The Criteria of Leaders in Islam Based on His Nature

Illustration of leaders (Unsplash)

YOGYAKARTA - Islamic religious teachings do pay attention to all aspects of life in detail. One of the things that the Islamic religion emphasizes the most is related to choosing leaders. In Indonesia, the election of the head of state or president is a routine agenda that is important. When choosing, Muslims need to consider what criteria for leaders in Islam that need to be considered.

Criteria for Leaders in Islam

In Islam, the criteria for leaders are explained in various sources, namely the Qur'an and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. There are many hadiths about choosing leaders in Islam. In the Qur'an, there are criteria for leaders that need to be considered, namely the prohibition of choosing non-Muslim leaders. The prohibition is explained in QS. al-Ma'idah 5: 51.

O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are allies of one another. Whoever of you takes them as allies is indeed one of them. God does not guide the unjust people. O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are allies of one another. Whoever of you takes them as allies is indeed one of them. God does not guide the unjust people.

This means:

"O you who believe, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies; they are allies of each other. Whoever of you makes them his allies - then indeed he is indeed one of them. Indeed Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people." (QS. al-Ma`idah 5: 51)

Although the Qur'an mentions the leaders who should be chosen, there are some criteria that generally need to be considered. In the article entitled Choosing Leaders in Islam which was published in Idarotuna: Journal of Islamic Management Studies, it was explained that there are several criteria for leaders in general that can be chosen. The criteria are as follows.

Taqwa and Honesty

A leader must obey and fear Allah SWT. This trait is emphasized so that the elected leader does not take it lightly when making policies. Honesty is also very necessary to run a transparent government.

Istiqamah

A leader must be consistent and not plan. This trait can be seen when the leader conveys his vision and mission during the campaign. A leader who is able to convey his vision and mission firmly and steadily means that he has a high consistency. On the other hand, a leader who is only planning will only lead his people to destruction.

Trust

The position as a leader is a trust from the people that must be carried out well. This attitude is very important for prospective leaders to have. During the election, the public needs to pay attention to whether the candidate for the leader of their choice has this criterion or not.

Have Knowledge and Courage

Another criterion for a leader for Muslims is to have knowledge as well as courage. Leaders must have extensive knowledge in order to be able to detect negative things that have the potential to harm society. After being able to detect, leaders must have the courage to punish people who endanger the lives of the people. Knowledge without courage is like a sword without a master in the battlefield.

Patience

This attitude is no less important for a potential leader to have. The patience possessed by the leader will prevent him from making bad decisions that are actually detrimental. When the leader does not have the patience, he will only have high emotions so that problems will be difficult to solve.

Have a Sense of Care and Love

A leader must be able to be present and at the same time pay attention to the conditions of the community he leads. Leaders must also pay attention to all people. If the leader does not have a sense of care and compassion, he tends to be rude and indifferent to the conditions of the community.

That's the information related to the criteria for leaders in Islam. Visit VOI.id to get other interesting information.