PRINCIPLE OF ISLAMIC MANAGEMENTOPERATION

(Power)القوة

Power is the ability to influence the behavior ofpeople. The term authority is often used for power perceived as

legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of

power is accepted as endemic to humans as socialbeings.

Cont… In the corporate environment, power is often

expressed as upward or downward.

With downward power, a company's superiorinfluences subordinates.

When a company exerts upward power, it is thesubordinates who influence the decisions of the leader(Greiner & Schein, 1988).

Cont… Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet (pbuh) as saying, Who

to the rulers, the leaders, and the trustees! On the Day ofResurrection some people will wish that they couldbe suspended between heaven and earth rather thanhaving had the burden of their responsibilities. (Reportedby Ibn Hibban inhis Sahih, and by al-Hakim whoauthenticatedits transmitters.)

From the point of view of Islam, power is not intrinsicallynegative. There are instances where it has been promoted,but with the condition that it be employed in the way ofadvocating moral values and social reformation.

Types of Power Legitimate power Referent power Expert power Rewards power Coercive power

refer:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power/social_and_political)

Operations managementperspectives. Islam gives full recognition to two basic realities of

human existence

1) Exercise of some authority or power by someindividuals over others is necessary to create andmaintain order and progress in the society (4:59,43:32).

2) It is easy for power to get corrupted and become asource of injustice, oppression, and stagnation (6:123,20:24, 27:34, 33:67, 34:34, 43:23-24 etc).

Cont… In general, there are two ways in which Islam aims to

control the tendency of power towards corruption.

First, it reforms the concept of power itself bydepriving human authority of absolute basis of everytype, making it accountable, and defining its function.

Second, it empowers the people to oppose corruptpower.

(Confidence)الثقة Confidence is generally described as a state of being

certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is corrector that a chosen course of action is the best or mosteffective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. People may have confidence in other people or forces

beyond their control. Faith and trust are synonyms of confidence when used

in this sense.

Self-Confidence Principle of self-confidence in Islam is the concept of Tawakkul,

one’s absolute confidence and trust in Allah, believing andknowing that nothing can happen to us or hurt us unless it is byAllah’s Will.

This is attested to in several verses in the Holy Qur’an addressedspecifically to the Muslims:

“[Then] when you have decided on a course of action, put yourtrust in Allah: Allah loves those who put their trust in Him. IfAllah helps you [believers], no one can overcome you. if heforsakes you, who else can help you? Believers should put theirtrust in Allah. [The Qu'ran 3: 159-160]”

Again Allah (swt) asserts:“Say: Only what Allah has decreed willhappen to us. He is Our Master: let the believers put their trust inAllah. [The Qur'an, Surah 9:51] ”

Principles to practice from theProphet Muhammad (s) and othergreat Islamic Leaders: Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Mohammed) you have a

good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meetingwith) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.”(Al-Ahzab, 21).

1. Walk faster. People with self-confidence walking morequickly instead of lumbering along and dragging theirfeet. As reported in Tirmidhi, Abu Huraira (ra) reports:Idid not see anyone more handsome than Rasulullah (saas).It was as if the brightness of the sun had shone from hisblessed face. I did not see anyone walk faster than him, as isthe earth folded for him. A few moments ago he would behere, and then there. We found it difficult to keep pace whenwe walked with him and he walked at his normal pace.

Cont…2. Stand up straight. At the Battle of Uhud, Prophet Mohammed [pbuh]

told the army to stand upright and straight, but he saw that Sawad BinAzziya was not upright in standing, so he ordered him to standupright. When someone slouches over, he is indicating that he lacksconfidence in himself. When you stand up straight, you exhibit selfconfidence.

3. Dress well. Dressing well is not the same thing as looking ostentatiousor behaving without humility. The Prophet (s) considered dressing welland looking good as an indicator of the blessings of Allah. As reportedin Tafsir Ibn Kathir, he (s) said, “Allah loves to see the result of Hisblessing on His creatures.”Jundub ibn Makith (r.a.) said:“Whenever adelegation came to meet the Messenger of Allah, he would wear hisbest clothes and order his leading Companions to do likewise. I saw theProphet (saas) on the day that the delegation of Kindah came to meethim; he was wearing a Yemeni garment, and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar weredressed similarly.”

Cont…4. Compliment others. Umar al Nadi tells us that he went out once with Umar

ibn al Khattab’s son. While walking, he found him saluting all whom he met,whether being old or young. Al Hasan al-Basri also said“Shaking hands strengthens brotherhood feelings”. The Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) said “Do not ever waste your good deeds, even by meetingyour brother with a frowning face.” He said also “Shaking hands removes hatredand exchanging presents enhances love and ends enmity”.

5. Self-monitor. Be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do, andwhat you know and what you have yet to learn. It is interesting that Umar (r),one of the most effective Islamic leaders of all times, used to reflect daily whathe done, and think about how he could improve.

6. Be humble. Don’t confuse self-confidence with brashness. In the Qur’an, Allahdescribes Muslims as follows:And the servants of ((Allah)) Most Gracious arethose who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them,they say, “Peace!Humility is also associated with Muhammad’s agreement atHudaybiyya not to insist on his title as God’s Messenger.

(Obediance)الطاعة Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of "social influence in

which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from anauthority figure.

Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which isbehavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which isbehavior intended to match th at of the majority.

"And obey Allah and His Messenger."[Holy Quran 3:132]

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger and those ofyou who are in authority. If you differ in anything amongstyourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe inAllah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable forfinal determination." [Holy Quran 4:59]

Obedience in Islamic Managementperspective. At all times, the leader must be obeyed. Ibn Umar reported

God’s messenger (saw) as saying, ‘Hearing and obeying arethe duty of a Muslim, both regarding what he likes and whathe dislikes.’49 As Muhammad Asad indicates, after a leader has been duly

elected, he may “be considered to have received a pledge ofallegiance from the community.” As a result, both the majority who voted for him as well as

the minority who may have voted against now oweobedience and allegiance. Islam considers obedience to the leader so important that it

views any kind of insubordination to be abhorrent unlessin very specific circumstances.

Cont… Coercive power - Besides controlling organizational

rewards, a leader in a position of authority also controlsgroup sanctions. Islam recognizes the legitimacy ofcoercive power, but suggests that it should not be used tocoerce followers towards evil. In fact, the Prophet once said that “obedience (to the

leader) is required only in what is good.“ Placing emphasis on the role of the leader as servant,‘Umar

(ra), was quoted as saying to the people: I have appointedover you governors and agents not to beat your bodies ortake your monies, but rather to teach you and serve you.

(Confidentiality)السریة Umar ibn al-Khattab:

"If your brother mentions something to you in private,then walks away, it is an amaanah (trust) even if hedidn't instruct you not to inform anyone."(Ibn Muflih's Adaab Ash-Sharee'ah).

Confidentiality in operationmanagementThree types of information should be confidential: Employee information Management information Business information

Important of confidentiality Saves the company from a number of awkward

situations Makes the company stay ahead of their competitors as

their strategy is unknown to them. It maintains a degree of professionalism Increases trust and respect for the company from

clients. To avoid sensitive information getting in the wrong

hands then problems can occur.

(fullest effort)االتقان The Arabic word itqan is a word used to indicate the level

of quality work. The best English translation of itqan is "to arrange and

dispose of things in a scientific and artistic way in order toobtain the most perfect results." An Arabic synonym for itqan is ihkam (to do something

with wisdom). The word "wisdom" (hikmah) and its derivatives are

mentioned in the Holy Qur'an in no less than threehundred places. This is the simplest and clearest indication of Islam's

concern for doing quality work.

Since the act of loving Allah, His qualities and attributes, isan essential part of Islam, one can appreciate the vastdistance that separates today's Muslims from Islam as itought to be observed. Moreover, the Prophet (p) said:"Allah loves to see one's job done at the level of itqan."

Islamic performance. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "Verily,We created man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order totry him, so We gave him (the gifts) of hearing and sight."Itis apparent from this verse that life is not a sport or a game,but rather a race track upon which Muslims compete withone another to please Allah, build their faith, and constructthe Islamic ummah.

Cont… This competition inevitably raises the level of

performance and quality of work higher and higher,until the highest standards are reached. The lives ofProphet Muhammad (p) and his companions areexamples of quality work and performance.

This example gives us a view of theProphet (p) and is companions. First, we see the Prophet (p) had to define his task, plan it, implement the plan,

and select the proper person to put it into effect. The leader he chose, 'Amr,was known before Islam as dahiyatu al-'Arab or the "strategist of the Arabs."Second, we can see Abu Bakr's understanding of the principles and hisacquiescence to 'Amr's leadership. Third, we see 'Umar's resignation to what isright, irrespective of his high position and strength among the companions ofthe Prophet. May peace and blessings be upon all of them.

The second example to be discussed was related by Rashid ibn Saa'd who said:Umar ibn al Khattab, the Prince of the Faithful, came with a sum of money inorder to distribute it among the people, who crowded around him. Then Saa'dibn Abi Waqqas (a companion of the Prophet) came forward, pushing peopleout of his way until he reached 'Umar. 'Umar struck Saa'd with his cane andsaid, "You came forward without considering the rules of Allah. This is to letyou know that Allah's Ruler ('Umar ibn al Khattab, the Commander of theFaithful) will not allow such a disorder out of fear of you."

Cont… Thus, order, discipline, accuracy, beautiful work, well

thought out tasks, and justice are all part of qualityIslamic work and performance. To assist you in doing quality work, the following

general flow-chart is given. Each box in this flow chartis an independent unit of function. This flow chart is designed to show the Islamic

approach to problem-solving and to enable theMuslim to tackle problems in an orderly anddisciplined manner.