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Al-Qamar  
ISSN (Online): 2664-4398  
ISSN (Print): 2664-438X  
www.alqamarjournal.com  
Al-Qamar,Volume9,Issue1(January-March2026)  
A Comparative Study of Ethical Leadership Principles: The  
Prophetic Model and Contemporary Leadership Ethics  
Arusa Anwar  
Assistant Lecturer, Minhaj University Lahore  
Email: arusaanwar73@gmail.com  
Abstract  
With a growing awareness and concern about corruption, abuse of  
power, organizational misconduct, and loss of public trust in  
institutions around the world, the study of ethical leadership has  
emerged as one of the most prominent fields of study in the discipline  
of leadership. In modern theories of leadership, integrity,  
accountability, fairness, transparency and servant leadership are  
considered to be key values of a good leader. The ideas have become  
well known in the field of management, and organizational study, but  
the example of the Prophet (saw) is a complete and everlasting example  
of ethical leadership, which is over 1400 years old and predates  
modern concepts. In this research the author critically analyzes the  
principles of ethical leadership found in the Prophetic model (Uswah  
Hasanah 
ﷺ
) and contrasts them with the ethical leadership in the  
modern era. The study reflects on, through qualitative and analytical  
research, the important ethical issues such as integrity, justice,  
accountability, consultation, compassion, service and moral  
responsibility. Prophetic model combines ethical behaviour with  
spiritual responsibility, social responsibility and social welfare,  
providing a more comprehensive understanding of ethical leadership.  
The study concludes that the Prophetic leadership paradigm is still  
very pertinent to the current leadership challenges and can play a great  
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A Comparative Study of Ethical Leadership Principles: The Prophetic Model...  
role in the discussions on ethical governance and leadership of today's  
organizations.  
Keywords: Ethical Leadership, Prophetic Leadership, Uswah Hasanah,  
Islamic Leadership, Servant Leadership, Leadership Ethics,  
Organizational Ethics, Moral Leadership  
Introduction  
Leadership is a basic aspect that helps to form societies, institutions,  
organizations and civilizations. Leadership has been shown to be important in  
social stability, political success, economic development and cultural  
advancement throughout the history. But the lack of ethics in leadership can  
result in corruption, injustice, exploitation and societal deterioration. Thus, the  
study and practice of ethical leadership has become a major focus of research  
and practice.  
A lot of leadership failures have occurred in the 21st century in political,  
business, and social institutions. A series of financial, misuse of authority,  
unethical corporate practices and political scandals have given impetus to the  
scholarly research on ethical leadership. The importance of effective leadership  
is growing and it is suggested that in addition to being technically competent,  
leaders should have good moral character and ethical commitment. In Islam  
leadership is not only a managerial role or a position of command. Actually, it  
is considered as Amanah (trust) given by Allah. A leader is held accountable  
not only to society but to God as well. This understanding is a key difference  
between Islamic leadership and other forms of secular leadership. Prophet  
Muhammad's (saws) life is the epitome of ethical leadership in Islam. His  
leadership brought about a unified and cohesive tribal community with a strong  
sense of morality. His behavior was honest, just, merciful, humble, consultative,  
accountable and service-oriented towards humanity. The Qur'an depicts him  
as the perfect example for those who believe:  
Yes, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for all those who  
believe in Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah frequently. (Qur'an  
33:21).  
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The Qur'an teaches that Prophet Muhammad 
ﷺ
 is a perfect model for the  
people of the world:  
In fact, in the Messenger of Allah, you have an excellent example for those who  
have faith in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah frequently. (Qur'an  
33:21)  
This verse is the basis for making the Prophetic personality the universally  
accepted model of guidance, including social, moral and leadership dimensions.  
Even more so the relevance of Uswah Hasanah 
ﷺ
 is increasing in this age  
where the leadership is being tested at a global, national and organisational  
level. Prophet Muhammad (saws) embodied qualities of leadership that are  
truly useful in today's society, for example: justice, consultation, mercy,  
humility, honesty and accountability.  
This study is intended to critically explore the ethical basis of leadership based  
on Uswah Hasanah (Rasulullah (saws)) and in comparison nowadays. It aims  
to examine the ethical vision of the Prophetic model that brings together moral  
excellence, social responsibility and spiritual awareness, and to see how it can  
be applied to leadership issues of today. This research aims at comparing the  
ethical bases of the contemporary leadership theories and the ethical principles  
for the Prophetic model, looking at both the similarities and the differences  
and bringing them together in the consideration of the issues of leadership in  
today's world.  
Literature Review  
In the last 30 years, the topic of ethical leadership has received a lot of attention  
in organizational studies. Brown, Treviño, and Northouse argue that ethical  
leadership is manifested in personal behavior, interpersonal ethics and ethical  
decision-making.  
Brown and Treviño (2006) contend that ethical leaders inspire their followers  
by demonstrating fairness, honesty, trustworthiness, and ethical behavior.  
Likewise, Northouse (2022) states that ethical leadership fosters respect,  
service, justice, honesty, and community building.  
Servant Leadership, as presented by Robert Greenleaf, is a theory that states  
that a good leader's focus should be on the needs of followers, not personal  
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A Comparative Study of Ethical Leadership Principles: The Prophetic Model...  
interests. There are many similarities between this theory and Islamic teachings  
on leadership as service and not domination.  
Another dimension of transformational leadership theory is moral influence,  
which involves building a vision, values, and ethical manner to inspire followers.  
But critics say that transformational leadership doesn't always offer clear ethical  
guidelines for assessing leadership behavior.  
In contrast Islamic scholarship believes in leadership in a moral and spiritual  
manner. Islamic leaders, like Beekun, Badawi and Ali, have stressed that the  
basis of Islamic leadership lies in Tawhid (the belief in the Oneness of God),  
justice, accountability, consultation, and serving humanity.  
While interest in Islamic leadership studies is growing, there is considerable  
lack of comparative studies looking into the relationship between  
contemporary ethical leadership theories and the Islamic leadership model of  
the Prophet (saws). The aim of this study is to fill that void.  
Theoretical Framework  
This research is grounded in two key theories.  
Firstly, Contemporary Ethical Leadership Theory which focuses on ethical  
behavior’s, moral decision making, fairness and accountability in organizations.  
The second foundation is the Prophetic Leadership Model based on the  
Qur'an, Sunnah and the biography of Prophet Muhammad (saws). This model  
integrates moral elements and at the same time stresses spiritual responsibility  
and social duty. The study assumes that the effectiveness of leadership cannot  
be fully appreciated without the ethical aspects. Hence, the ethical leadership  
is used as a main analysis lens in the examination of the theories and the  
Prophetic model.  
Ethics in Leadership in The Prophetic Model  
Integrity and Trustworthiness (Al-Amanah)  
One of the qualities that is widely known as an effective leader is integrity.  
Trust is considered as the basis of effective relationships between leader and  
follower by contemporary scholars. Even before he became a prophet, the  
people of Makkah already knew Muhammad  
̕
as "Al-Amin" (The  
Trustworthy). He was known for his integrity, even among his detractors.  
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Trustworthiness was not just a personal quality, but an attribute of good  
leadership that had a bearing on his mission in the public eye. The Prophet was  
not like many of the leaders of today who rely on institutional authority, but  
he was one who acquired authority through moral credentials and exemplary  
character. His example proves that moral authority can be a more effective force  
than the force of law.  
Justice and Fairness  
Justice is one of the most central issues in the context of Islamic leadership and  
in the theories of ethical leadership in the contemporary context. Justice is one  
of the things repeatedly ordered in the Qur'an for the believers:  
Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence and giving to relatives' (Qur'an  
16:90).  
The Prophet (saw) was always fair towards all people, irrespective of their tribe,  
class, or family or something else. His well-known statement about his daughter  
Fatimah shows his unbiased justice: If Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, stole,  
then I would cut off her hand. This is a recognition of the need for equality  
before the law and freedom from favouritism in relation to true ethical  
leadership.  
Compassion and Mercy  
The importance of emotional intelligence and empathy as a leadership trait is  
becoming more of a focus in contemporary leadership studies. In the Prophetic  
model, however, the gift of empathy is extended to include fullness of mercy.  
The Qur'an says that the Prophet Muhammad (saws) is:  
"A mercy for all the worlds" (21:107).  
He was not only merciless towards his followers, but also his enemies, children,  
women, the poor, the minorities and even animals. His leadership was grounded  
on a principle of respect for human dignity and human welfare.  
Consultation and Participatory Decision-Making (Shura)  
Participation and stakeholder engagement is a key feature of modern  
democratic leadership. Likewise, Islam encourages consultation by the principle  
of consultation (Shura).  
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A Comparative Study of Ethical Leadership Principles: The Prophetic Model...  
The Qur'an encourages believers to live in consultation with one another  
(42:38).  
The Prophet (saws) often sought their opinion on issues of politics, war and  
society. He followed the majority opinion even though he did not like it at the  
battle of Uhud. This is an indication of the value of collective wisdom and  
participation in good leadership.  
Humility and Servant Leadership  
Humility was one of the most amazing qualities of Prophetic leadership. He  
was the head of state, the military leader, the judge and the spiritual leader, but  
he never acted arrogant, he did ordinary things, helped his family, and got along  
with people without getting uppity.  
His statement: A people's servant is its leader. This mirrors a Servant  
Leadership theory that is very similar to today's. The Prophetic approach,  
however, is different from the models of servant leadership in today's world  
because of its emphasis on spiritual values and accountability to God.  
Accountability before God  
One of the most unique traits of Prophetic Leadership is Spiritual  
Accountability. Today’s ideals of responsible leadership focus on the  
responsibilities to the public, the opinion, the stakeholders and the laws. These  
mechanisms are significant but can be problematic at times of poor supervision.  
Accountability before Allah is an extra dimension added to Islam.  
The Prophet (saw) taught that every leader will be asked about his followers.  
This is a belief that establishes an internal moral mechanism, without requiring  
external oversight. The comparative analysis of contemporary leadership ethics  
will be practiced.  
Areas of Convergence  
The Prophetic model shares similarities with several ethical principles that are  
part of contemporary leadership theories. Both focus on honesty, fairness,  
integrity, responsibility, service, trustworthy, and respect human dignity. They  
agree that ethical conduct increases the effectiveness of the organization and  
contributes to its continued success. They both agree that role modeling and  
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moral influence is crucial in leadership. Many of today's ideas about ethical  
leadership are based on universal moral values, as revealed by these similarities.  
Areas of Divergence  
Although there are many similarities, there are also significant differences. In  
general, current moral leadership is based on secular philosophy, organizational  
efficiency and social norms. The ethics requirements may differ from one  
culture to another and from one institution to another. Prophetic leadership,  
on the other hand, is based on God's revelation. Moral values are deemed to be  
objective and universal, not socially constructed. Additionally, the leadership  
theories of the modern world generally emphasize the result of the  
organization, while Prophetic leadership emphasizes both the result of the  
organization, and the spiritual well-being. The Prophetic model also focuses  
more on shaping moral character, purifying the self and taking responsibility  
for the person before God.  
How the prophetic model of leadership is relevant today  
There is a wide range of ethical problems in the modern world such as  
corruption, misuse of power, polarization, inequality in economic  
development, environmental issues, loss of faith in institutions, etc.  
• The Prophetic leadership model provides solutions to these challenges.  
• Trustworthiness is its focus, and it can reinforce the credibility of  
institutions.  
• It is dedicated to justice, which could help to strengthen governance  
systems.  
• It can encourage the participation of everyone in decision making  
because of its consultative approach.  
• Its caring spirit can help to build a sense of community.  
Above all, the principle of accountability to God can produce leaders who are  
ethical even in the absence of external accountability systems. This makes the  
Prophetic model of administration very relevant today in the fields of politics,  
education, business and community development.  
Conclusion  
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A Comparative Study of Ethical Leadership Principles: The Prophetic Model...  
By comparing and contrasting ethical leadership principles with those of  
Uswah Hasanah (saws) and those of modern day leadership ethics, it is clear  
that ethics is the bedrock of sustainable and effective leadership. Modern  
theories of leadership have made important contributions to the understanding  
of ethical behavior, and the organizational responsibility, the relationship  
between leaders and followers, but the Prophetic model provides a more  
comprehensive and multidimensional model, incorporating the moral, social  
and spiritual aspects. Prophet Muhammad's 
ﷺ
 leadership is an example of the  
values of service, responsibility and accountability that are essential to good  
leadership. His principles of honesty, justice, compassion, humility,  
consultation, and trustworthiness are timeless and universal ethical principles  
that are relevant across all cultures and throughout history. Many of the  
concepts of leadership today which overlaps with the Prophetic model are such  
as servant leadership, transformational leadership, authentic leadership and  
ethical leadership. The Prophet's (saws) approach to serving others, acting with  
integrity, fostering fairness, and valuing human dignity are examples of  
principles that we still see in practice today, but were first practised by the  
Prophet (saws) centuries ago, long before they became the subject of formal  
study in leadership theory. But, the Prophetic leadership paradigm is not  
limited to the current ethical theories, it also adds divine accountability.  
Normally the modern leadership concept is focused on accountability towards  
institutions, laws and society, but in Islam it also includes accountability  
towards Allah. This spiritual factor fosters the development of internal moral  
awareness, helping leaders to be ethical even in the absence of external oversight.  
In a time of leadership failures, corruption, social injustice and loss of faith in  
institutions, the Prophetic model offers valuable insights for the formation of  
leaders who are not only competent but also morally responsible. The way  
ethical excellence, social welfare and spiritual awareness are woven together in  
Uswah Hasanah 
ﷺ
 forms a one-of-a-kind and universal model of leadership.  
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