faithstreet.com: The Muslim world is falling apart.

In Nigeria, a radical group claims Allah commands them to kidnap hundreds of girls and sell them into slavery. Egypt sentences over 500 people to death through speedy trials. A horrific civil war has killed over 140,000 in Syria, and displaced millions more. Iraq and Afghanistan sit in shambles — and let’s not even get into what’s wrong with Saudi Arabia.

Islamic society is fragmented and lost in the wilderness. Band-aid solutions in the guise of unification groups, coalitions and manuals have not helped. The problem is that Muslims have no leader to follow, and leadership matters. Leadership provides a rope for all to hold onto. And with no leader to unify Muslims, the future looks bleak.

But what would an Islamic leader even look like? Regardless of sect, all Muslims would agree that a true Muslim leader must reflect Prophet Muhammad’s power, compassion, and example. So how would Muhammad lead? Well, Prophet Muhammad advocated for all to pursue education. He said, “Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim” and once you had that knowledge, “impart it to the people.” In the case of Nigeria, he would stand with the teachers, not the kidnappers, and he would instruct them: “It is neither lawful for you to inherit women against their will; nor should you detain them” (Quran 4:20).

Prophet Muhammad practiced absolute justice just as the Quran commands. Muhammad told his family that if they committed any crimes, they would receive no special favors from him on account of their relationship to him. In Egypt, he would rebuke the judges for quickly dispensing verdicts instead of dispensing justice.

Prophet Muhammad was a peacemaker and attempted all means of diplomatic conflict resolution. During his dozen years in Mecca, he faced intense persecution but never reacted violently. He tried to win the hearts, no matter how stone-hearted the Meccans were. When a price was put on his head, he still did not resort to violence but instead left his homeland for a safer haven. In Syria, he would condemn President Assad for killing innocent people, and tell him, “Whosoever killed an innocent person . . . it shall be as if he killed all of mankind” (Quran 5:33).

Such examples describe a model Muslim leader. The Muslim world would no doubt benefit if a man existed today in Muhammad’s reflection.

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