How Should We Speak About Society and Leadership With Wisdom?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Can I give advice on the best way to manage oneself physically and personally, and on why society and its leaders are the way they are?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
May Allah guide us to what pleases Him and protect us from error. Amin.
Allah says:
“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in the best manner.” [Quran, 16:125]
It is permissible to share advice on managing oneself physically and personally, as well as reflections on society and leadership, provided two conditions are met:
- Permissible content: Your advice should not contradict the Quran and Sunna. Encouraging healthy habits, discipline, and good character is praiseworthy, while urging others to disobedience is not.
- Scope of expertise: It is wise to speak within the limits of your knowledge and experience. General observations and encouragement are fine, but matters requiring specific qualifications, such as medical prescriptions, legal judgments, or issuing religious rulings, should be left to those qualified.
Practical guidance:
- Share beneficial lessons from your experience that uplift others.
- Encourage people to return to Allah in times of confusion.
- When unsure, it is better to say “I don’t know” than to risk misleading others.
This way, your words can be a means of benefit, not harm, and a way of embodying wisdom and sincerity in counsel.
I pray this is of benefit, and that Allah makes your advice a source of goodness for yourself and others.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
