People are required to obey their rulers and abide by the laws overseen and implemented by state officials, in order to organize the country and preserve safety and peace. This can only be achieved when decision makers in any country are wise and clever.

It is true that leaders are humans, and might take the wrong decision sometimes. But the mistakes of leaders do not only affect them in person, as its repercussions reach millions of people they govern, which makes a small error into a catastrophe.

Leader’s misdeeds can push a whole nation into the abyss, as the people pay the price of their ruler’s recklessness.

This highlights the necessity of counselors and experienced analyst to provide the ruler with the required advice, and discuss the nation’s issues and problems to reach the proper decision. Such decisions require objectivity without any emotional of subjective views, to avoid any mistakes that could affect the whole community.

The Holy Qur'an commands Prophet Muhammad (p) that Muslims should consult and ask for advice before acting, in the following verses of Ash-Shura “(37)And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish worship, and whose affairs are a matter of counsel, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them(38)”.

If God commanded the Prophet with consultation – even though he is infallible – how about rulers and officials who are vulnerable and could make mistakes.

A ruler should always remember that “dictators always fall”, and that the repercussions of their mistakes could destroy a whole nation. There are many examples around us, not only rulers and leaders, but also of reckless presidents who destroyed themselves and their peoples.

 We pray God to inspire our Arab leaders and decision-makers with wisdom, insight and loyal advisers, to help them avoid pitfalls and opinion exclusivity.