MATURE AND PROACTIVE INDIVIDUALS
Asset for a Mission
ABDULLAH IBN UBAYY (d. 631) was a great chief of ancient Madinah. The people of Madinah had unanimously agreed to make him their king. However, it so happened that the Prophet Muhammad left Makkah and came to Madinah. The people of Madinah (Ansar) now started to treat him as their leader. In the beginning, the people who had migrated to Madinah (Muhajiroon) were in the minority. But people continued migrating from different places until the Muhajiroon became the majority and Ansar became a minority. So far, Abdullah ibn Ubayy had been the ruler of the Ansar. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 4/370)
This was the reason Abdullah ibn Ubayy had feelings of antagonism for the Prophet and the Muhajiroon. He would somehow try to find ways of accusing and humiliating them. One of the incidents in this regard happened during the expedition against Banu Mustaliq (December 627). Abdullah ibn Ubayy participated with the people of his tribe in support of the Muslims. Taking advantage of an incident on the way, he made some accusations against the Prophet and the Muhajiroon. Addressing the people of his tribe, he said, “Indeed, when we return to Madinah, [we] the ones most worthy of honour will surely drive out from there the contemptible ones!’ [referring to poor Muslims]." (63: 8)
The success of a mission depends on the fact that it gets a team of prepared, proactive and mature people. Without such a prepared team, no mission can succeed.
This event is described in detail in books. In summary, the caravan continued to move until it approached Madinah. At that time a very unusual incident happened:
His son Abdullah stood at the entrance of Madinah waiting for his father Abdullah ibn Ubayy. When Abdullah ibn Ubayy reached the gate, his son stopped him saying, “Wait, by God you cannot enter the city until the Prophet of God allows you to enter.” When the Prophet reached there, Abdullah ibn Ubayy asked him for permission to enter the city. The Prophet permitted him to enter the city. His son Abdullah then left his father so that he could enter.
This incident shows that the Companions of the Prophet were so mature and proactive that they knew what they needed to do without someone telling them. The Prophet had said nothing to Abdullah. He knew what he had to do on this occasion. The most appropriate thing at that time was to show in front of Abdullah ibn Ubayy that he was no longer a leader or chief of Madinah. It was the Prophet Muhammad who was the chief of Madinah now.
Abdullah took the most timely and correct way of demonstrating this. The best way to do this was to get the son of Abdullah ibn Ubayy to do it. Abdullah understood this fact and at the right time played the desired role that was expected of him on this occasion.
The success of a mission depends on the fact that it gets a team of prepared, proactive and mature people. Without such a prepared team, no mission can succeed.
There must be two qualities among the members of this team. One is that every person of the team should be obedient. He should obey what is said to him. He should not make excuses, whether it is a personal excuse or an external excuse.
The second attribute is that the members of this team should be mentally so mature that they are able to know what they need to do without being told to. They should understand the situation without someone telling them about it.
The importance of this second attribute is that there are many things that cannot be said. When the mission expands and new requirements emerge, it becomes impossible to tell people all the necessary things. In such a time, the only practical thing is that a man himself understands the depth of things with his own intellect, and he himself can take necessary steps according to it at every opportunity.
No other attribute can replace this attribute of mental maturity and readiness.