Qualities of a king (elected representative): Chanakya
THE KING
[An ideal king is one who has the highest qualities of leadership, intellect, energy and personal attributes.]
The qualities of leadership (which attract followers) are: birth in a noble family, good fortune, intellect and prowess, association with elders, being righteous, truthful, resolute, enthusiastic and disciplined, not breaking his promises, showing gratitude [to those who help him], having lofty aims, not being dilatory, being stronger than neighbouring kings and having ministers of high quality.
The qualities of intellect are: desire to learn, listening [to others], grasping, retaining, understanding thoroughly and reflecting on knowledge, rejecting false views and adhering to the true ones.
An energetic king is one who is valorous, determined, quick and dexterous.
As regards personal attributes, an ideal king should be eloquent, bold and endowed with a sharp intellect, a strong memory and a keen mind. He should be amenable to guidance.
He should be well trained in all the arts and be able to lead the army.
He should be just in rewarding and punishing. He should have the foresight to avail himself of the opportunities (by choosing) the right time, place and type of action.
He should know how to govern in normal times and in times of crisis. He should know when to fight and when to make peace, when to lie in wait, when to observe treaties and when to strike at an enemy’s weakness. He should preserve his dignity at all times and not laugh in an undignified manner. He should be sweet in speech, look straight at people and avoid frowning. He should eschew passion, anger, greed, obstinacy, fickleness and backbiting. He should conduct himself in accordance with the advice of elders. {6.1.2-6}
COUNCILLORS AND MINISTERS
A councillor or minister of the highest rank should be a native of the state, born in a high family and controllable [by the king]. He should have been trained in all the arts and have logical ability to foresee things. He should be intelligent, persevering, dexterous, eloquent, energetic, bold, brave, able to endure adversities and firm in loyalty. He should neither be haughty nor fickle. He should be amicable and not excite hatred or enmity in others. 3 {1.9.1}
[The king should appoint advisers in different grades of the hierarchy, depending on how many of the qualities described above they possess].
Those who have all the qualities are to be appointed to the highest grade (as Councillors), those who lack a quarter to the middle grades and those who lack a half to the lowest grades. {1.9.2}Also:
Also:
THE ROLE OF THE KING IN PROTECTING AND PROMOTING WELFARE
Since the king is synonymous with the Kautilyan state, we first note the kind of attitude and behaviour that Kautilya recommends for him. The verse used as the epigraph to this book, ‘In the happiness of his subjects lies his own happiness…’ summarizes it. A king should be well trained (III.i) and practise self-control (III.ii). An ideal king is one who has the highest qualities of leadership, intellect, energy and personal attributes {6.1.2-6} and behaves like a sage monarch, a rajarishi.
Among other things, a rajarishi is one ‘who is ever active in promoting the yogakshema of the people and who endears himself to his people by enriching them and doing good to them’ {1.7.1}. The word, yogakshema, is a compound made up of yoga, the successful accomplishment of an objective and kshema, its peaceful enjoyment. Thus, peaceful enjoyment of prosperity, i.e. the welfare of the people, is given as much importance as knowledge, self-control and observance of dharma.
A king should not only obey his own rajadharma but also ensure that his subjects obeyed their respective dharma. For, ‘when adharma overwhelms dharma, the king himself will be destroyed’ {3.16.42}. Hence, a wicked prince, who hates dharma and is full of evil, should not be installed on the throne, even if he is an only son {1.17.51}. In fact, Kautilya prefers an ignorant king who had not been taught dharma to a wicked king who, in spite of his learning, deviates from it {8.2.12}.
The king’s own dharma is to be just, impartial and lenient in protecting his people {8.2.12; 3.10.46; 1.19.33,34; 3.1.41; 3.20.24}. The king’s attitude to his people should be like that of a father towards his children, particularly when any danger threatened the population {4.3.43}.
He should treat leniently, like a father, those in new settlements whose tax exemptions had ceased to be effective {2.1.18}. Discontented and impoverished people might be provoked to revolt; they may then kill their king or go over to the enemy {7.5.27; 1.19.28}.
The king should not tax the people unjustly because ‘that will make the people angry and spoil the very sources of revenue’ {5.2.70}.
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Top 5 Qualities of Good Political Leaders
Deciding which candidate to vote into office is simply a matter of party affiliation for many people. Others, however, cast their votes based on specific characteristics they look for in their candidate of choice. So what are the qualities or characteristics good political leaders should possess? Here are the top 5 characteristics of some of the world’s most successful political leaders.
Deciding which candidate to vote into office is simply a matter of party affiliation for many people. Others, however, cast their votes based on specific characteristics they look for in their candidate of choice. So what are the qualities or characteristics good political leaders should possess? Here are the top 5 characteristics of some of the world’s most successful political leaders.
Honesty
Being honest can sometimes be difficult because it makes individuals vulnerable. It reveals who we really are and discloses our mistakes, which gives others the opportunity to criticize or reject openly. Honesty develops character and builds credibility and trust, which are the foundation to evoke confidence and respect from those around you, and in the case of political leaders, teammates and constituents.
Compassion
Compassion is the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something to alleviate that suffering. While many see compassion as a weakness, true compassion is a characteristic that converts knowledge to wisdom. Good political leaders use compassion to see the needs of those he or she leads and to determine the course of action that would be of greatest benefit to all those involved.
Integrity
The word integrity is defined as ‘the adherence to moral and ethical principles; the soundness of moral character.’ It is a synonym for honesty and uprightness, and is a vital characteristic for those in political leadership. Political leaders who possess integrity can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might benefit them to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers. This requires the highest standard of integrity.
Confidence
Having confidence in a political leader is about having faith or belief that he or she will act in a right, proper, or effective way. A good political leader needs to be both confident in himself or herself as well in their ability to lead. Leaders who possess this quality inspire others, drawing on a level of trust which sparks the motivation to get others on board and get the job done.
Flexibility
Flexibility for a political leader is about understanding the give-and-take aspects of politics, and the ability to find the common ground. Good politicians listen carefully to all sides, to not only hear their arguments but to especially learn what it will take on behalf of all parties involved to reach a consensus. This characteristic allows political leaders to recognize setbacks and criticism, to learn from them and move forward.
Great Political Leaders
Great political leaders have all of these qualities - and more. Each aspires to respect different views, analyze problems, and identify the best solutions - not based on loyalty to political party, but rather based on what is good and right and in the best interest of the nation as a whole.
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7 Leadership Qualities To Becoming A King
WRITTEN BY HAROLD HERRING. .
Remember the old game show “Name That Tune.” Well, it’s your turn to play and name this tune.
“I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing:
Each time I find myself, flat on my face,
I pick myself up and get back in the race.”
If you said “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra. . .you’d be right and win the Daily Double.
You may have been a pawn. . .a pauper. . .feeling like you down, over and out.
However, I’m here to tell you. . .it’s time for you to take your rightful place as a king.
It’s time for Harold Herring (personalize) to take his rightful place as a king.
Here are seven leadership qualities to becoming. . .not just a king. . .but a rich one.
1. Make a life-changing decision to seek wisdom.
A successful king should understand that ignorance is a choice. Stupidity is a choice. Wisdom is a choice. And yes, you guessed it. The choice is yours.
Proverbs 4:5 says:
“Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.”
“Get wisdom” doesn’t sound like a suggestion. . .rather, it’s a command.
Not only does your Heavenly Father want you to get wisdom. . .He does not want you to forget it.
The best way to “forget it not” is by reading and confessing what you’ve read. . .over and over. . .until it’s engrafted within you.
The New Living Translation says when you “get wisdom” you “develop good judgment.”
The Contemporary English Version concludes the verse with these words “…and do what I say.”
Look at the last four words of the Contemporary English Version of Proverbs 4:5 which says:
“Be wise and learn good sense; remember my teachings and do what I say.”
“Do what I say.”
Getting wisdom is a process. . .a continual process. . .and it involves confessing the wisdom you get.
The Bible is also very clear what happens as a result of your commitment to get wisdom. You get a future with a reward.
Proverbs 24:14 in the Amplified Bible says:
“So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.”
If you have wisdom. . .you can get wealth but without wisdom you will never get nor keep wealth.
Wealth should never be your greatest strength. . .the source of your ultimate protection.
Wealth and wisdom are your defense so you will not have to live unimportant, unrecognized, unprotected, unappreciated, unwilling, unfruitful and unproductive lives.
2. Knowledge allows you to make wise choices
Proverbs 19:2 in the Amplified Bible says:
“Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark.”
We need to establish there is a distinct difference between wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Exodus 31:3 says:
“And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.”
The Amplified Bible translation of Exodus 31:3 says:
“And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and ability, in understanding and intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.”
One more translation for further clarification. Exodus 31:3 in the New Living Translation says:
“I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.”
Wisdom gives you ability. Understanding gives you the intelligence to figure things out. Knowledge gives you the expertise to make things happen.
God must really want us to understand the distinctions because there is only one word difference in Exodus 31:3 and Exodus 35:31 which says:
“And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.”
Get it. . .got it. . .live it.
3. Avoid wrong associations cause you to do stupid, if not, evil things.
You can be wise, successful, wealthy and stupid all at the same time simply because of your associations.
King Solomon had unheard of riches and wisdom.
2 Chronicles 9:22 says:
“And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”
Every King was required to write out a copy of the law for themselves and read it on a continual basis so there would be no excuse for their ignorance.
At some point in his life. . .King Solomon either ignored or forgot the prophetic writings of Moses found in Deuteronomy 17:17 in the New Living Translation which says:
“The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. . ..”
The king must not take many wives because they will turn his heart away from the Lord.
Now before I go any further. . .you have to wonder how smart Solomon really was. I mean 700 wives. It would take him two years just to spend one night with each of his wives. . .not to mention time with the concubines. That’s 1,000 women.
With no disrespect intended. . .do you know of a wife who would be happy being with her husband or lover only one night every three years?
1 Kings 11:1 says:
“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites.”
Maybe that’s it. . .King Solomon loved strange women whose ideas were far from God.
Nehemiah 13:26 says:
“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.”
Even when you mess up. . .God still loves you.
Now here’s some really good news.
1 Corinthians 10:13 in the Message Bible says:
“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.”
4. A good name is better than riches walk in integrity
Proverbs 10:9 says:
“He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.”
Okay, I’m going to share the Message Bible translation simply because I found it funny.
“Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed.”
“Shifty is sure to be exposed.”
Proverbs 22:1 says:
“A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
Ecclesiastes 7:1 says:
“A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.”
A good name is the result of integrity, character and reputation.
Once a good name is tarnished, it is most difficult to ever restore. Please note that I said difficult to restore . . . not impossible.”
Zephaniah 3:20 in the New Living Translation says:
“On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction, among all the nations of the earth, as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Let’s look at Proverbs 22:1 in the Message Bible:
“A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.”
In a real sense the amount of money that you have in the bank and/or your life is primarily determined today by whether or not you have a good name.
5. Serving Him with humility brings a certain reward.
If you want to know what is required for EVERY believer to achieve riches, honor and the good life read Proverbs 22:4 which says:
“By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”
This is one of those. . . “if you do this” . . . “then you will get that” verses in the Bible. I like this kind of verse because it takes all the guessing and wondering out of it.
The Amplified Bible translation of Proverbs 22:4 says:
“The reward of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”
There’s a reward when we adhere to, obey and enact the things that God tells us to do.
The Contemporary English Version of Proverbs 22:4 says:
“Respect and serve the LORD! Your reward will be wealth, a long life, and honor.”
The scripture is very clear . . .if we live our lives in humility . . . fearing the Lord, then He will give us “. . . wealth [riches], a long life and honor.”
If you look up wealth, riches, a long life and honor in the Strong’s Concordance, the words all mean exactly what you think they mean.
Riches (H6239) means: “wealth, riches.”
Honor (H3519) means: “glory, honour, glorious, abundance, riches.”
Long life (H2416) means: “living, alive, active.”
God says what He means in His Word . . .there is no equivocation. . .there are no footnotes in the small print.
If we want “wealth [riches], a long life and honor” in our lives, then He tells us how to ensure, even guarantee the manifestation.
Live in humility . . .fear Him . . . and you will have riches, honor and a life worth living.
6. Leadership starts with you. It's you setting the example.
Exodus 18:21 in the Message Bible says:
“And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten.”
What kind of leader should you be looking for?
Profiling has become a No-No word because of all the politically correct people. . . .but that’s exactly what it takes in building a leadership team.
Psalm 112 offers an excellent description of the character qualities you want to be looking out for in a leader. Not only that but these characteristics should be duplicable in the members of your leadership team.
A good leader will give favor and blessings to others.
Psalm 112:5 in the King James Version says:
“A good man sheweth favour. . .”
Psalm 112:5 in the Amplified Bible says:
“It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.”
A real leader will not fear any evil or tricks of the enemy.
Psalm 112:7 in the Amplified Bible says:
“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.”
A leader will be respected in his community.
Genesis 6:9 in the Message Bible says:
“This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
A leader will be stand with and before other leaders.
The Amplified Bible translation of Proverbs 22:29 says:
“Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
When you develop the right kind of leaders. . .needs are met and everyone’s life is more peaceful.
Exodus 18: 23 in the Message Bible says:
“If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also."
7. Remove the limits.
One of the dumbest things anybody. . .especially a leader. . .could ever do would be to limit God. . .which also limits them.
Matthew 19:26 says:
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Mark 9:23 in the God’s Word Translation:
“Jesus said to him, “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.”
This scripture just ignites my faith and stirs by spirit to new levels of expectation. . “. . .everything is possible for the person [that’s me!; that’s you!] who believes.”
There is no limitation to our manifestation.
All things are possible . . .anything . . . no matter how illogical to the natural mind . . . can happen in our lives. . .as we exercise our faith and believe.
The scripture also says there is nothing impossible to those who believe.
Luke 1:37 in the Amplified Bible says:
“For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”
In God, there are no limitations. Through Him, you have no limitations as long as it lines up with His Word.
The thing about scripturally ignorant statements is that they become limitations to the person doing the speaking. . .self-imposed, self-maintaining and self-defeating. It has nothing to do with God.
It is a choice and you have only to change your way of thinking and speaking.
One final thought.
Someone once defined hell as the day the person you became meets the person you could have become.
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7 Leadership Qualities, Attributes & Characteristics Of Good Leaders, By Brian Tracy
Many leadership qualities have been observed throughout history.
Some were adopted by bad leaders while others were exhibited by good leaders.
In either case, the characteristics of those in charge correlated to their ability to accomplish their goals. Just as importantly, those same traits determined how much – or how little – their followers looked up to them.
Fortunately, you can put history on your side and use the learnings from others to develop admirable leadership strengths.
Here’s the deal:
There are seven specific qualities of good leaders that stand out as contributing to their greatness.
The good news is that each of these leadership attributes, characteristics, and traits can be learned through practice and repetition.
Leadership Qualities List For Quick Reference
The best qualities of good leaders are:
Vision
Courage
Integrity
Humility
Strategic planning
Focus
Cooperation
What Makes A Good Leader Great?
Great leaders find the balance between business foresight, performance, and character. They have vision, courage, integrity, humility and focus along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyze cooperation amongst their team.
7 Leadership Qualities Of Great Leaders
Here are the seven most identified qualities of great leaders and executives:
1. Vision
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” – Jack Welch
Great leaders have a vision… They can see into the future.
They have a clear, exciting idea of where they are going and what they are trying to accomplish and are excellent at strategic planning.
This quality separates them from managers. Having a clear vision turns the individual into a special type of person. This quality of vision changes a “transactional manager” into a “transformational leader.”
While a manager gets the job done, great leaders tap into the emotions of their employees.
2. Courage
“Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it, all others depend.” – Winston Churchill
One of the more important qualities of a good leader is courage. Having the quality of courage means that you are willing to take risks in the achievement of your goals with no assurance of success. Because there is no certainty in life or business, every commitment you make and every action you take entails a risk of some kind.
Among the seven leadership qualities, courage is the most identifiable outward trait.
3. Integrity
“With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.” – Zig Ziglar
In every strategic planning session that I have conducted for large and small corporations, the first value that all the gathered executives agree upon for their company is integrity. They all agree on the importance of complete honesty in everything they do, both internally and externally.
The core of integrity is truthfulness.
Integrity requires that you always tell the truth, to all people, in every situation. Truthfulness is the foundation quality of the trust that is necessary for the success of any business.
4. Humility
Humility gets results. Larry Bossidy, the former CEO of Honeywell and author of the book Execution, explained why leadership characteristics, such as humility, make you a more effective leader:
“The more you can contain your ego, the more realistic you are about your problems. You learn how to listen, and admit that you don’t know all the answers. You exhibit the attitude that you can learn from anyone at any time. Your pride doesn’t get in the way of gathering the information you need to achieve the best results. It doesn’t keep you from sharing the credit that needs to be shared. Humility allows you to acknowledge your mistakes.” – Larry Bossidy
Great leaders are those who are strong and decisive but also humble.
Humility doesn’t mean that you’re weak or unsure of yourself. It means that you have the self-confidence and self-awareness to recognize the value of others without feeling threatened.
This is one of the rarer attributes – or traits – of good leaders because it requires containment of one’s ego.
It means that you are willing to admit you could be wrong, that you recognize you may not have all the answers. And it means that you give credit where credit is due – – which many people struggle to do.
5. Strategic Planning
“Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: it’s the starting point.” – Henry Mintzberg
Great leaders are outstanding at strategic planning. It’s another one of the more important leadership strengths. They have the ability to look ahead, to anticipate with some accuracy where the industry and the markets are going.
Leaders have the ability to anticipate trends, well in advance of their competitors. They continually ask, “Based on what is happening today, where is the market going? Where is it likely to be in three months, six months, one year, and two years?” They do this through thoughtful strategic planning.
Because of increasing competitiveness, only the leaders and organizations that can accurately anticipate future markets can possibly survive. Only leaders with foresight can gain the “first mover advantage.”
6. Focus
“Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them. – Jack Canfield
Leaders always focus on the needs of the company and the situation. Leaders focus on results, on what must be achieved by themselves, by others, and by the company. Great leaders focus on strengths, in themselves and in others.
They focus on the strengths of the organization, on the things that the company does best in satisfying demanding customers in a competitive marketplace.
Your ability as a leader to call the shots and make sure that everyone is focused and concentrated on the most valuable use of their time is essential to the excellent performance of the enterprise.
7. Cooperation
“If your imagination leads you to understand how quickly people grant your requests when those requests appeal to their self-interest, you can have practically anything you go after.” – Napoleon Hill
Your ability to get everyone working and pulling together is essential to your success. Leadership is the ability to get people to work for you because they want to.
The 80/20 rule applies here:
Twenty percent of your people contribute 80 percent of your results.
Your ability to select these people and then to work well with them on a daily basis is essential to the smooth functioning of the organization.
Gain the cooperation of others by making a commitment to get along well with each key person every single day. You always have a choice when it comes to a task: You can do it yourself, or you can get someone else to do it for you. Which is it going to be?
Effective Leaders Are Also Strong Communicators
Another important trait that the best leaders strive to perfect is the ability to speak effectively and persuasively.
In fact, many tend to practice public speaking within their own businesses until they are ready to branch out into professional paid speaking gigs. Although talking in front of crowds is a top fear for the majority of us, conquering this fear is what makes a good leader become a great leader.
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14 Qualities of an Effective President of a Country: #14 is the Greatest of Them All
By Victorino Q. Abrugar
Under Article 7, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution, in order to serve as President, one must be at least 40 years old, a registered voter, able to read and write, a natural-born Filipino citizen, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding election. But those are only basic qualifications. We, the voters, must also set our own qualifications in choosing the right President to make sure that our country will have continuous progress and our children will have a brighter future.
The following qualities of an effective leader of our nation may be too idealistic, but I believe that we can still find some (if not all) of these traits in a person who is or who will be worthy to become the leader of our government.
1. Accountability. A good president understands that he (she) is the head of the state. When the nation falls, he acknowledges his responsibility rather than blame his subordinates. He recognizes himself as the father of the entire nation. Hence, he treats the local government unit leaders as his children, and take responsibility in helping them whenever they face problems.
2. Respect. A good leader of a country respects the constitution, abides the laws, and honors the decision of the Supreme Court. He also listen and respect the views of the common people.
3. Cohesiveness. An effective head of the government promotes unity among his people rather than causing them to divide and have meaningless fights.
4. Humility. An effective president admits his mistakes and weaknesses. He also acknowledges that he’s not good at everything. That is why he leaves the other tasks to the other branches of the government, such as the legislative and judiciary bodies.
5. Honesty. An effective leader upholds truth and integrity. He preserves the trust and confidence given to him by the people. And of course, he doesn’t embezzle the funds of the nation.
6. Independence. A strong president is not a puppet. His actions are not a product of impartial decisions. He’s not manipulated by oligarchs or a few people who are thirsty of power and wealth of a nation.
7. Wisdom. A wise president knows how to discern right from wrong. He knows how to make the right decisions. He shows maturity of the mind. His words provide power and enlightenment to all.
8. Courage. A great leader of a nation has the courage to execute the decisions that he believes are right. He’s not afraid to stand and fight for righteousness for the sake of his countrymen.
9. Compassion. An effective president understands what his people are going through. He can feel the sufferings of the oppressed and poor people. He is not arrogant, rather he’s gentle and uplifting to people who are suffering from misery and pain.
10. Action. A great leader is a role model of hard work. He walks his talk and inspires his people through his actions. He makes sure that his promises are done and not broken.
11. Proactivity. An effective leader of a country is not insecure and reactive. Instead, he possesses intuit and initiative to create solutions for the present and future problems.
12. Passion. Great leaders do their job with enthusiasm. They serve the public, not because they are compensated with money and fame, but because that is their mission in life.
13. Commitment. An effective head of the government is determined to realize his great visions and dreams for the nation. Patience and persistence manifest in him.
14. Love. Finally, an effective president of a country has a selfless love for his (her) people and for all the next generations. All of the qualities above are difficult to practice, but because of his love, he does his best to practice them all.
Patience, diligence, truthfulness, courage, confidence, self-control and other qualities of a great leader, it is real love that can bind them all.
Are the qualities above impossible to have by a leader of our nation? I believe if the leaders of other countries can have humility, integrity and love for their people, then Filipino leaders can also have the same.
Our world still have many great leaders. They are the main reasons why countries attain economic, social and human development. Countries like Singapore, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Norway and Sweden are known to have the least corrupt politicians in the world. And the success of these countries are largely contributed to their great leadership. Although the citizens are vital in developing any country, the head of the government or state has the main responsibility to lead that progress. That’s why they are called leaders or heads in the first place.
This article is not meant to oust presidents that don’t pass our own qualifications. This post only aims to give us a guide in choosing the right president during elections. We have to respect the votes made by the majority of the people. Therefore, we have to wait for the next election, and become wiser citizens and voters of our nation.
However, that’s not also mean we have to keep quite when we see our leaders doing the opposite of what they have promised.
If we truly love and support our leaders, we have to be honest to them. We have to criticize them truthfully and tell them that… hey, you’re doing it wrong! Change your actions and lead us the right way!
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What are the characteristics of the head of state and rulers according to Islam? By YUKSEL CAYIROGLU
Islam does not establish provisions about how the Muslims should constitute a political organization due to the fact that it has a universal and flexible structure that can appeal to all time, place, and cultures; Islam only imposes fundamental principles and tenets, and leaves the details of the matters to the wisdom, experience, conditions, and time. Therefore, Islamic scholars had not focused on a particular form of a state or regime but rather concentrated on how to elect and dismiss a head of state (imam/caliph), his rights, duties, and especially the characteristics he should have. Aside from the literature of Al-Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah and Siyasatnama, the books, which had been written about Islamic ethics, studiously focused on the topic about what kind of characteristics should the rulers and primarily the head of state have in details.
Without a doubt, in order for such rulers, who hold great power and opportunities and have the duties of ruling the people, governing the country, and establishing the law, must have some superior abilities and qualifications compared to ordinary people in order to perform their duties properly. In this article, we are going to focus on the requirements of being a ruler not only by using the verses of the Quran and hadiths as a base, but also referring to the work which had been written in this field. Please be advised that some of these will be “minimum requirements”, while others will be “superior requirements”.
1- Competency and Merit
Undoubtedly, one of the most fundamental principles urged upon in Islam about the ruling is the consigning of the affairs in the hands of competent people. Surah An-Nisa established a discipline about the distribution of all kinds of public duties with the following lines: “Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due” (4/58). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had said “When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday)” to his companions one day, and upon receiving a question on how would that be possible, he had replied: “When the power or authority comes in the hands of unfit persons.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, 3).
The following hadith in Sahih Muslim describes what kind of punishment awaits the inadequate people who take over the ruling on the Day of judgment: “Authority is a trust. And on the Day of judgment, it is a cause of humiliation and repentance except for one who fulfills its obligations and (properly) discharges the duties attendant thereon.” “Sahih Muslim, Book 020, Number 4491)
Briefly, competency and merit mean the ability to successfully perform duties, responsibilities, and other work that comes together with the undertaken mission by the rulers. To make it more clear, all of the rulers and primarily the head of state must be decorated with enough knowledge and intelligence in order to perform their duties properly; power and capability to protect the rights of the people who are under their wings in order to see their needs; intention and determination to sustain rights and justice; leadership characteristics in order to manage and steer the people who back them.
Imam Al-Juwayni had stated that the most important qualification for the head of state is sufficiency(competency, merit), and also explained that other qualifications would be used to complete the sufficiency and overcome the other deficiencies. (Al-Juwayni, Ghiyath al-Umam, p. 315)
2- Sense of Responsibility
As it is well known, rulership is an office that brings very broad authorities and rights together. However, these authorities and rights will bring many cases of abuse and corruption in case they are not balanced with duties and responsibilities. And this will make the rulers despots and tyrants in due time. That is why Islam highlights responsibilities rather than authority and rights and reminded the rulers of their heavy responsibilities.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had stated the following in one of the well-known hadiths about the responsibilities of the rulers: “Beware. Every one of you is a shepherd and everyone is answerable with regard to his flock. The Caliph is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Ahkam, 1; Sahih Muslim, Bk 20, Number 4496) The word translated as “shepherd” is actually “rai”. This word means “the one who watches over, protects”. The reason for the shepherds to be called a “rai” is due to their responsibilities towards the animals he herds. It is aimed to provide the meanings rather than the literal meanings with such metaphors and representations. And the hadith emphasizes the responsibilities of the rulers over the people and underlines that they cannot take arbitrary actions with a fluent, collective, and great representation. And the following hadith focuses on the ethereal extent of the matter: “Allah will question them about their ruling over those He put under their guardianship.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Enbiya 50; Sahih Muslim, Imara 44)
The following words of Umar, which had been committed to paper for poetry by Mehmet Akif, is a great example of the sense of responsibility: “If a wolf steals a sheep near Tigris; Allah’s justice will ask Umar about it.”
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, who had been selected as the fifth caliph due to his perfectness about the ruling, had employed himself with the needs of the people throughout his caliphate and spent his nights with tears until the morning together with prayers and worship. Upon his wife’s question to him about why he pushes and tires himself this much, he had replied that Allah will question him about the situations of the poor, needy, captive, oppressed, victimized and other ones; he had also been afraid of the Prophet (PBUH) complain about him concerning these people, and thus stated that in order not to have any shortcomings in the presence of Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) not to present any evidence against himself. (Abu Yusuf, Kitabu’l-harac, p. 26)
3- Justice
If there was a question requesting the shortest possible answer about the duty of the rulers, the answer would be “securing justice” in a nutshell. In fact, the principle mentioned the most both in Quran and hadiths is justice. “O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah.” (Surah al Sad, 38:26) This verse of the Quran shows that the most important requirement of the government is justice. However, it is a fact that no one could expect justice from an individual who is not just himself.
Since the ruled will be affected whether the ruler is just or not, the Prophet (PBUH) had stated the following; “Justice is good but it is better if it exists in rulers.” (Daylami, Musnadul Firdaws, 3/92) When the seven groups of people are listed who will be under the shadow under the ninth heaven on the Day of Judgment, the first group is cited to be the “fair leaders”. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Adhan 36; Sahih Muslim, Zakat 91) In another hadith, our Prophet (PBUH) had stated that the most beloved and nearest of people to Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the just leader, and the most hated of people to Allah and the furthest from Him will be the tyrannical leader. (Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1329=
In another narration, our Prophet (PBUH) had stated the following about justice being the greatest reason for the salvation: “Even ruling ten people, the one will be brought with his hands encircled his neck on the Day of Judgement. Whether his justice will untie him or tyranny will destroy him.” (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 5/284)
Al-Mawardi explained justice with his following words: “Justice consists in being true in speech, manifest in his fulfillment of a trust, free of all forbidden acts, careful to guard himself against wrong actions, free of all doubt, equitable both when content and when angry, chivalrous and vigorous both in his deen and his worldly affairs. If, however, he is lacking in any of these qualities, his testimony is not accepted, his words are not accepted and his decisions are not executed. (Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya w’al Wilayat al-Diniyya, p. 113)
The opposite of justice is tyranny and desecration. According to this, the individual who loses his fairness is named a fasik (who sins openly) and tyrant. Allah states in the Quran that Abraham would be the leader (imam) of the people, Abraham asked for leaders from his descendants thereupon; however, Allah commanded: “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:124) Muhammed Hamdi Yazir interprets this verse: “Allah commanded that such tyrants will be absolutely deprived of such opportunity and Imamate is only entitled to the just ones. This verse is an evidence that a tyrant is not competent for the Imamate and it is necessary to remove an individual from the Imamate who is just in the beginning and starts oppressing at a later stage. Since there are multiple meanings of the plural names that have definiteness suffix, “az-zalimin” word includes all of the tyrants that will show up until the Day of Judgment. (Muhammed Hamdi Yazir, Hak Dini Kur’ân Dili, 1/492)
Imam Al-Juwayni questioned how an individual could embrace all of the affairs of the Muslims when not even scared of Allah after pointing out that a fasik individual, who uses taqwa and hamartophobia in the name of justice but actually deprived of such qualities, cannot be trusted for a dime and even the properties of this individual’s own son. According to him, the one, who cannot resist his/her own mind, an-nafs al-ammarah (a level to nurture nafs), and desires, and whose judgment is not capable of managing oneself, cannot rule over the Muslims. (Al-Juwayni, Giyasu’l-umem, p88/311)
4- Knowledge
By knowledge, the ulama actually means that the ruler should possess sufficient religious intelligence. Moreover, the majority of the scholars stipulated that the head of state must be capable of interpreting Islamic law; meaning the head of state should have enough religious knowledge in order to make provisions out of the verses of the Quran and hadiths. While some of them state this as a condition for being superior, some of them approve people who are less competent may also take over this duty if there is nobody who is capable of interpreting Islamic law.
From whatever point of view we analyze this matter according to the conditions of today; restricting the knowledge only to the religious knowledge means nothing but narrowing down the matter. Although it is very important for the ruler to have knowledge about religion, it is also very important to have enough knowledge in order to carry out the duties focusing on political, economic, sociologic, legal, and international affairs matters flawlessly. It is especially important for the head of state to know how to govern and administrate.
When Dawud had told the Israelis that Allah had appointed Saul (Talut) as the king of Israel, they had been very surprised and claimed that they had deserved this duty more than him. To justify for their objection, they pointed out the slimness of Saul’s property and wealth. And their Prophet had replied and justified Saul to be appointed as a king for them by stating that Allah endowed him with great wisdom and a strong body. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:247) This verse of the Quran shows that wisdom and physical sufficiency are prioritized for being the head of state; not the ancestry or the material wealth.
Similarly, after Joseph asked the king of the period, “Appoint me as the head of treasury of this country”, he pointed out his worthiness of this position by stating, “For I will protect your properties well (hafiz), and have great knowledge of management and ruling (alim).” (Surah Yusuf, 12:55) Similarly, Solomon had requested from Allah to grant him a kingdom such will not belong to anybody after himself (surah Al-Sad, 38:35); in another verse of the Quran, it was pointed out that he was endowed with great power of judgment and knowledge. (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:79)
Ibn Khaldun, who states that there are four requirements for the individual who is to be appointed as the caliph (head of state); knowledge, fairness, competence, and normal functioning sense organs. (Ibn Khaldun, Muhaddime, 1/273)
When political and ethical philosophers such as Al-Farabi and Ibn Rushd listed the qualifications that must be possessed by the head of state, they insistently focused on knowledge and wisdom. The view of Plato arguing that the head of state must be a philosopher had an influence over their opinion. Because, philosopher means an individual who chases truth, tries to understand the property with its literal meaning, and sees knowledge and wisdom as the greatest goal. Thus, when Ibn Rushd had listed the qualifications, he pointed out that the head of state must be naturally prone to the theoretical sciences; possess strong cognizance and understanding; be disposed to study science and different fields of science. (Ibn Rushd, Telhisu’s-siyase, p. 140)
5- Being Honored with The Trust and Love of the People
The hadith narrated by Umar is very important on this matter: “The best
of your rulers are those whom you love and who love you, who
invoke God’s blessings upon you and you invoke His blessings
upon them. And the worst of your rulers are those whom you
hate and who hate you and whom you curse and who curse you. (Sahih Muslim, Bk 20, Number 4573; Al-Tirmidhi, Fiten 77)
According to the Quran, after Moses helps the daughters of Shuaib for watering the livestock, one of the daughters advises their father to hire Moses and shows his strength and trustworthiness as a reason. (Surah Al-Qasas 28:26) Similarly, after the king states about Joseph, “Bring him to me. I will appoint him exclusively for myself”, and points out that he is a man of honor and is very trustworthy (mekinun emin). (Surah Yusuf, 12:54) There is no doubt that these verses of Quran highlight trustworthiness as the most important characteristics the individuals should posses who are to be rulers or officers.
Furthermore, many of the verses of the Quran points out that the prophets are trustworthy and reliable messengers. And the way to win the trust of the people lies behind being honest, faithful to the promises, being transparent, and never deceiving anybody. And being truthful is especially important for a head of state. Ibn Rushd points out that a head of state should love the truth and truths but hate lies. Because according to him, the one who loves trueness will love what is right, and the one who loves what is right shall not lie. (Ibn Rushd, Telhisu’s-siyase, p. 140)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) indicates how vital righteousness is for the head of state with his following hadith: “There are three types of people that Allah will not talk to them on the Day of Judgment nor will He mention them nor look at them and they will be tormented severely: an older adulterer, a lying king, and a poor but still arrogant person.” (Sahih Muslim, Iman 171)
Trust and reliance will bring love concomitantly. And it will not be possible for the people to be loved who are not trusted. It is not possible for the rulers, who cannot manage to build bridges of trust and love between themselves and the people, and thus cannot get the support of the people, to perform their duties duly.
As it is important that the head of state must be trustworthy in the eyes of the people for the salvation of the state and the happiness of the people; it is also important for the head of state to trust the people. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) states: “If the ruler treats people with suspicion, he will corrupt them.” (Sunan Abu Dawood 4889) Here is another hadith addressed to Muawiyah: “If you search for the faults of the people, you will corrupt them” (Sunan Abu Dawood 4888) These hadiths prohibit the heads of state to see their people as potential criminals and search for their secret affairs; in other words, it is prohibited to investigate their private and confidential lives.
6- High Moral Standing
Scholars, who had indited works about the morals and philosophy of Islam, such as Ibn al-Muqaffa, Al-Ghazali, Rumi (Mawlana), Al-Mawardi, Ibn Rushd, Abu Bakr al-Razi and Al-Farabi, pointed out that the rulers should possess more virtues and merits compared to ordinary people, and explained what kind of moral qualifications they must have. Because when individuals who are immoral, characterless, hypocrite, and marginal people become head of state or ruler, they will not be able to represent their office properly and start damaging their surroundings. Although the works in question include much long advice about the fact that the rulers should be moral, we are going to focus on a few topics we find important.
Undoubtedly, two of the most important moral virtues a head of state should possess are modesty and meekness. The best example for this is when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had said, “Be calm, for I am not a king. Verily, I am only the son of a woman who ate jerky.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah 3312) to somebody who had trembled with fear before him.
The following statement of Umar aims at the prohibition of rulers lording it over the people after he had found out that Amr ibn al-As placed a pulpit to the mosque in Egypt: “It has come to my notice that you have built a pulpit by means of which you stand above the shoulders of the Muslims, which is the same as your standing with the Muslims under your heel. I command you to dismantle the pulpit.” (Ibn Khaldun Muqaddimah, 1/358)
Factors such as offices held by the rulers, the power and government they possess, the attention and interest of the people are potential reasons for conceit and pride. Thus, Pharaoh, who had been deceived by these, had found the courage of saying “I am your most exalted lord.” (Surah An-Naziat 79:24). The scholars and believers of Allah, who had been aware of this, had always reminded the people always to be humble; the offices and opportunities they had possessed are temporary; advised them that they will be questioned one day about all of the opportunities they possessed. Because a ruler, who is addicted to his nafs (self) and founders in egoism, will not have the chance to focus on the affairs of his people due to the fact that he will always be busy with contemplating his own accounts and future.
One of the other most accentuated moral virtues about this matter is for the rulers to keep their distance from wastage and luxury, and not to be addicted to pleasure and taste. A ruler, whose heart is filled with the love of property, office, and reputation, will only be satisfied with palaces, extravagant tables, pompous goods, luxurious cars/planes, and this ruler will waste away the money of the people in order to reach these things. Abu Dhar al-Ghifari confronted Muawiyah because of the palace he had built in Damascus, and told him, “If you are building this palace with your own money, it is an extravagance, and if with the money of the people, it is treason.”
It is only a dream to expect the rulers, who are the slaves of their nafs, to postpone their own pleasures in exchange for social happiness. It is a complete misfortune and disaster for the country due to the fact that it is more important for such rulers to protect their own interests and guarantee their own futures. However, the rulers, who possess supreme politeness, successfully manage to avoid the simple desires of their nafs, and prioritize the interests of the people, are the ones to bring peace, security, and tranquility to the country they rule.
Another requirement pointed out for the rulers is their willingness towards staying away from the crimes and sins such as taking bribes, favoritism, and corruption which will corrupt the political order altogether. Like Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had damned the people who take bribes (Al-Tirmidhi, Ahkam 9), he had explained that even a tiny needle will be asked for and that individual will be disgraced on the Day of Judgement: “Who from you is appointed by us to a position of authority and he conceals from us a needle or something smaller than that, it would be misappropriation (of public funds) and will (have to) produce it on the Day of Judgment.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 20, Number 4514) According to this information, imagine the situation of the rulers on the Day of Judgment after they siphon off the properties of the people and abuse their trust.
Another example of this abuse occurs when the competency and merit are substituted with favoritism and partisanship for the civil service assignments. In fact, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had explained that should people transfer their duties to less competent people, they will be considered as if they betrayed Allah (SWT), His Apostle (PBUH), and all of the Muslims. (Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, 4/104)
7- Supervising People’s Affairs
The Prophet (PBUH) had explained the most important characteristics of the rulers in his following statement: “Whoever is concerned for the needs of his brother, Allah (SWT) is concerned for his needs, and whoever relieves a Muslim of a burden, Allah (SWT) will relieve him of a burden from the burdens of the Day of Judgement, and whoever covers the faults of a Muslim, Allah (SWT) will cover his faults on the Day of Judgement. (Jami At-Tirmidhi vol. 3, 1426; Abu Dawud, Harac 13)
On the other hand, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) denigrated the rulers who misguide and deceive the people in the following hadiths: “The only fear I have for my Ummah are astray leaders (who will lead them astray)” (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 5/278); “If any ruler having the authority to rule Muslim subjects dies while he is deceiving them, Allah will forbid Paradise for him.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 89, Number 265; Sahih Muslim Bk 1, Number 0262)
The following hadith explains to what extent the head of state and rulers should take care of the people under their rulership: “As long the one appointed a ruler for the Muslims among my Ummah protects and looks after the people he rules the way he protects and looks after his family, shall not even smell the fragrance of Paradise.” (Al Mu’jam Al Kabir Tabarani, el-Mu’cemu’l-sagîr, 2/137)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had reminded that the head of state should be soft on the people and adopt fair treatment in his following hadith: “Oh Allah! Treat those the same who contempt and raise difficulties after taking over duties concerning my Ummah, and treat those the same who treats them well after taking over the duties concerning them.” (Muslim, al-Imarah, 19)
When Izz ad-Din Kaykawus, one of the sultans of the Seljuqs of Rum, had requested advise from Rumi (Mawlana), Rumi replied the following: “What advice should I give? They have made you a shepherd and you act like a wolf. They have made you a watchman and you act like a thief.” (Ahmet Eflaki, Legends of the Sufis, 1/413)
When the head of state and rulers, who are entrusted with the lives and properties of the people, start threatening these values themselves, they will end up deceiving the people just like mentioned in the hadiths above. Imam al-Ghazali assiduously pointed out that the head of state must be easily accessible, must not wall the people in and create Mabeyni Humayun (office of the private secretary for the Ottoman Empire), and stated that the time spent by the head of state for the peace and happiness of the people is more virtuous than supererogatory prayer. (Al-Ghazali, The Counseling Kings, s. 85)
8- Other Requirements
Further to aforesaid, it had been pointed out that the person who would be taking the responsibilities of being a head of state must be healthy and in good physical shape; have the features of being a Muslim, adolescent, and intelligent, and the status of the people who had been slaves or captives had been a matter of debate since it had been stated that the individual must be free for the responsibility.
Another debate about being a head of state had been the matter of masculinity. While the majority of the ulama class had stipulated this requirement judging from some of the hadiths; the others had argued that females also can be qualified as a head of state by referring to the verses of Quran about Al-Malikah Balqīs, the Queen of Sheba.
Especially the first-period Islamic scholars had stated that the head of state should be a member of the Quraysh tribe but scholars such as Imam Al-Baqillani and Ibn Khaldun had interpreted the matter in a different way and stated that this requirement is not mandatory or valid for the future periods.
We would like to content ourselves with this short explanation since further separate studies are required due to the fact that there is a lot of debating going on around this matter, and it is a fact that some of them do not have any practical value today. However, we would like to state that these requirements are directly related to performing the duties in excellence, and they do not concern the essence of the matter.
Dr. Yuksel Cayiroglu is a scholar focusing on Islamic Law and Theology.
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