s Messenger was smiling, Umar asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! May Allaah keep you happy always.”
Allah’s Messenger said, “I am astonished at these women who were with me. As soon as they heard your voice, they hastened to screen themselves."
Umar said, "O Allah’s Messenger! You have more right to be feared by them.” Then he addressed (those women) saying, “O enemies of your own souls! Do you fear me and not Allah’s Messenger?”
They replied. “Yes, for you are a fearful and fierce man as compared with Allah’s Messenger”
On that Allah’s Messenger said (to Umar), “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, whenever Shaytan sees you taking a path, he follows a path other than yours.” [Sahih Bukhari]
And yet he was a man who had two black lines across his cheeks, due to frequent weeping. A man whom Anas ibn
Malik said,
"One day, I heard Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s voice,
and so I went out and followed him. He soon entered a garden, and even though
the two of us were separated by a wall, with him on the inside [and me on the
outside,] I could hear him say, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab is the Leader of
Believers. Indeed! by Allaah, O small son of Al-Khattab, you will fear Allaah,
or He will indeed punish you.’"
He was a leader who once
delivered a sermon saying, ‘O people, whoever among
you sees any crookedness in me in my character, my deals, my action, then let
him straighten out that crookedness.’ A man from the audience called out,
"By Allah, were we to see any crookedness in you, we would have
straightened it out with our swords.’ Umar then said, All praise is for Allaah,
who has placed in this nation someone who will straighten the crookedness of
Umar with his sword.’” [Akhbaar
Umar (pg 231,232) and Ar-Riyaadh an Nadirah.]
A leader who would go out in the darkness of the night to look after and tend to a blind, crippled old lady. [Abu Nu'aym in his Hilya (vol. 1 pg. 48)]
A leader who would
poke his rumbling stomach during the year of the Ashes (drought and famine) and
say, ‘Rumble as much as you want, for indeed, I will feed you nothing other
than this until the situation of the people improves.’ [Al-Hilyah (1/48)]
A leader who
possessed a great deal of wisdom, and who used to say,
"The one who
laughs too much loses dignity; one who jokes too much loses respect; whoever
does something a great deal, becomes known for it; one who speaks a great deal
makes mistakes; one who makes many mistakes loses his sense of dignity. Whoever
loses his sense of dignity loses his God-fearing and whoever loses his
God-fearing is spiritually dead."— [Sifatus-Safwah
(1/287)]
And
He was a leader, whom the Prophet said:
‘If there were to be a Prophet after
me it would have been Umar al-Khattab.’
[ Narrated by Uqbah bin Aamir, & collected by Ahmad, Tirmidhee &
Hakim, & made Hasan by al-Albaanee in Saheehah (327) ]
References:
https://www.sayingsofthesalaf.net/name/umar-b-al-khattab/page/2/
http://islamichistory.org/umar-ibn-al-khattab-amongst-the-most-influential-people-of-all-time/
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