Management Theories from Islam

The management theories of Islam as espoused and practiced by the pioneers of Islam, might be centuries old but they still hold to this day as some of the best ways of managing and leading.

Management Theory Y

The concept of theory Y managers is demonstrated by the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) personal way of leading and managing the affairs of the Muslim Ummah (community). Many early Muslims of the time used to come to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) themselves to ask for any service they could render to the newly born Muslim community. Never was force ever used to accomplish any task, rather it was based on volunteer service to the cause. Even at the times of the battles against the pagans of Mecca, many Muslims would come forward to render their services, even young teenagers. And the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would refuse their plea on the premise of them being too young for such a task.

Flat and Lean Organization

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) used the concept of a flat and lean organization and was easily accessible to the Muslim society of the time who would come with a lot of issues and affairs to be resolved by the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet(PBUH) would always lead from the front and never shied away from doing his personal chores like cooking, stitching and cleaning or helping others despite being the leader of the Muslims.

Participative Style of Management Based on Consultations and Brainstorming

The Prophet (PBUH) used a consultative form of decision making, in which he would listen to the ideas of others and only then a decision would be taken. Brainstorming was extensively used and encouraged. Furthermore, there was no discrimination on the basis of race, creed or color. During one of the battles, the battle of Khandaq where the Muslim army faced a much bigger foe of ten thousand Meccans, a brainstorming session was held on how to ward off the pagans of Mecca. Many ideas were entertained, but the idea that was implemented came from Salman Farsi, a Persian by ethnicity, who had come all the way to Arabia searching for the True Prophet. He gave the idea of digging a big ditch around the entire city, called the “Khandaq”, which was many meters wide and deep. The Khandaq would make it very hard for the invading army to enter the city, as was the norm for battles in Persia. Even at the time of digging the Khandaq, an arduous task, the Prophet led from the front and performed his due share in excavating it. It is also reported that there was a very hard rock at one place of the Khandaq which the companions of the Prophet were having difficulty breaking. The Holy Prophet(PBUH) helped by striking such a hit on the rock that it broke apart.

Conflict Resolution

During the early days of the Prophet’s (PBUH) life before attaining prophet-hood, a conflict arose amongst the four main tribes of Mecca during the building of the Kaaba. The sacred black stone was the center of the conflict when each tribe wanted the honor of placing the stone in the Kaaba. After much debate and argument, it was decided that the first man to enter the gate the following morning would decide who would have the honor of placing the stone. It so happened that the Prophet (PBUH) was the first person who entered the gate and the Meccans were jubilant to see the “trustworthy” as he was known in Mecca, have the honor of deciding. It was decided by the Prophet(PBUH), that the stone would be placed on a cloak, held by the chiefs of the four tribes and taken to the Kaaba. When they reached the place, the Holy Prophet(PBUH) placed the stone himself in the eastern wall of the Kaaba.

The Holy Prophet(PBUH) was blessed with a high degree of patience and mercy from God Almighty. After attaining prophethood, many people of Mecca became enemies of the Holy Prophet(PBUH). One such person was an old lady who would wait for the Prophet(PBUH) to pass by her house and put rubbish on him with regularity. The Prophet(PBUH) would not show any anger or annoyance at the lady. One day it so happened that the Holy Prophet(PBUH) was passing by the house and he could not see the lady at the usual place. He became worried and asked her neighbor about her wellbeing. The neighbor said that the lady had become sick. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) sought permission to enter her house and instead of taking revenge as the old lady thought, he took care of her needs. Seeing such care and kindheartedness, the old lady embraced Islam.

The conquest of Mecca, is an amazing feat of Islamic history. The bloodless campaign saw the Prophet (PBUH) triumphant and humble in the face of victory. The victory also brought about the conversion of Abu Sufyan, one of the bitter enemies of the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) declared a general amnesty for the people of Mecca and stated,

“Who enters the house of Abu Sufyan will be safe, who lays down arms will be safe, who locks his door will be safe”. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 3, p. 977).

Criteria for Promotion

The criteria for promotions was based strictly on merit, ability and talent, rather than that of one based solely on age. Khalid Bin Walid was selected on many occasions to lead the Muslim army based on his strategic abilities, military prowess and skills on the battle field. He was a force to reckon with. He participated in so many battles with a dream of embracing martyrdom, but that was not to happen by the will of God Almighty. Much of his body was covered with scars from the battle field but death on the field was not to be his. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) on one occasion preferred a very young Muslim called Usama for leading the entire Muslim army. Usama led the army in which there were many valiant and well known companions of the Prophet who were older to him, but the role to lead the army was given to the young Usama. Much later in the early Muslim era in 711 AD, a seventeen year old man Muhammad Bin Qasim was selected by the Muslim Caliph to run the campaign against the pirates of Debal and free the muslim captives held there. Muhammad Bin Qasim ended up spreading message of Islam in what is known as the present day Pakistan and people freely embraced the religion, who were oppressed by a tyrannical cast system that had been a plague to the Hindu society of that time.

Management by Walking Around

“Management by Walking Around” is another concept that was practiced by the early Caliphs of Islam, especially, the second Caliph Umar. He used to roam around the city as an ordinary citizen of the Muslim state and addressed the issues of the general populace. He had an acute sense of responsibility and he once stated that even if an animal dies in the state under his watch, he would be held responsible.

The concept of equality was one of the overarching principles of the Muslim state. Regular prayers would be held in the mosque where there would be no distinction between the rich and the poor or any other preference and all Muslims would stand shoulder to shoulder to each other, which still happens to this day. Servants would eat the same food as their masters and would be treated with respect. Once upon a time the Caliph Umar was travelling to Jerusalem after his armies under the command of his generals had conquered the city. The Caliph left Medina with one attendant and a camel. The Caliph and his attendant took equal turns sitting on the camel to pass the journey. It just so happened that at the time the Caliph was entering Jerusalem, the attendant of the Caliph Umar was riding the camel. The Bishop who came to receive the Caliph Umar mistook the attendant as the Caliph and was very surprised when the Caliph turned out to be the one walking by the side of the camel. On another occasion, the Caliph Umar helped build the mosque in Jerusalem with his own hands. This mosque is known as Umar’s mosque. Despite being the leader of one of the greatest nations of the world at the time, the Caliph Umar Bin Khattab kept a very low profile, where he could be easily confused with ordinary people.

Decentralization of Authority and Trust

Decentralization of authority was another principle of management that was practiced by the early Caliphs. When the Muslim state spread far and wide from Persia to Egypt and beyond, it became very necessary to appoint Governors to different provinces. On one occasion, the Caliph appointed a young governor to a province who had recently gotten married. The Caliph gave him a big some of many thousands of dinars as a marriage gift and told him to assume command in a province of the Muslim state. The newly appointed governor instead of spending the money on his own self, spent the entire money on the people of the province. Such was the level of trust and art of management professed by the early Muslim leaders.

Dress Code for Work

The dress code for work was any dress that was neat and clean and would cover the body in a decent manner. Nothing was too strict at the time like it is today in many corporations and developing countries as far as the dress code is concerned.