Blueprint

for

change

Lessons from the Life of the Prophet

Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) on How to

change the world

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction

II. The Hero Within

III. Waiting for Superman

IV. The Prophet SAW as a Role Model

V. Qualities of a Change Maker

VI. The Blueprint

1. Change Yourself

2. Change Your Family

3. Change Your Friends

4. Change Your Community

5. Change the World

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I. Introduction

There is much despair in the world with many of the wars, violence, poverty, hunger,

homelessness and the list goes on and on of the many challenges the world faces. In these

times it’s too easy for despair to turn into helplessness. Others may feel apathy, but for those

who actually feel despair—it’s actually a good sign that your heart is alive.

"The Believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like one

body: if one organ complained, the rest of the body develops a fever." [Bukhari &

Muslim]

Thus, the feeling of sadness is natural and a sign that your heart is alive and is attached

to others in mutual love, caring and mercy. The worst heart is the hardened heart that

doesn’t feel and is apathetic to the condition of others. What is important in these difficult

times is to keep the trials, tribulations and hardships of the world in perspective. The key is

to not let despair or sadness turn into hopelessness. Tests from Allah are inevitable and

opportunities for us to get close to Him.

“Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He tests

them, and whoever accepts it attains His pleasure, whereas whoever shows

discontent with it incurs His wrath.”

Narrated and classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi (2396); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in

as-Silsilah as-Saheehah, no. 146

“Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah

will raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5641) and Muslim (2573)

Alhamdullilah (praise be to Allah), we’ve been given a blueprint for how to change the

condition of the world around us in the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon

him) and his life. He dealt with everything from societal immorality to political, military,

economic and personal challenges. Virtually at all levels of his life he faced pressure and

overcame them with not only his faith and help from Allah, but also through his actions.

Islam is not a religion in the sense that it’s relegated to the masjid or books. Nor is it an

academic exercise. Islam is a way of life that guides a Muslim in every level of his or her life

and actions. Islam inspires Muslims to become beings of higher spiritual and intellectual

levels. Islam (for it to be effective) must be translated from ideal to action. Many Muslims

claim to be Muslim and claim to adhere to Islamic beliefs, values and ethics, but their actions

say otherwise. What is needed is for Muslims to go back and educate themselves about their

faith from valid and legitimate sources.

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It’s often said repeatedly, “Muslims need to go back to the Quran and Sunnah” to improve

our condition. This is true, but what’s more important is acting and living in accordance to

the Quran and Sunnah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was referred to by his

wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her as a “walking Quran.” This meant that he not only

recited the Quran and taught it, but also lived and acted upon the Quran. Thus, while

Muslims must “go back to the Quran and Sunnah” they must take that knowledge and

translate it into action.

The hope of this short paper is to show Muslims how to extract lessons from the life of the

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to empower themselves to make a positive impact

on the world around them and how to become “walking Qurans” that change the world.

II. The Hero Within

Society today encourages self-gratification, selfishness, consumerism, and egoism.

It’s rare to find individuals today who serve others selflessly. The challenge that

Muslims face living in the West are that they are affected by these social trends that

distract them from their purpose. Our purpose is not just to eat, drink, consume, work,

procreate, and die. This mode of living is similar to an animal. What makes us different

from animals? Man has intellect and has a purpose to worship Allah and serve others as

the Prophets (peace be upon them all).

Everyone of us is responsible in our own ways. We all have responsibilities:

“Each one of you is a shepherd. And each of you will be asked about

your flock. A ruler also is a shepherd and he will be asked about his flock.

And every man is a shepherd to his family. And every woman is the

custodian of her husband’s house and his children. Thus each one of you is

a shepherd and each one will be asked about his flock.”

[Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]

At the end of the day we are all responsible for the wellbeing of others whether we

like it or not. Our actions and words do have an impact. Our neighbors who live beside

us even have a right up on us.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.44 Narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar

Allah' Messenger (saws) said, "Jibrael (a.s.) kept on recommending me

about treating the neighbors in a kind and polite manner, so much so that I

thought that he would order (me) to make them (my) heirs!"

Thus, we’re not beings that live for ourselves and for our own gratification and

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satisfaction. We are all connected individuals on a world that is connected by a bond of

brotherhood and sisterhood. We serve ourselves by serving others. Islam is not

relegated to masjids, but is a way of life that transforms our souls and hearts and from

there we help transforms others.

So we live not for ourselves, but for the sake of Allah and to serve His creation to

serve Him. So when you help others, you’re helping yourself. In times of trials and chaos,

the key is not to despair and feel sad, but to empower yourself as the Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him did) and the many prophets (peace be upon them all)

before him persevered, kept their trust in Allah and worked towards success.

The common theme in the stories of the Quran are that the prophets and the

righteous needed to put in effort of their own to achieve victory. Prayer, supplication,

and trust in Allah alone was not sufficient. They had to put in work. Musa (peace be

upon him) had to throw his staff, Maryam (peace be upon her) had to shake the tree to

get dates, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had to go deliver the message of

Islam even despite losing his loved ones and closest companions. The key is to put in

effort and put in work. We must translate our belief into action.

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west,

but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the

angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to

relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for

freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who]

fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in

poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been

true, and it is those who are the righteous.

(Quran 2:177)

III. Waiting for Superman

We’ve all seen the movies or read the comic books of superheroes like Batman,

Superman and Spiderman and other superheroes. The stories are always the

same…the evil villain attacks a city or has some evil plot and the superhero comes

last minute to save the day. In our own lives we have this mentality. We expect

others to act other than ourselves. We all wait for a messiah-type figure to help solve

all of our problems. We invest so much hope into other and not in ourselves. Many

of us fail to act. We expect someone else to act and make a change. We put our faith

solely in the hands of our leaders be they imams, board members, politicians,

community service workers, and other activists. Yet, when it comes to a problem or

an issue within our own community we may criticize or be apathetic to the problem.

We have many instances of criticisms of masjid leadership or organizational

leadership and even political leadership, but when it comes to actually addressing

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the problem or issue there’s no one to be found. We become arm-chair quarterbacks

and coffee shop revolutionaries and relegate our “contributions” to the solution to

mere criticisms and judgments.

Now many of us may understand the above evidence above regarding our

responsibilities, but may not believe it to be true deep in our hearts enough that we

act upon it. For most of us, Islam is something that is private and shouldn’t be

shared with others. This is a problem for some Muslims if not most of us. We pray,

yet we continue to egregiously sin or keep the status quo of mediocrity in our lives.

We read the Quran, yet fail to understand its deeper meanings and lessons. We read

or hear about the seerah but don’t act upon the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad

SAW and implement it in our lives. Stories from the Quran and seerah are not

meant to be kept in books or used as bed time stories. Islam is meant to transform

our lives.

What good does it do us if we simply talk about how transformative Islam is to

people’s lives and not have Islam change our own lives? When Islam was given to

the companions it transformed them into leaders and activists who assisted the

Prophet SAW in his mission. Their mission was to ensure that his mission

succeeded. Thus, we need to ensure that Islam in our lives is playing a

transformative role and not just an academic or historical role.

Thus, we must not wait for Superman, but become Superman and solve the

problems of the world.

IV. The Prophet (SAW) as a Role Model

Many of us will agree that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the ultimate

role model of piety, righteous living and the importance of sunnah in our

lives to getting closer to Allah. However, many times when we hear or read

about the life of the Prophet SAW many of us don’t relate to his life, his

emotions and feelings, and his attributes. We often romanticize the life of the

Prophet SAW and make him sound like a superhuman being who had no

emotions or feelings and simply was a prophet who came and delivered a

message and died.

Yet, there is so much to extract and learn from his life, not only at a spiritual

level but at every level of our lives. We can learn from everything from how to

deal with our family to how to run our businesses, organizations and even

countries. There are more lessons that can be extracted in order to become

well-rounded individuals and learn how to become productive individuals at

a familial, spiritual, emotional, academic and societal level.

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The purpose of this document is to highlight some of the lessons from the life

of the Prophet Muhammad SAW of how to become change makers who

transform themselves, their family, friends, communities and the world. We

are given the blueprint of how to change ourselves and change the world

around us.

V. Qualities of A Change Maker

Many of us have heard or read about the beautiful attributes of the

Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but for our purposes we’ll list out the

qualities that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had that made his mission

and delivery of the message successful.

1. Respect and Trust of the People

Prior to receiving revelation the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was

known for his high moral character and one of his names was

“al-Amin” which means the trustworthy. Thus, it’s important that we

must have the respect and trust of the people we seek to serve. Yes,

the Prophet SAW was ridiculed, mocked and attacked for his message

of Islam, yet his high moral character overpowered his enemies and

showed the truth of the message of Islam. His high moral character

was infectious and was the reason for his companions and followers

to respect and love him. His high moral character could not be denied

by his enemies nor his companions. Thus, we must ensure that we are

of high moral character and ensure we are adhering to the principles

of the Quran and authentic sunnah.

2. Practicing What We Preach

This relates to the first point. We must be role models for others in all

aspects of our lives. We cannot advocate for women’s rights and then

abuse our wives at home, nor can we advocate for certain causes and

not practice what we preach. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was a

“walking Quran” and lived his life according to the Quran. We must

do the same and ensure that our spiritual, emotional and family

conditions are taken care of before we go out and try to change the

world. Change begins with oneself, then their family, then their

friends then the world. If we don’t practice what we preach it becomes

extremely difficult to encourage others to join your cause, project or

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organization.

3. Knowledge and Wisdom

Being knowledgeable about yourself, your purpose, and your cause is

crucial to being an effective leader. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

was knowledgeable and wise. He knew how to respond to certain

situations and people and knew how to teach, guide and empower his

companions and community. Thus, we must be knowledgeable about

not only ourselves, our purpose, and our cause we’re seeking to help

with, but we must educate ourselves about the Quran and the sunnah

to ensure that we have a foundation for all of our actions.

4. Focus and Vision

Good leaders have focus and vision. They set goals and live their lives

with purpose. The Prophet SAW had both of these qualities. He

envisioned a community of believers who would help lift the world

out of darkness. Without focus or vision or a goal to strive towards it

becomes hard to inspire others to follow you or take action

themselves.

5. Confidence and Determination

A good leader also has confidence. The Prophet SAW had confidence

in himself and his mission. Self-confidence and confidence can have a

viral effect in organizations and businesses. If a leader shows

self-confidence and exudes confidence it becomes easier to trust the

leader and to follow his lead. The Prophet SAW also had a firm

resolve in his mission and showed determination to see the message

reach everyone.

6. Positive Attitude

A good leader has a positive attitude. This doesn’t mean a leader is a

blind optimist, but understands that every success and failure is an

opportunity to learn from. The Prophet SAW always had a positive

attitude in the most difficult situations and with this understanding

7. Empowering and Inspiring Others

A good leader knows that to sustain any project, organization or

institution or movement it requires an entire team of dedicated

individuals. Islam did not spread due to the efforts of the Prophet

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SAW and Allah alone. The Prophet SAW was surrounded by his

companions who he empowered by identifying their strengths and

putting them in positions to contribute to the cause and make a

positive impact on the advancement of Islam.

8. A Plan of Action

A good leader has a plan of action and is organized. This helps inspire

confidence in a leader’s team or followers. The Prophet SAW was

focused and had a plan of action and was organized. The Prophet

SAW would make decisions and not waiver once a decision was made.

A good leader must do the same---make a decision and stick to it.

9. Resourceful

The Prophet SAW was resourceful and used all means within his

grasp to succeed in his mission. He tapped into the companions he

had for their talents, networks and relationships he had and his own

knowledge and experience to succeed in his mission.

10. Good Communicator

The Prophet SAW did not talk uselessly nor did he talk with no

purpose. A good leader communicates to his team or followers to

ensure they understand directions, plans and objectives. Good

communication is essential to ensure that there is no

misunderstanding or miscommunication that may hinder progress.

11. Open to Feedback and Consultation

The Prophet SAW was guided by Allah and made decisions based on

what Allah wanted, but the Prophet SAW used to seek advice and was

open to feedback from his companions as well. For example, in the

Battle of the Trench, the Prophet SAW took the idea of building the

trench from Salman al-Farsi who gave the Prophet SAW the idea of

building the trench. Feedback and consultation is important to

ensuring that a leader keeps his or her team or followers invested in

the decision making process and invested in the cause as well.

12. Flexible and Adaptable

The Prophet SAW was flexible and adaptable. He was open to other

ideas of his companions and adapted to several events where

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information and circumstances changed. Thus, a leader must ensure

he or she is flexible and adaptable to ensure the success of an

organization, cause or project. An inability to adapt and be flexible

can lead to disastrous consequences

13. Time Management and Discipline

Islam has a time management routine inbuilt into it with the 5 daily

prayers. The Prophet SAW used these opportunities to discipline his

community and companions. It’s important to be organized and have

a routine to ensure that the cause, organization or project are moving

forward and developing in an efficient manner.

14. Delegation of Tasks

The Prophet SAW delegated tasks to his companions. As was said

before a movement or organization cannot function with only one

person. To sustain a cause or organization it requires delegation of

tasks and for an entire team to work towards a goal.

15. Building Sustainability

The Prophet SAW built leaders who inspired other leaders. For him

quantity did not matter, quality mattered. Thus, he invested time,

energy and effort to teach his companions to become leaders who

would eventually lead the community of believers after his death.

Every leader needs to ensure that he or she invests time, energy and

effort into developing each and every follower and team member.

Also, a good leader must understand how to build a sustainable

model for the cause, organization or project to prosper after they

leave.

16. Understanding Strengths and Weaknesses

The Prophet SAW understood the strengths and weaknesses of his

community. He knew and understood his community’s strengths and

weaknesses and provided solutions and practices that were

reasonable for the average Muslim.

17. Humility

The Prophet SAW was humble and was not arrogant in his actions or

words. Although being a prophet of Allah he did not act in a

dictatorial manner and lived a humble lifestyle. Arrogant leadership

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will only turn away followers and potential team members from one’s

cause or organization.

18. Self-Aware

The Prophet SAW was self-aware and understood who he was, what is

role was and his relationship with Allah and his community. Thus, a

leader must understand who he or she is, what his or her role is and

what his or her purpose is in life. This is crucial to ensuring that a

leader knows how he or she will conduct their work and will play a big

role in their focus and direction.

19. Caring

The Prophet SAW genuinely cared for his people, his community and

the condition of his ummah. A leader must show genuine care for his

organization, team members, and followers. This must be shown in a

leader’s actions and words.

20. Tawakul

Last but not least, is keeping faith and trust in Allah. The Prophet

SAW throughout his entire mission kept trust in Allah. This is

important to have in mind

VI. The Blueprint

Now you may be asking yourself: “Ok, I understand, but where do I begin?

How do I change the world? I’m just one person. What can I do?” Below are

the steps based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

on the steps he took to change his community, society, and ultimately the

world.

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1) Change Yourself In order to even begin to change the world, we must change ourselves.

As is said in the Quran, Allah will not change the condition of a people until

they change themselves.

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change

what is in themselves. (Quran 13:11)

The life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the perfect

example of how one can transform and change themselves and at the same

time transform and change others for the better. The steps that the Prophet

Muhammad (SAW) took prior to receiving revelation was self-reflection and

introspection. He sought meaning and understanding of himself, his society,

and his purpose in life. In order for anyone to spark a change they must start

within themselves. They must ask themselves: Who am I? What am I? What

is my purpose? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What can

I offer my community?

2) Change Your Family

The first person the Prophet SAW approached after his experience in the

Cave of Hira was his beloved wife Khadijah RA. She consoled him and

comforted him and was the first to accept the message of Islam and

became his strongest supporter in his mission to spread Islam.

The Prophet SAW first began with his loved ones and his family and only

after he had delivered the message to his family he then went to his close

friends to deliver the message to them. The wisdom in this is that one

cannot be an advocate, activist or even a changemaker if they don’t care

of their families and exemplify the very values they advocate for. For

example, one cannot advocate for domestic violence victims if he or she is

violent within his or her home. That may be an extreme example, but

having a two-faced and hypocritical approach at home while serving

others is a model doomed to fail. An example in our history is the story of

Imam Malik ibn Anas. People had came and complained to him about the

severity of slavery and asked him to deliver a khutbah encouraging the

Muslims to free the slaves. However, Imam Malik ibn Anas waited for a

while until he delivered his khutbah to encourage the freeing of the slaves.

When he finally delivered the khutbah encouraging the Muslims to free

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the slaves people were rejoiced that he had done so but asked him why it

had taken him such a long time to deliver the khutbah. He replied:

“As for delaying the talk about your issue, when you asked me that, I

found that I did not possess a slave to set free before speaking about

freeing slaves and its merit. So I worked until I earned enough money to

buy a slave and then I freed him. Thereupon I delivered my khutbah

which in turn affected people’s souls. So praise be to Allaah who is the

source of all favors."

Exemplifying and establishing tranquility, peace and the moral and

ethical values you want to show others outside your home is crucial

before going out to advocate for a certain cause if you have not ensured

your family is following the same principles, morals and ethics you are

advocating for.

In addition to this an activist should not neglect his or her responsibilities

to their families. The Prophet SAW had a set schedule in which he would

serve his family, visit his wives, and help with house work. Having a

peaceful and stable home that is supportive of your work will help you be

a more effective change maker.

3) Change Your Friends The Prophet SAW solidified the understanding of Islam in the hearts and

minds of his closest family members, and then reached out to his close

friends to share the message of Islam with them. The key word is close

friends. Sharing your ideas and thoughts with just anyone can be a waste

of time and can leave you disheartened. Investing time and energy into

sharing your ideas and thoughts with your close friends who you’ve built

up strong a relationship with over time who you know will value your

thoughts and idea and show genuine interest.

Also, having close friends buy into the mission and vision of your cause

will help you not only help empower them, but also will help you to create

leaders and supporters for your cause. Investing quality time with your

close friends and building a team of supporters who are leaders can have

a large impact in the long run as your close friends will inspire and

empower others. The best leaders are the ones who don’t merely delegate

tasks, but help to create and inspire others to become leaders who

become strong leaders who inspires and empowers others as you did for

them.

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We see this in the example of the Prophet SAW as he identified certain

strengths of his companions and empowered them to contribute to his

mission. The companions in turn helped to inspired and empower other

companions. Invest time and energy into people and find their strengths

and empower them based on their strengths and give them opportunities

to make a positive impact.

4) Change Your Community

After rallying your close friends and interested individuals, it becomes

important to take your message and advocacy to the next level. The

Prophet SAW was ordered by Allah to convey the message of Islam to his

tribe and the people of Makkah and to begin conveying the message

publicly. As we know, he was met with unimaginable pain, rejection and

even violence from those he was seeking to help.

Strong Branding and Identity

The Prophet SAW sought to create a strong and confident community and

through his leadership he was able to inspire the early Muslims to adhere

to a strict moral and ethical conduct that was in accordance with his

sunnah and the Quran. The Quraish leadership and individuals who

sought to fight against and undermine the efforts of the Prophet SAW

could see the superior moral, ethical and personal mode of conduct and

saw that it was radically different than what was the societal norm. Thus,

a leader needs to ensure that his or her organizational model has strong

branding and a unique identity. The branding and identity should be

strong enough to ensure that the community or demographic you’re

seeking to serve knows what you offer and how you offer your service.

Your branding and identity should exhibit professionalism and

excellence.

Show Your Value

With the message of Islam, the Prophet SAW showed the Quraish an

alternative lifestyle, mode of life, and personal and socio-economic

development. As an organization, project or campaign you have to show

the value of your services and organization. This is crucial to the success

of furthering your cause is to show the community you are serving what

value you bring to them and why they should support you and your cause.

Marketing Strategy

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The Prophet SAW had an organized and strategic marketing model in

which he conveyed the message of Islam. Now commonly the word

“marketing” is used in the sense of sales, but marketing simply includes

how to talk and convey a message to your community. The Prophet SAW

spoke to all people in his community from various demographics. This is

crucial to the success of any organization, project or cause is to ensure

that you are communicating who you are and what your services and

cause is to people of various demographic backgrounds.

Involving Youth and Women

The Prophet SAW had both men, women and youth in his community

who played crucial roles in his mission. Likewise, we need to ensure we

are empowering women and youth in our projects, organizations and

causes to ensure that we are serving and empowering women and youth.

Women and youth bring a fresh perspective and help provide different

skills, ideas and experience that will enrich your project, organization or

cause.

Speaking to People’s Cultural, Social and Personal Realities

The Prophet SAW’s message of Islam sought to solve many societal ills

and social injustices. He also spoke to the realities facing individuals at all

levels in which he addresses cultural, social, political and economic and

personal ills facing Makkan society. Likewise, it is important that your

organization, project or cause is relevant to the community you’re serving.

You must speak to individuals you’re seeking to serve within their

socio-cultural context and speak to their realities. This will be crucial to

better understanding the challenges individuals are facing and how to

improve your services and impact as a whole.

Alliance Building and Mobilizing Locally

The example of Makkah is a good one to study as several social injustices

were prevalent in Makkah at the time of the Prophet SAW. The Prophet

SAW with the help of Allah, his companions, political connections and

strong will was able to address several social injustices that were

occurring in Makkah. The call for social justice was a strong one and

attracted those who were victims of the social justices prevalent in

Makkah. This will often happen when you are a social justice advocate.

You will get pushback from those who feel your advocacy is a threat to

their actions. The key is to continue to build your supporters and seek out

allies in the form of organizations, government officials, institutions,

students, and other community members and community leaders. This

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eventually will lead to a complete movement at all levels of your

community.

Showing Resolve and Leadership in Times of Hardship

It is also crucial as a leader to keep persistent, patient, and show resolve

in the face of challenges. The Prophet SAW was under immense pressure,

but strived to do his best to keep up the moral of his companions and

exhibit strong leadership which inspired his companions to persevere

under immense persecution and torture. This time of persecution was a

testing ground for the companions and strengthened them and helped

them to further learn crucial skills which would they would use later on in

the mission of the Prophet SAW and into their daily lives. Thus, as a

leader it is crucial to understand the resolve and strengths of your team

members and supporters to see if they in fact can follow through and stick

to the mission and vision of your cause. Exhibiting strong leadership

skills like patience, strong resolve, positivity, perseverance and the other

leadership skills we mentioned earlier help build loyalty and confidence

with your team members.

Incubation and Team Building

The Prophet SAW eventually had to leave Makkah and migrated to

Madinah. In Madinah he was able to firmly establish a center for the early

Muslim community. It was in Madinah that he was able to formally

establish a strong community. In Madinah he was able to educate his

companions and the community and continue to grow his community

and identify new talent. Thus, it’s important for change makers to be

patient with the progress of their movement, cause or organization. A

step by step process will be required to establish a strong movement,

cause or organization. An incubation process will be required along with

team building and further identifying new talent for your cause or

organization. Strategic planning will be required with the consultation of

your team members as the Prophet SAW sought the advice of his

companions when it came to major community decisions.

Establishing Rules, Policies and Regulations

It was in Madinah the Prophet SAW drafted the Constitution of

Madinah which essentially set the rules of engagement for Muslims with

the diverse community in which they lived. In addition to the constitution

there were also religious laws that were established in Madinah as well as

they were revealed to the Prophet SAW from Allah. Thus, it becomes

important for a change maker and a leader to establish firm, clear and

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easily understandable rules, policies and regulations for the team and the

organization to function effectively. This will assist in ensuring things are

well-organized, transparent and easily understood by all team members.

Having rules, policies and regulations set up at the beginning are crucial

to avoid miscommunication and internal organizational problems.

However, by wisdom of Allah, certain rulings were abrogated due to the

circumstances of the Muslims. Thus, rules, regulations and policies

should be looked at to be improved if the circumstances of an

organization change or if they become outdated. It is important to ensure

that rules, regulations and policies are relevant, clear, easily enforced,

and be easily updated for changing circumstances.

Using Innovative Ideas to Solve Problems

In the Battle of the Trench the Prophet SAW sought the advice of his

companions. Salman al-Farsi (RA) suggested building a trench to protect

Madinah and the Muslims were able to repel the attack by the Quraish.

The lesson from this instance is that first that soliciting advice and

consultation from your team can solve problems in unique and innovative

ways and secondly the importance of using innovative ideas to solve

problems and even help support your cause. In this day and age it can be

translated into ensuring that your organization is up-to-date with all

technological advancements, strategies, and social trends to ensure that

their cause is relevant and is making a meaningful positive impact.

Transparency

It is crucial to be transparent as an organization. This doesn’t mean you

tip your hand and share all of your tricks-of-the-trade, but transparent in

the sense that your organizational structure, projects, intentions, mission,

vision, and finances are all transparent to the community you are serving.

This is crucial to building confidence and ensuring the community you’re

serving understanding who you are and how you operate and what impact

you’re making. The Prophet SAW was transparent in virtually every

aspect of managing the community of early Muslims.

Seeking Community Feedback

It is crucial to always seek community feedback about your efforts and

services. This will better help you serve the communities you seek to help.

The Prophet SAW was always open to feedback from his community and

sought to rectify any problems based on any feedback.

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5) Change the World

As we know the Prophet SAW’s message of Islam reached far and wide

beyond the Arabian Peninsula. The powerful message of Islam was

supplemented by the strong character that the Muslims who called to

Islam and who embodied the Quran and Sunnah in their lives. This is

directly tied to the leadership style of the Prophet SAW who spent his

time and energy and invested in his companions.

Start Local

What’s required to make a global impact is to merely set up your cause,

project or organization in an organized, professional, and sustainable

manner which can have a positive impact on your local community.

People will see the value your organization or project offers and others

will join you in your cause. You will see that one great idea translated into

a sustainable model will bring in interest from people from not only

within your local community, but also internationally. The key is to start

local and then expand your efforts into other communities.

Expand When You’re Ready

Only expand your efforts or your organization when you feel your

organization is strong enough to handle an expansion. Expanding too

fast can tear an organization apart and put a lot of strain on an

organization if it’s not prepared for the expansion. The Prophet SAW did

this as did his companions after his death. Their expeditions ventured

into neighboring empires and eventually began to spread globally, but

only once their plan and community were strong enough to handle the

expansion.

Build Meaningful Relationships and Alliances

In order to ensure that your efforts are sustained effort for your cause it’s

important to build not only meaningful relationships and alliances with

organizations, but passionate individuals who support your cause. Find

and identify allies at a grassroots level as well at a non-profit and local

government level. After identifying allies decide what strengths they

bring to the table and how they can help further your cause. This will

help you better understand how to mobilize and organize your efforts

and work together with other similar organizations, projects, causes and

individuals.

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Assign and Identify Representatives for Your Cause

The Prophet SAW and the Four Rightly Guided Khalifahs assigned and

identified talent in the early Muslim community and put them in

positions of power to represent the Muslims and the Muslim state. These

individuals managed and oversaw the wellbeing of the communities in

various parts of the world away from the capital of the Muslim state.

Likewise, we should assign and identify representatives for your

organization or cause who can represent your organization, project or

cause in a professional manner.

Continue to Learn and Adapt

As time passes you will be bound to deal with various challenges be they

a lack of resources, manpower, and other organizational problems. Some

problems may be in your control while others may not. The key is to

constantly learn from those challenges and adapt to unforeseen incidents

and challenges.

Creating Local Grassroots Models

It is crucial that you do expand your efforts you do so keeping in mind

the community’s unique socio-economic, cultural and even geographical

challenges. Ensure that your organization, project or cause expands in a

way in which it fits the strengths of the community you are expanding to.

Clear Communication and Oversight

This was mentioned before, but this is definitely crucial when you expand

to other cities and have various branches or chapters of your

organization, project or cause. Clear communication means that chapters

or branches can communicate with each other as well as communicate

with the headquarters of your organization, project or cause. Clear

communication means establishing basic communication,

communication of expectations, policies, procedures, etc. When it comes

to oversight there needs to be a way to keep oversight of your

organization’s chapters or branches to oversee effectiveness, productivity

and transparency.