There are many theories and types of leadership that have been raised in Western literature since the 50s. Servant leadership was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in “The Servant as Leader,” an essay that he first published in 1970 in West. Almost forty-five years before Greenleaf, Said Nursi revived, reintroduced and exemplified a broader type of servanthood leadership which I would call “sayyidhood leadership”. His view of leadership is based on the hadith of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), “the master of the people is the one who serves them.”

The hadith summarises sayyidhood leadership in three words, including servant leadership. I would call this hadith the quintessential of sayyidhood leadership in Islam. 

I examined the scholarly comments on the Qur’anic verse (4:59) which is related to leadership in more than thirty classical and modern periods’ major tafsirs (Qur’anic exegesis). Almost all tafsir scholars discuss who are the ulu’l amr ( ..authority among you…) (Qur’an, 4:59) and their characteristics. Most of them argue that ulu’l amr are the scholars, but again, none of the authors of these tafsirs discuss sayyidhood leadership.

The word Sayyid is mentioned in the two verses of the Qur’an (3:39, 12:25). A classical period exegete at-Tabari (838-923) explains Sayyid as a jurist who is pious, kind, most honourable [1] of believers, and devoted to and most noble in religion. ar-Razi (1149-1209), [2] Zimaksihari (1070-1143) [3]  and al-Qushayri (986-1074) state that Sayyid is one who does not want any position, expects any rewards from any creation, and is free from any unlawful desires, making him the best of his people [4]. By this definition, the attributes of sayyidhood are more important than a biological connection to the descendants of the Prophet.

The Prophet first used the Sayyid title for himself [5] and then gave it directly to his grandson Hasan (r.a) [6].

The most prominent hadith on sayyidhood leadership is narrated in an incident during the Madinah period. The Prophet was serving water to his companions when a Bedouin came in and shouted, “Who is the master of this people?” The Messenger answered in such a way that he introduced himself while expressing a strong principle of Islamic leadership and public administration using three words, (sayyidu’l qawm khadimuhum)”The master of the people is the one who serves them.”[7]

Nursi uses the Sayyid title so often for the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and then for his descendants. Nursi considers the Prophets’ descendants as the centre for the spiritual and moral progress of the ‘World of Islam’ and the source and guardians of the Prophet’s practices. Also, they are charged with complying with the Prophet’s sunnah in every respect [8]. He calls the Prophet as “Sayyid of all saints”[9]. Nursi summarises that Sayyids’ main tasks are to enlighten people regarding the faith and guide them to the right path, particularly during mischief, corruption and chaos of Ummah. He states that they “stand as commanders at the head of all blessed chains of spiritual authorities in the assemblies of all the regions of the world in all centuries.”

There are four major characteristics of Sayyidhood leadership:

Tamthil, or the Inadvertent Overspill of Genuine Practice

For Nursi, tamthil comes before tabligh for da’wah and he believes that the finest representatives of Islam throughout Islamic history were the Prophet, his companions, and then his descendants, or Sayyids [10].

Istighna (A State of Being Expectationless) in Sayyidhood

Istighna minimises conflict of interest in the leadership. Nursi views believers, especially those who serve the religion [imams and sheikhs who are considered spiritual leaders by the people], as having an obligation to serve humanity without expecting rewards, material or otherwise, because the world is an ‘abode of service,’ not the place of pleasure, reward, and requital.  He calls this ‘istighna ’ in Risale-i Nur.

According to verses of the Quran, one of the essential characteristics of prophets is istighna. The verse “in ajriya illa a’la rabbil alemin” (‘…I ask you for no wage; my wage is only due from God…’10:70), or in a similar form, is mentioned twelve times. Three times it refers to Prophet Noah, who conveyed the message of God for close to a millennium and lived longer than any other prophets. Suitably, the first time the istighna verse appears, it is about Noah. Both of these show the significance of istighna in leadership.

Ithar (Altruism)

Cambridge Dictionary defines altruism as the “willingness to do things that bring advantages to others, even if it results in disadvantage for yourself.”  The term is used as the contrary of “self-interested”, “selfish”, or “egoistic.” According to al-Ghazali, ithar, or sacrifice for others, is the highest stage of generosity [11]. Like Sufis, Nursi calls this ‘tafani’ as “annihilation in the [Muslim] brother.” This means that a person forgets the feelings of his own carnal soul and lives as part of a collective personality, a jama’ah, and ultimately, the Ummah. In that way, each person is like a bodily organ working together with other organs without harming one another. Just as the hand does not harm the eye, but protects and cleans it, the believers protect and support each other.

Positive Action

The Prophets are embodiments of positive action including in leadership. Positive action dictates a focus on what needs to be done rather than reacting to others. It means engrossing oneself in constructive actions of the building and repairing rather than engaging in destructive behaviour. There is a strong correlation between positive action and sayyidhood leadership. One characteristic of sayyidhood is having a gentle persuasion, just as the Prophet did when he responded to the bedouin and refrained from inciting conflict. The Prophet’s strategy was to make friends out of enemies. Those who act positively are pro-active rather than reactionary. They prefer peace instead of conflict as much as they can. Acting positively is seen by Nursi as an essential principle of serving.

In the early Turkish Republic era, Nursi’s responses to aggressive secularism or accusation were according to philosophical, ethical, and legal principles. Despite the oppression and suffering, Nursi and his followers did not revolt or preach for the revolt.

In my humble view, there are six major reasons for Said Nursi to act positively against aggressive secularists and some jealous religious leaders.

1. The strategy of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and the other prophets mentioned in the Qur’an were to form friendships and alliances instead of creating enemies or cementing hatred. So, Nursi followed the same strategy.
2. Nursi views securing safety and stability in a country as the duty and obligation of all.
3. He sees every individual, including those who are anti-religion, as potential believers or future friends.
4. Nursi believes Islam means peace and it can flourish in a peaceful society. Where violence wreaks havoc, it is not possible to convey the truth and principles of faith.
5. If patience is not shown against oppression and injustice, and the response is a negative action, such as violence, it can lead to breaching of innocent people’s rights and even conflict. This will cause more oppression and provoke further enmity.
6. Responding to injustice and oppression negatively will only harm the enforcers, not the people who decide and order the injustice.

This paper attempted to establish an Islamic leadership framework and identified four characteristics of what is called sayyidhood leadership model. This model was then applied to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to further refine it and tested on Said Nursi as a relatively modern Muslim scholar who discussed these characteristics in his writings and represented them in his spiritual leadership style. As mentioned above, it is highly idealistic but it can be applied in different levels.

*This article was originally published by Salih Yucel in Transcendent Philosophy in December, 2018. To read the full article, click here.