The wisdom shared by Imam al-Ghazali is useful in a variety of leadership and management applications. Prophets of old even asked God to appoint a deputy for them as in the case of Moses (see Qur’an 20:29-32). Then when you have taken a decision put your trust in God.” (Qur’an 3:159) To support his case for securing good ministers he wrote that even the Prophet (s) was commanded to consult the learned and wise among his companions. He likened the minister of a ruler to the companions of the Prophet (s).

Likewise, al-Ghazali wrote of deputies in the context of ministerial posts at the Sultan’s court. Good leaders surround themselves with experts and leaders who can be delegated responsibilities and come back with results. We all know that a good management team is a fundamental element to a businesses success. Umar ordered, “Put out the lamp! and then speak for this oil belongs to the public funds and the people’s property ought not to be used except for their business.”Ĭontrast this with the way executives at companies like Tyco and Adelphia did with their corporate funds and Umar ibn Abdul Aziz’s words speak for themselves. At that time one of his household employees entered the room to discuss some domestic issues. He says that the Caliph sat up one night to study the daily report of the government under a lamp light. Executives betrayed the trust of their companies’ employees by enriching themselves and contributing to the downfall of their organizations through bogus accounting and diversion of company funds to their own accounts.Īl-Ghazali relates an account from the life of the Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz. In addition to being important for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of an organization a good leader will also realize that it’s important to keep abreast of any information which would affect his/her leadership/management of the company.Īs a result of corporate scandals at companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, and others corporate greed, misappropriation of funds, and other such vices have unfortunately become too well known. Whether a company adopts a flat or tiered corporate structure the line of communication to leadership should be known and continually tested to make sure that leadership is engaged with the organization as a whole and that there are no bottlenecks along the line. In other words, leaders who are not open and accessible to their subjects put a strangle hold on open communication throughout an organization. In the Nasihat he tells us, “If a king is upright… his officials will be upright, but if he is dishonest, negligent, and comfort-seeking… officers implementing his policies will soon become slothful and corrupt.”Īl-Ghazali begins this section by citing a saying known to Arabs: Nothing is more damaging… and more prejudicial and sinister for the king than royal inaccessibility and seclusion. In other words, management’s example will either create an exceptional organization or a corrupt one.

Al-Ghazali’s Advice to KingsĪl-Ghazali places the burden of establishing the right model of conduct squarely on the shoulders of the king. Al-Ghazali dealt with a variety of subjects in the Nasihat such as the qualities required in kings, the character of ministers and deputies, and intelligence.

The Nasihat was addressed to the Seljuq government and its administration. According to Carole Hillenbrand, the Nasihat, or Advice, is part of a larger genre of political writings which dealt with issues of political authority at the time.

The NasihatĪl-Ghazali’s work titled “at-Tibr al-Masbuk fi Nasihat al-Muluk” or Ingots of Gold for the Advice of Kings. His proximity to these circles led al-Ghazali to be linked to the service of the Seljuq Sultans who ruled over the central Islamic lands of Iraq, Iran and Central Asia under the minimal authority of the Sunni Caliph in Baghdad. He remained there for four years and wrote works on fiqh, or Islamic law, which he also taught, together with logic and theology.Īl-Ghazali’s position at the Nizamiyyah brought him influence and rank in political and intellectual circles. During that time he actively participated in political and learned discussions until he was appointed as a professor to the famous Nizamiyyah school at Baghdad. After studying with the great Imam al-Haramain, al-Juwaini, for five years al-Ghazali joined the court of the Seljuq minister Nizam ul-Mulk where he remained for six years. Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s formal education began at the early age of 7 with a curriculum including the basic sources (usul) of Islam, law, theology, logic, and Sufism.

Who is imam al ghazali