The Crisis of Leadership in Islam solutions from the Quran

By : Syed Mujtaba Quader

It is doubtful if the internal unity within Islam has ever been as fragmented as it is
today. Has the day of the proverbial 73 divisions within Islam already arrived ?
The matter may be left with the fatalists, but fatalism has never been the way of
Muslims in its history of 14 centuries.

Any group formed for whatever purpose can only be seen to be as good as the
actions of its members. Therefore, to say that Islam is better than the sum total of
its followers, when the religion is being assailed and battered from all sides both
internally and externally is to hide in the megalomania of the past without due
consideration to duty to Allah, which is the true spirit of Islam.

It may be useful to consider some things from a theoretical point of view which
applies to all mankind.

Two types, the fatalists and the self-determinists have existed from the day of the
birth of the intellect. While some men will climb mountains, scour seas to change
the state of their condition, others will merely, in inaction, witness the world
change around them. But what a contrast between the two ! One acts, the other
witnesses. One creates, the other is created. One has gone to explore the
universe; the other is too shy to peep out of the primeval forest. But what is the
difference between the two kinds. Which is the better thing to do ?

But many would say that Islam is submission to the Will of Allah and therefore a
religion of fatalism because everything happens through the Will of Allah. But
this is the argument of the enfeebled mind because Allah exhorts mankind to
seek bliss through actions as enumerated by Him. In this respect, Islam is actually
not submission to the Will of Allah but submission to the Wish of Allah. A
person who submits to the Wish or Will of Allah with no actions supporting it is
devoid of faith in Allahs confidence, love and promise to mankind and therefore
not a man of the faith.

The urge to improve oneself is a mystery. It is an inner, sensory, essentially
enhancing feeling of inspiration and energy that gives one the feeling of control
and excellence in ones being. It is a feeling that is best conveyed to one who has
experienced it, and almost impossible to relate to one not so fortunate. This
feeling of energy or inspiration is the primary mover of all human activity. It is the
main ingredient of mans glory, the driving force of human success, the element
that separates him from the animal kingdom. It first manifests itself in ones own
being as inspiration and self-worth that later transforms into energy to propel one
to attain or reach a better or higher plane. It is therefore something of the matter
of the soul and comes from within, more to be felt than explained a divine gift.

When it appears first, this energy or inspiration is not subject to any virtuous,
ethical, or moral consideration. That transformation happens later, when it is
called Jihad or the conscious struggle to improve oneself. Self-worth channeled
in the proper way brings prosperity, and benefit to man, and becomes the source
of pride; and conversely, channeled in the wrong way brings distress and suffering
to mankind and is identified as arrogance.

Have Muslims of today lost the ability to harness this energy or inspiration within
themselves ? This is a serious question that needs to be answered, for nothing
good can be achieved without the faculty of feeling the inner urge of goodness
and improvement in the hearts. Without the basic energy of the Ummah, there is
no point in creating and propagating labyrinthine and complex value and thought
structures based on the Shariat or otherwise. Attention must be paid to what is
the source of energy and inspiration of the people. Muslims believe that all
energy comes from the Grace of Allah and obviously, this has been missing.

But, a kind of energy has been seen within the multitude as has been evidenced in
recent times from the outpouring of emotion and passion from mainly the young
folk of Islamic societies causing more distress than tranquility. Obviously, their
energy has not been channeled in the right direction.

As education and openness have gained ground in rapidly growing Islamic
populations, brought about by Western advances in the sciences, many previously
disadvantaged people have had the opportunity to demand more from their
religion. Unfortunately, they brought more fervor than substance (Quran, 49:14).
This has caused a serious strain on the number and quality of leaders causing
much confusion in basic understanding a deficit in leadership.

Hungry men need food not wisdom. People in the rain need shelter not lectures.
All tenets, systems and beliefs must be attuned to the flowering and harnessing of
the internal human energy of mankind first, before burdensome ritualistic and
ecclesiastic practices are imposed which can destroy his humanity before it is
even sprouted. We see large sections of Islamic people today who were
previously denied the basic liberties of food, shelter and safety of life, but being
inundated with religious doctrines and fatwas that have all but completely closed
the pores of basic human inspiration. When they need basic education, they are
given arcane religious instruction. When they need the flowering of the rationale
mind, they have been subjected to rote learning. There has been a dire failing in
leadership.

The issue has been highlighted in the Quran through the stories of Zulqarnain
(AS)(18:83-98). Zulqarnain (AS), in the course of his journeys, confronted 3 types
of peoples. The first was a people who had been earlier given the knowledge of
Allah and the measures of right and wrong, and here Zulqarnain (AS) upheld the
law by rewarding the good and punishing the deviant. He then went to another
people who were wanting in even basic human understanding and he left them as
they were. He then went to a third people who had as yet not received the Word
of Allah but who were an energetic people given to hard work and industry. Here,
he did not impose the Word of Allah, but informed them of the Benevolence of
Allah, and helped them in their process of human development. Distinctions
therefore must be made by leaders of communities about the state of
development of a nation before complex value structures are imposed on them.

The standard of entry into Islam has always been minimal (2:286, 5:6, 22:78).
Many joined the religion for social, cultural and financial reasons and not for
urges of the heart. The only way that new entrants could be made to uphold the
values of Islam was to impose ritualistic practices with the purpose of eventually
eliciting the flowering of the true faith. However, it must be borne in mind that
excessive inculcation or zeal in following ritualistic practices does not guarantee
the making of good Muslims (2:256), and fervent monasticism is not encouraged
in Islam (57:27). In the absence of deeper spiritual leadership these individuals
seek out the harshest executors of rituals to be their leaders and establish
ecclesiastic cults delinked from man and God alike.

Leaders are needed for any kind of collective progressive activity. Families, clubs,
communities, businesses, and nations all need leaders. Leaders must be able to
inspire (3:139) and show the followers a better world by presenting a whiff of that
better world. To do that he must be a little closer to the goal than the followers,
and he must exhibit it. Leaders must be able to sacrifice, sacrifice being at the
core of Islamic and Quranic teaching (108:2, 37:102); this, in order to gain the
trust of the followers and to highlight the value of the goal. In the long run, the
people understand what is in their interest and they cannot be persuaded to do
what they do not like. Leaders can inspire through appealing to inner deeper
emotions or values, or through demonstrations of personal skills and abilities. But
above all leaders must be sincere at heart and in action.

To Muslims, Allah is understood to be Living, that He provides the next meal.
Although, the extent of ones reliance upon Allah to provide the next meal varies
from person to person, the fact that Muslims must rely on Allah to provide for
him as per His wish is one of the main principles of Imaan or Faith (3:37, 11:6,
65:3, 13:26). Modern day leaders are more consumed with producing more
things for consumption. Great weight is placed on economic systems, the means
of production, allocation and production of resources etc. Values have taken a
back seat. Curiously, the Quran does not deal with such matters in any detail.
Emphasis is put on instilling and maintaining values which is expected to bring
prosperity naturally.

Although that man must strive to earn his sustenance on earth, his main duty is to
abide by the Laws and Wishes of Allah and to earn His Good Pleasure (3:15,
9:21). Muslims are reminded many times about the excellence of the hereafter
over the life of the present world (42:36, 9:38, 13:26). But this does not mean
that Muslims cannot ask for comforts of the present life (7:32, 62:10, 28:77).
Again, Muslims are expected to assert their faith and influence in the world, and
by definition are expected to succeed (3:110, 3:139, 22:78, 98:7). They demand
that all nations give them a chance to propagate Islam which is meant for all
mankind, but, however, without use of force (2:256). Under this context, if the
Ummah fails, if the majority of them suffer from turmoil and penury for extended
periods, the presumption is unconsciously made that the Ummah has veered
away from Allahs words in some major way, and it would then be the duty of
leaders and the wise among them to identify the faults. This is the rationale from
which have sprung today many movements and groups within the Ummah, some
of whom want to go back to the days of the early Muslims because they feel that
the present leadership have failed to lead them to prosperity and peace.
Obviously, this attitude, 1400 years after the advent of the religion has been akin
to trying to find new wine in old bottles and it has not worked. The solution must
be found elsewhere.

Individuals are the building blocks of a civilisation. They have values and senses of
personal honour which collectively give the civilisation its name and colour. The
Quran deals with individuals at a personal level as much as it does with the
community in general. Verses addressed to individuals are continuously balanced
with Verses addressed to the Ummah. Every individual has a deep desire to
participate and contribute to the collective good in the likeness of his personal
understanding of what is good. This is the core concept of unity in diversity and
the process of consensus through consultation as enumerated in the Quran
(3:159, 42:38, 58:9). In administration it is the process of achieving the Middle
Road (2:143). If achieving the Middle Road through the process of consensus is
just another name of democracy, then, Islam probably was the first to show this
way to mankind. The democratic disposition will follow the law of averages and
will gravitate towards the middle policy. But having just a middle policy is not
enough. A leader is required to pull the multitude forward by the force of his own
self-worth which when linked to the Will of the Almighty becomes the source of
inspiration and pride. In this way, the leader is required to show the better way
while heeding the needs of the average person and the general populace. It can
be therefore said that a capable leader is the cumulative reflection of the
leadership qualities of capable followers. If leaders inspire a people, then it is the
followers who motivate them (13:11).

The Quran has not given any direct reference about how leaders are created in
the Ummah. However, some basic concepts have been laid out from which can be
inferred how leaders should emerge (3:104). First, it is the right of human beings
to ask for comfort, goodness, peace and ultimately bliss (2:148, 89:27:30, 9:21).
This is the primary basis for all action. But, for it, they are expected to strive
through good work, patience and sacrifice (13:22, 2:153). Second, that there are
desirable virtues and methods of rightful conduct as mentioned in numerous
Verses of the Quran (2:177, 2:83, 5:12). Third, that there is the concept of
superiority of some over others which is abundantly emphasised in the Quran
(3:33, 5:100, 16:76, 39:9, 9:19). Fourth, that the Ummah must follow those in
authority who are favoured by Allah (1:6-7, 4:59, 2:124), and specially the
authority of the Prophets (4:59, 4:65, 4:80, 33:36, 24:51). Strength in faith comes
in degrees (12:76, 58:11). Fifth, those who seek to be seen of men (107:6) and
hypocrites who make false promises (58:16, 63:1,2, 2:14) are to be avoided. Sixth,
that leaders must be reachable, kind, humble, just, wise and possess the other
good qualities of man (17:28, 23:3, 60:8, 4:135). Seventh, that leaders must rule
through consensus but abiding by the Will of Allah (3:159, 42:38, 58:9). Although,
difficult to comprehend for the mundane, it is clear that Allahs favours come to
Muslims and mankind in predictable ways, as promised to man (24:55, 9:16,
22:78). These predictable ways are only understood by those established in
knowledge (4:162, 58:11). Without the guidance and wisdom of these leaders of
men, Muslims cannot expect to receive the favours of Allah and therefore
cannot excel or prosper. Is this the reason why present day Muslims are in such
terrible condition ? Have they failed to identify their true leaders ?

It may be useful to examine the early history of Islam relating to the appointment
of the Caliph or topmost leader in the administration of Islam. The leadership of
the Prophet was unquestioningly accepted by most of the believers. His position
was determined directly by the Almighty through Divine Will. The Prophet had not
declared the name of a successor during his lifetime, which is however, possibly
erroneously contradicted by some orthodox members of the Shia community who
hold that Hazrat Ali (AS) was selected by the Prophet for this office through the
Ghadeer e Khum declaration which is however corroborated in the Hadees as
fact. But the fact is that Hazrat Ali (AS) was not chosen as the Caliph, and dynastic
rule was avoided, although he was clearly most suited for the position through
various significant events during the Prophets life, eg. being the greatest
commander of the Islamic forces, being a close confidante of the Prophet, having
risked his life numerous times to save the Prophet, being the only person to have
been born inside the House of Kaaba, first male person to have accepted Islam,
having stood on the shoulders of the Prophet to break idols inside the Kaaba,
having been the standard bearer at the Battle of Badr, Battle of Khyber and at the
conquest of Mecca, having been the son in law of the Prophet, having been
included as immediate family of the Prophet (the Ahle Bayet) (33:33) at the
Event of Mubahela (3:61), having been the subject of the Ghadeer declaration
when the Prophet had declared Whosoevers leader that I am, Ali is also his
leader, having been the subject of the Prophets famous saying I am the city of
knowledge and Ali is its gate, etc. There is historical evidence to suggest that the
Ummah got embroiled in a whirlpool of politics immediately after the death of
the Prophet, to the extent that the burial rites of the Prophet were ignored.
Hazrat Alis (AS) only drawback was his age he was 35. Hazrat Ali (AS) accepted
the leadership of the Caliphs and spent the better part of the next 20 years in
collating the Quran. The person chosen was Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) who was
selected on the basis of mutual consensus among the Madinites, and the Meccans
and much chaos and possible bloodshed was avoided. The next Caliph was Umar
(RA) who was selected by Abu Bakr (RA) on his deathbed through consultation
with other stalwarts and possible contenders. The next Caliph, Hazrat Osman (RA)
was chosen by a committee of 6 possible contenders selected by Umar (RA) for
the position. The last of the 4 rightly guided Caliphs, Hazrat Ali (AS) became
selected through a chaotic but natural course of events with many accepting his
authority only grudgingly. After Hazrat Alis (AS) assassination, Hazrat Hasan (AS)
was elected Caliph for a brief period but he had to abdicate in the face of serious
chaos and disorder.

It is obvious that the selection of the first 5 Caliphs did not follow a set course and
was beset with much political rivalry. However, dynastic rule was avoided
consciously and steadfastly. Consensus through consultation was obtained and
the administrations ran fairly smoothly until the political rise of Muaviya who
raised his claim to the Caliphate even during the time of Hazrat Ali (AS). Muaviya,
the son of Abu Sufian, the arch enemy of the Prophet until the fall of Mecca, had
accepted Islam reluctantly at the fall of Mecca. He therefore did not qualify to be
even being considered for the Caliphate having been one who did not accept
Islam before the fall of Mecca, and having actively fought against the Prophet
during that time (57:10, 9:20). Moreover, he was not a man of strong moral
character or loyalty. However, through careful manipulations and support of
followers he managed to become Caliph forcing the abdication of the Caliphate of
Hazrat Hasan (AS), the son of Hazrat Ali (AS). This was the point of departure of
true Islamic political leadership based on Islamic, Quranic and spiritual principles,
from the politics that would prevail in Islam for generations to come a politics of
power, greed and corruption born of the animal nature of man, making
subservient the spirit of Islam and forcing it to go underground. However, the
spirit still remained operating from behind but with each day withdrawing
inwards, until when we have arrived today when even the Shariah the outer
reflection of the inner spirit has been mocked and scorned, not only by outsiders
but Muslims themselves.

But, then there is Karbala - the sterling example of what Islam is and can be. After
the death of Muaviya, his son Yazid became the Caliph establishing dynastic rule
mostly through intimidation and enticement in complete abjuration of the
precedent set by the Prophet and the first 5 Caliphs. Hazrat Hussain (AS), the
younger son of Hazrat Ali (AS) and the affectionate grand-son of the Prophet took
it upon himself to set the dominance of the spirit over the temporal self in Islam
for all time. He refused allegiance to Yazeed and was brutally killed with his entire
family including 13 scions of the family of the Prophet, in a place called Karbala
after being refused water of the Euphrates for 3 days, in an epic tale of
superhuman heroism and blood cuddling sacrifice that has reverberated through
the centuries reminding all true Muslims and mankind of the supremacy of the
Divine Spirit in man and the true meaning of leadership.

What happened at Karbala was a lot more than what meets the eye. It was not
just a battle between the forces of good and evil, the just and the corrupt, but it
was the quintessential central event in the history of mankind which pitted
human faith in an All Powerful and Benevolent Creator in an afterlife after death,
worthy of all sacrifice, against the turmoil of fragmented souls who try to defeat a
thousand deaths every day by fulfilling fleeting desires of the flesh. What is a
human being if he cannot return kindness with kindness ? Returning kindness to
the Most Kind is through kindness to creation. Showing gratitude to the Almighty
for Kindness is also one form of kindness and is the soul of prayer. Islam teaches
that greater good must be earned by sacrificing smaller good (3:92). When
humans fail in harnessing this kindness and good within their own souls, they fall
into despair and ultimately into evil and corruption. At Karbala, through the
sacrifice of Hazrat Hussain (AS), as forecast in the Quran (37:104-107) was born
the essence of Islam the knowledge that man suffers only one death and moves
on to an unending but real eternity, an eternity of bliss and kindness for those
who are believing in the Most Benevolent Lord, the Sustainer of the Worlds.
When each year the event is observed all over the Islamic world, the faithful take
the oath to put the divine spirit of man over that of the lower nature of the self.
This is when Muslims remember that Islam is a living religion which embodies a
Living Allah and that this spirit can never die.

It is for such as these who deserve to be leaders of men. Great leaders are born
not made, for the sweetness lies in the seed not in the water or the air. The Quran
is replete with the stories of Prophets and their families and their progeny.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had asked Allah for support for his progeny and those who
follow my ways (14:35-37) and Allah had granted it (2:124, 2:128) but warned
those who would veer away from the truth. Men achieve greatness by following
the greatness of great leaders. To take pride in the defiance of such men is to call
for ones own doom. It is the duty of men to have love and respect for the
progeny of the Prophet Muhammad (SWS), as per the requirement of the Quranic
instruction (42:23)(108:3) whereas the other Prophets, except Ibrahim (AS) who
was Muhammads (SWS) ancestor, were absolved from it (11:29, 11:51).
Muhammads (SWS) intention was not for the safety of his progeny but the
guidance of the Ummah themselves (25:57). Additionally, Allah had taken it up
upon Himself to keep the Rightly Guided Progeny (the Ahle Bayet) of the Prophet
pure and worthy of being served and followed (33:33). The least that Muslims
could do was to take advantage of this Kindness from Allah.

For followers to accept the leadership of others three things are required that
the leader inspires, the followers make self-sacrifice, and they too possess
leadership qualities. Great leaders were once great followers. One who acts for
himself cannot be a leader. Contrary to perception, the self is the enemy of
leadership. Following or working under the command of a gifted or talented
person is not a matter of ignominy or shame but that of honour. This does not
mean one follows a leader blindly. One must always have his eye to the good as
prescribed in the greater law ie. the Quran. Fostering healthy competition is also
much encouraged (5:48). Muslims of today have somehow forgotten these simple
facts of life.

So is it possible, to rediscover and reignite the lost leadership qualities within the
Ummah, not just within the leaders-to-be but also within the followers ? The
argument has been made above that great leaders are born and not made. Too
much effort has gone in the past, influenced by western empirical thought, to
only put value on provable scientific causal facts and nothing else. Teachings of
history and the Quran have been ignored. Is it time to follow the directives and
persuasions of the Quran in its straightforward meanings and also the guidance of
its deeper meanings which are only known to the wise of the Ummah (3:7, 21:7) ?
To do this would require Muslims to summon its gifted and wise individuals, the
Ahle Bayet among others.

The Muslim world yearns for the return of the Caliphate in the elusive hope that it
will establish justice and equality through the establishment of Quranic laws and
Islamic Jurisprudence. Unfortunately, myopic thinking of this nature not only
ignores the true state of Islamic societies of that time which ultimately
degenerated into the abject state of affairs of the Turkish Sultanate at the
beginning of the 20
th
century, but also fails to consider the awesome advances of
modern science in the last 400 years which has empowered the masses for
participation in government. It can be postulated that a Caliph empowered today
in the name of Islam without checks and balances to his power would result in the
same despotic and tyrannical rule that has been seen in Muslim countries
including previous Caliphates. But in the despair of modern life and modern
methods of government which has created opulence of enjoyment but no peace
for the soul, nobody denies that a form of rule that incorporates Islamic values
and laws is the cry of the hour.

Western civilisation which has evolved through the centuries, perhaps, through
the influence of previous revelations of Allah, and having a profound influence in
the journey of mankind could be examined for the purpose. A system has evolved
there where political power is shared and excesses are reined in to ensure
stability of rule and accountability of actions. There is a Constitution which
embodies all its national values in the form of laws. Politicians who are chosen by
the people are responsible for making laws. Judges and jurists take up the task of
interpreting the law and its moral enforcement. The task of running the day to
day affairs of life of the people and the physical enforcement of laws are
conducted by Administrators who work under the shadow of both the politicians
and the judiciary. Interestingly, Western civilisation has evolved various
institutions and unwritten yet tangible ways of empowering its most noble and
respected members in all the affairs of government and national life which is not
noted by Islamic scholars.

Islam however differs from Western forms of political thought in that Muslims are
expected to be guided by the Word of Allah ie the Quran. Naturally therefore, in
the case of Muslims, it is the Quran that would act as the Constitution of the
Ummah. The Hadees and other resources of knowledge would be used to aid in
the understanding of the Quran. What would be required is expert interpretation
of the law as applied to different circumstances through jurists and qadis who
would know the Quran, in both its outer and inner meanings. Politicians would be
elected or selected by the people (3:159) and they would run the Administration.
They would have the right to tax, establish policy and ensure prosperity. However,
there would be career Administrators who would be in charge of the daily affairs
of the people who would work under the guidance of the politicians and the
jurists. Naturally, the jurists would be in positions of great power. Therefore,
their power would also have to be segmented by having a group of jurists to be
selected or elected by the people, some possibly on the basis of family lineage
and tested history of conduct. But, most importantly, the government would
have to be balanced with elected representatives, and those selected on the basis
of their knowledge, talent, experience and being favoured by Allah.

But the vital question remains about how to identify those who are favoured by
Allah. It may be useful to take some guidance from Sura Fateha (1:1-7) :

(1:1) All praise be to Allah alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds.
(1:2) Most Compassionate, Ever-Merciful.
(1:3) Master of the Day of Judgment.
(1:4) (Oh Allah) You alone we worship, and to You Alone we look for help.
(1:5) Show us the straight path.
(1:6) The path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your favours,
(1:7) Not of those who have been afflicted with wrath and nor of those who have
gone astray.
(Translation : Maulana Tahir Al Qadri)

The Verses are quite self-explained and straight forward. The first 3 Verses
describe the fundamental attributes of Allah. The next 4 Verses including the first
Verse convey the basic duties of man towards Allah. The main purpose or goal of
mankind is not written clearly here, but a presumption is made that man knows
or should know what is good for him. Mans objective is clearly written elsewhere
in the Quran (6:162, 9:72, 9:111).

Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all)
for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds. (6:162)

But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme felicity.
(9:72).

Verse (1:5) points to how to ask for help from Allah, which is mans duty as
contained in Verse (1:4). Allah Himself says that traversing the straight path is
the method of attaining mans purpose and complying with Allahs wish and
command. Now the question immediately arises, how is man to know what is
the straight path ? Allah Himself answers in the following two Verses, namely,
that the path of those whom Allah had already favoured must be followed. This
command is further affirmed by Allahs warning to man to not take the path of
those who had not adhered to Allahs command by following their own wishes
and desires thereby having gone wayward, and incurring Allahs wrath.

But, apparently, Verses (1:6) and (1:7) contradict Verse (1:4) by commanding the
worshipper to ask for help from those favoured by Allah and not Allah Himself
You Alone we look for help. But contradiction cannot be an attribute of the
Most Compassionate, Ever-Merciful Verse (1:2). The necessary deduction is
that seeking the path of those (and therefore the company as well, because it is
impossible to know the fine points about the path without the close company of
those) favoured is a blessing from the Most Merciful. At the same time avoiding
the path and the company of those who do not enjoy the favour of Allah is also
an obligation of the Muslim.

But how is man to know who is favoured by Allah and hence on the straight
path ? The answer relies on the presumption that man has the basic
understanding of knowing what is good for him. If one was mortally hungry, one
would need to eat food, and this would be his best choice. If one was in a roomful
of people, he would be expected to find the person who could guide him to some
food. At this point, he would be the favoured person to him. If his stomach was
full, and he needed to gain knowledge, he would have to seek out the most
knowledgeable. Similarly, if his stomach was full and he had become wise, he
would be seeking the spiritual path to Allah, and in this condition he would have
to seek out the man who could guide him to the closeness of Allah.

Again, as per the declaration of Verse (1:1), any praise showered upon any other
entity would be considered improper. But does this mean we can go about life
without praising a single soul ? That seems absurd. What can be deduced from
the other Verses of this Sura is that anything that is associated with Allah which
has gained the favour of Allah is exempt from having been led astray and
therefore is worthy of being followed as a guide and worthy of being praised. The
House of Kaaba becomes the object of prostration for Muslims through its
association with Allah, otherwise it would just be a house made of stone.

Can we therefore not say that if one did not follow the path of those favoured
then one would not be able to gain the ultimate favour of Allah and would
actually be led astray ? But such a consideration would be termed as shirk
(assigning partners with Allah) by ultra-conservatives. There seems to be grounds
to suggest that it is they who stand the chance of being entwined in shirk
following a leaderless path. As per the rationale of Sura Fateha, as explained
above, it is actually incumbent upon every Muslim to seek out a guide for his
ultimate salvation on the path of Allah on every phase of his life.

It is Allahs Will that the light of Islam shall always be lit on the face of the Earth
till the Day of Judgment (9:32, 15:9). The blood of the Martyrs has not gone in
vain. Even today, when Muslims are in such disarray, the faithful still fill the
mosques at the call for prayers, albeit without real leaders to guide them. Islam
awaits a day when again the faithful shall seek out the true leaders among them,
the ones who will guide them through the Will of the Almighty.