Leadership and Subordination

Abstract

Abu Ja'far al Man~ur, the founder of the 'Abbasid state, once posed aquestion to some of his confidants:Who is the hawk of Quraysh? They replied: The Commander ofthe Faithful (Amir al Mu'minin) who established the reign, quietedupheavals, and extinguished ordeals. He said: You havenot answered my question. They said: Is it Mu'awiyah? He said:No. They said: Is it 'Abd al Malik ibn Marwan? He said: No.They said: Who else, Commander of the Faithful? He said:'Abd al Ra}:iman ibn Mu'awiyah, who escaped by his cunningthe spearheads of the lances and the blades of the swords, travellingthe desert, and sailing the seas, until he entered an alienterritory. [There] he organized cities, mobilized armies, andreestablished his reign after it was completely lost, by goodmanagement and strong resolve. Mu'awiyah rose to his staturethrough the support of 'Umar and 'Uthman, whose backingallowed him to overcome difficulties; 'Abd al Malik, because ofprevious appointment; and the Commander of the Faithfulthrough the struggle of his kin and the solidarity of his partisans.But' Abd al Rab man did it alone, with the support of noneother than his own judgement, depending on no one but his ownresolve. (Ibn al Athir, 5: 182)Identifying leadership and determining its qualities and contributionsto collective life is an ancient concern of people. Abu Ja'far al Mansur, aneminent Muslim leader in his own right, raised the question in a peculiar ...