ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the story of Islam and explains the religion’s core teachings while drawing out the implications the worldview may have on an understanding of leadership. The Islamic notion of a leader’s responsibility goes far beyond the immediate task at hand and extends to the purpose of creating a just society based on the teachings of Islam. The chapter uses the film The Message as a case study to tell the story of the birth of Islam and to highlight the religion’s key teachings and their leadership implications. In the West, religion is considered primarily regulated to the private sphere, but in the Islamic word, religion helps form the ideal Islamic leadership. Some of the key themes as related to leadership are: the importance for leaders to follow the teachings of Islam; the idea that leaders are given a trust to care for their followers; the significance of justice; the importance of community; and the reciprocal relationship between leader and followers.
