"How did this person become a leader?" Minimal skills, little experience, yet somehow they land a high position. Meanwhile, the competent ones stay stuck at the bottom. This phenomenon isn't new, in fact, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ warned his followers about the danger of giving power to those who don't deserve it. And the consequences? It's not just the leader who suffers, but everyone under their leadership suffers too.
Incompetent Leaders, People Suffer
Words of the Prophetﷺ
Two hungry wolves set loose among a flock of sheep are not more destructive to them than a person's greed for wealth and status is destructive to their faith.
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At-Tirmidzi. (2008). Sunan Al-Tirmithi. Translated by Haytham Kreidly.
Responsibility Given to an Incompetent Person Is a Sign of Destruction The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "If honesty is lost, then await the coming of the Day of Judgment." Someone asked: "How will honesty be lost, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" He answered: "When power is entrusted to those who are unworthy of it, then await the Day of Judgment."
"Why Is This a Sign of Destruction?" When power falls into the wrong hands, the consequences never stop at one person. The domino effect begins, dragging down teams, breaking systems, and destroying trust that took years to build. Incompetent manager → bad decisions → failed projects → employees laid off → company suffers losses. Incompetent government → bad policies → economy collapses → unemployment rises.
Ever Wonder What Happens When Nepotism Rules? Of course, people lose motivation to perform. You work hard, put in overtime, come up with brilliant ideas, but the promotion still goes to the boss's relative or the supervisor's close friend. Eventually, you start thinking: "Why should I even bother working hard when the only people who get ahead are the ones with connections?" Next, talented individuals begin resigning one after another. They seek environments that value merit over connections. The organization or country ends up losing its best talent. What's the most dangerous part? Nepotism becomes the culture. It's seen as normal, accepted as "that's just how things work." Years later, new generations inherit the same mentality. The destructive cycle repeats itself, never ending.
Learning by Doing? Not Every Position Has Room for Experimentation Assign a pilot position to someone who has never flown → Disaster. Give a surgical position to someone who just learned anatomy → Malpractice. Elect a president with no vision → A nation without direction.
In Surah Al-Ahzab: 72, Allah says: "Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they ˹all˺ declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But humanity assumed it, ˹for˺ they are truly wrongful ˹to themselves˺ and ignorant ˹of the consequences˺."