A systemic approach to the leadership and organization of Faith-Based Volunteer Relief Forces ("Jihadi Forces"), particularly during natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, as well as in war-affected areas, is essential for enhancing coordination, accelerating decision-making, preventing organizational disorder, and improving the effectiveness of relief and reconstruction operations. This issue becomes particularly significant because Jihadi Forces, owing to their dynamic organizational structure and operational agility, may encounter challenges in organizing and coordinating volunteer personnel during disaster response. The Holy Quran contains numerous accounts of natural disasters experienced by different communities, together with the leadership approaches adopted by the Prophets to guide and rescue their people. The present study aimed to develop a Systemic Leadership Model for Jihadi Forces during natural disasters based on the teachings of the Holy Quran. In terms of purpose, the study is developmental, while methodologically it adopts a descriptive–exploratory design. The research employs a qualitative approach and is philosophically grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. Patterns of leadership for Jihadi Forces during natural disasters were identified and extracted through an analysis of the verses of the Holy Quran. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and the resulting themes were subsequently organized within the framework of the proposed Systemic Leadership Model. The findings revealed that the system inputs comprise the nature of the disaster, the psychological conditions of Jihadi Forces and the affected community, divine traditions and trials, available resources and facilities, public mobilization and collective calls for action, and ethical principles governing relief activities. The system processes include spiritual guidance and clarification, cooperation and consultation, practical jihad, the application of knowledge and reason, and motivation and morale building. The system outputs consist of saving lives and restoring life (i.e., preserving and revitalizing human life and well-being), strengthening hope and peace of mind, reinforcing social cohesion, and fostering spiritual growth and self-purification. The system feedback encompasses reflection on divine traditions, reassessment of internal conditions, continuous improvement, and the renewal of social solidarity and empathy. Furthermore, the will to rescue (i.e., preserving human life and dignity, restoring life, and rebuilding affected communities) emerged as the central driving force underpinning the proposed Systemic Leadership Model for Jihadi Forces during natural disasters.
Keywords: Leadership; Jihadi Forces; Systemic Leadership Model; Natural Disasters; Holy Quran; Thematic Analysis.
Introduction
Natural disasters pose complex humanitarian challenges that require more than technical resources and administrative coordination. Effective disaster response depends on leadership capable of mobilizing volunteer capacities, strengthening social cohesion, sustaining public morale, and coordinating collective action under conditions of uncertainty. In the Iranian context, recent natural disasters have highlighted the significant contribution of Faith-Based Volunteer Relief Forces ("Jihadi Forces"), whose value-driven and community-oriented approach has complemented the efforts of formal emergency organizations.
From a Quranic perspective, natural disasters are not viewed merely as material events but are understood within the framework of divine laws, social trials, and opportunities for moral and societal renewal. Quranic narratives portray prophets as exemplary leaders who, through faith, wisdom, compassion, and collective mobilization, guided their communities toward resilience, protection, and recovery during times of crisis. These narratives offer enduring leadership principles that extend beyond conventional disaster management frameworks.
Although previous studies have examined crisis management and leadership from Islamic and Quranic perspectives, limited attention has been given to developing a Systemic Leadership Model specifically for Faith-Based Volunteer Relief Forces responding to natural disasters. Addressing this research gap, the present study aims to develop a Quran-based Systemic Leadership Model that explains how spiritual values, ethical responsibility, and collective humanitarian action can be systematically integrated to strengthen humanitarian leadership, disaster response, and community resilience.
Materials & Methods
This study was conducted to develop a Systemic Leadership Model for Faith-Based Volunteer Relief Forces ("Jihadi Forces") in responding to natural disasters from a Quranic perspective. It is developmental in purpose and adopts a qualitative, descriptive–exploratory design within the interpretivist paradigm.
Relevant Quranic verses related to leadership, humanitarian action, natural disasters, crisis response, and relief efforts were identified through purposive sampling using advanced Quranic search tools. To ensure contextual and conceptual accuracy, the selected verses were interpreted in light of authoritative Quranic exegeses.
Data were analyzed using the six-phase thematic analysis approach proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). Initial codes were extracted from the selected verses, refined into sub-themes, and synthesized into overarching themes. These themes were subsequently organized according to General Systems Theory (Bertalanffy, 1968) to construct a Systemic Leadership Model comprising system inputs, processes, outputs, feedback, and a central driving force. The trustworthiness of the findings was established by applying the qualitative quality criteria of Lincoln and Guba (1985), including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
Discussion & Results
The thematic analysis of relevant Quranic verses resulted in the development of a Systemic Leadership Model for Faith-Based Volunteer Relief Forces ("Jihadi Forces") responding to natural disasters. The extracted themes were organized into four interrelated dimensions—system inputs, system processes, system outputs, and system feedback—which collectively explain the leadership process from a Quranic perspective.
The system inputs include the nature of the disaster, the psychological conditions of both Jihadi Forces and affected communities, divine traditions and trials, the mobilization of resources and facilities, public mobilization, and ethical principles governing humanitarian relief. These elements establish the contextual, organizational, and ethical foundations for effective leadership during disaster response.
The system processes comprise spiritual guidance and clarification, cooperation and consultation, practical jihad, the application of knowledge and reason, and motivation and morale building. The findings indicate that Quranic leadership during natural disasters extends beyond administrative coordination by integrating faith, ethical responsibility, collective participation, and informed decision-making into a coherent leadership process.
The system outputs consist of saving lives and restoring life (i.e., preserving and revitalizing human life and well-being), strengthening hope and psychological resilience, reinforcing social cohesion, and fostering spiritual growth and self-purification. Furthermore, the system feedback includes reflection on divine traditions, reassessment of internal conditions, continuous improvement, and the renewal of social solidarity. Together, these findings demonstrate that the proposed model represents a dynamic and adaptive leadership system in which humanitarian action is continuously refined through reflection, learning, and collective responsibility.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that the Holy Quran provides a comprehensive Systemic Leadership Model for Faith-Based Volunteer Relief Forces ("Jihadi Forces") responding to natural disasters. Unlike previous studies that have primarily approached disasters from a managerial perspective or examined the systemic nature of disasters across pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster phases, this research introduces a leadership-centered systemic perspective based on the interconnected dimensions of system inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback. The proposed model contributes to the literature by specifically addressing the leadership and mobilization of Jihadi Forces in humanitarian response contexts and by identifying the will to rescue as the central driving force of this model. This concept extends beyond a general ethical value and provides an analytical foundation for explaining leadership mechanisms, collective motivation, the organization of volunteer forces, and the direction of humanitarian actions during crises. The model offers both a Quran-based theoretical contribution to disaster leadership studies and a practical framework for strengthening volunteer coordination, organizational resilience, and community recovery in disaster management systems.