The Sunnah of Activism

Quick Recap – Choose Your Battles

Islam views activism as an essential duty, rooted in the command to enjoin good and forbid evil. It is not passive worship but a holistic mission that demands justice, excellence, and the rejection of oppression. However, true activism must be guided by wisdom and strategy, as shown by the Prophet ﷺ after the conquest of Mecca. Though he wished to rebuild the Ka‘aba on its original foundations, he refrained for the sake of unity and the faith of new Muslims. His example teaches that effective leadership means choosing battles wisely, prioritizing benefit over division.

This balanced approach extends beyond internal matters to engagement with wider communities and the world of ideas. The Prophet ﷺ stood firmly on the side of justice, even aligning with others when truth demanded it, and used media of his time — poetry — to counter false narratives. Today, Muslims are called to continue this mission with courage, strategy, and eloquence: defending truth, shaping narratives, and working for a society where all can thrive under divine justice and mercy.

Prophetic Wisdom on Empowering and Leading a Successful Team

Gold or Men? Beyond Wealth and Status

In the challenging landscape of community service and activism, the most significant asset any organization possesses is not its financial capital, but its human capital. The universal struggles of team dynamics — recruiting the right people, fostering synergy, and navigating personality clashes — can drain a group’s spiritual energy and effectiveness, known as Barakah. Prophetic wisdom offers a timeless blueprint for building resilient, impactful teams, urging a shift in focus from material wealth to the invaluable worth of committed individuals.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once drew a powerful analogy from his environment, stating,

إِنَّمَا النَّاسُ كَالإِبِلِ الْمِائَةُ لاَ تَكَادُ تَجِدُ فِيهَا رَاحِلَةً ‏

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar RA: I heard Allah’s Messenger ﷺ saying, “People are just like camels, out of one hundred, one can hardly find a single camel suitable to ride.” [Bukhari]

In the harsh Arabian desert, a traveller’s life depended on selecting the one camel in a hundred that was strong, intelligent, and reliable enough for the long journey. This hadith is a profound commentary on the scarcity of genuine, trustworthy talent. It calls for leadership to invest immense effort into recruiting, training, and retaining the right volunteers — those who are deeply passionate, believe in the cause, and are willing to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly. This investment in people must be prioritized, often surpassing even the strategic planning devoted to fundraising.

The mind-set of valuing human resources over material ones was epitomized by the leadership of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab RA. When asked what they would wish for, his companions dreamed of rooms filled with gold and jewels to spend in Allah’s path. ‘Umar RA, however, revealed a deeper wisdom: his wish was for a house filled of men like Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān RA. He understood that it was such individuals — scholars, commanders, and teachers of integrity — who carried the message of Islam to the world. Their value was immeasurable, and following in ‘Umar RA’s footsteps requires modern leaders to genuinely appreciate and nurture every volunteer who contributes to the community’s cause.

However, a major obstacle in identifying this rare talent is the prevalence of flawed, materialistic standards. In a telling hadith, the Prophet ﷺ asked his companions for their opinion on a man who passed by. They judged him based on his elite status: his marriage proposal would be accepted, his intercession granted, and his speech listened to. Yet, when a poor man passed, they dismissed him as insignificant. The Prophet ﷺ then declared that the poor man, in Allah’s sight, was better than a world full of people like the first. This narrative serves as a critical warning against allowing wealth, social status, academic credentials, or nationalism to blind us to true competence and piety.

This theme is echoed in the Qur’an, in the story of Talut (Saul). When appointed king by their Prophet AS, the elite of the Israelites protested, asking, “How can he be king over us when we have a greater right to rule than he? He does not even have great wealth.” Their Prophet AS corrected them, explaining that Allah had chosen Talut for his superior knowledge and physical strength. Here, physical prowess is recognized as a valid qualification when coupled with knowledge and faith, not dismissed as a worldly attribute. Similarly, when the daughters of Prophet Shuaib AS described Musa AS to their father, they highlighted the two qualities that make the ideal candidate:

إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ ٱسْتَـْٔجَرْتَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْأَمِينُ

“Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy” (al-Qasas 28: 26).

This became the golden standard in Islam for recruitment: a combination of capability (strength) and integrity (trustworthiness).

The journey to building a successful team is therefore a spiritual one. It requires patiently seeking those rare, dependable “camels” — individuals of strength and trustworthiness. It demands that leaders look beyond superficial markers of success to appreciate true value. By investing in people, avoiding disputes, and fostering cooperation based on piety, a team can unlock its multiplied spiritual reward and maximize its impact, transforming its service into a legacy of enduring change.