The Mediating Effects of IEAP on the Relationship Between General Cognitive Ability of Imamship and Masjid Performance in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of IEAP (Islamic ethical administrative practices) on the relationship between general cognitive ability (GCA) of Imamship and Masjid (mosque) Performance (MP) in Lagos State, Nigeria. This study utilized a quantitative approach. It employs a cross-sectional survey and administers 310 online questionnaires to the Chief Imams of central Masaajid (plural of a mosque/mosques) in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study used statistical techniques to analyze the collected data with partial least square structural equation modelling - version 3 (PLS-SEM-V3). In the Lagos State of Nigeria, people have criticized the effectiveness of imamship in the state. The critiques were raised based on why the participation of Muslim Ummah in activities organized by imamship is low and the ineffectiveness of imamship. This study aims to formulate the mediating effect of IEAP that will serve as the best administrative policy that can lead to a better management system in the Masjid to improve Masjid attendance and serve as an attraction for Muslims Ummah to the Masjid. The results of data on MP equally demonstrate that the Jama’ah would emulate their Chief Imams MP in previous studies, this study examines the effects of IEAP on the relationship between GCA of imamship (Knowledge/Wisdom, Delivery of Khutbah . and Responsibility ) on MP for Muslim Ummah in Nigerian. In sum, proper understanding of the issues revolving around the Imam’s leadership and MP can be achieved

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of IEAP (Islamic ethical administrative practices) on the relationship between general cognitive ability (GCA) of Imamship and Masjid (mosque) Performance (MP) in Lagos State, Nigeria. This study utilized a quantitative approach. It employs a crosssectional survey and administers 310 online questionnaires to the Chief Imams of central Masaajid (plural of a mosque/mosques) in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study used statistical techniques to analyze the collected data with partial least square structuralequation modelling -version 3 (PLS-SEM-V3). In the Lagos State of Nigeria, people have criticized the effectiveness of imamship in the state. The critiques were raised based on why the participation of Muslim Ummah in activities organized by imamship is low and the ineffectiveness of imamship. This study aims to formulate the mediating effect of IEAP that will serve as the best administrative policy that can lead to a better management system in the Masjid to improve Masjid attendance and serve as an attraction for Muslims Ummah to the Masjid. The results of data on MP equally demonstrate that the Jama'ah would emulate their Chief Imams and consequently increase the performance of the Masaajid. This study recommends that with the presence of IEAP, the effectiveness of Chief Imam in promoting efficiency in MP by imbibing the knowledge/wisdom, truthfulness, responsibility/trust, and deliverance of khutbah will increase. Finally, key benefits for practitioners and academia were discussed under the theoretical and practical contributions, while necessary suggestions for future study were recommended.

Introduction
In Islam, Masjid has been the central abode utilized by Muslim Ummah for the conduct of obligatory daily Solawât (five times prayers daily), in the congregation, includes calling the name of Allah Almighty (SWT) with glorifying Him (SWT) and other religious activities for their spiritual uplift. According to the Holy Qur'an, as follows: -"In houses (Masaajid) Allah has permitted to be raised and His Name to be mentioned therein-in them, people glorify Him in the early mornings and the evening (hours before sunset)" (Qur'an24, Verse36).
Moreover, the Masjid al-Nabawiy (Prophet Muhammad's Mosque in Madinah city) is one of the greatest multipurpose Masaajid and administrative centres of all the significant events (Omer, 2018). It is a centre where Muslim Ummah perform five daily congregational Solawât and other religious activities, as it equally teaches religious knowledge and moral standards of lives and strengthens their relationships with the Almighty Allah (SWT), the families, and the community in general (Arshad, & Zain, 2017;Ebrahimi, Yusoff, & Salamon, 2015). Also, it is a place for the conduct of teaching, learning activity and a place of superior 'ibadah (worship) since the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as narrated from Abu Hurayrah (RTA) 1 that Prophet Muhammad (SAW), said: -"Whoever comes to my Masjid (Masjid an-Nabawiy), with the good intention to conduct learning or teaching activities, and to promote beneficial knowledge will have his reward equivalent to the person who fights (Jihad ‫)جهاد‬ in the path of Allah (SWT);" (Sunnan Ibn Majah: Vol; 1, Chapter: 17, Hadith: 227; Musnad Ahmad: 23/270). 1 -His name was 'abdus-Shams, who was born in Republic of Yemen, in year 603 CE (19 years before Hijrah). The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) changed his name to 'abdur-Rahman/Abu Hurayrah (RTA) in Islam. He (RTA) was the most narrator of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ḥadīths. Also, Abu Hurayrah (RTA) narrated about 5,375 Hadīth, despite the fact that he (RTA) only spent three years in the company of the Prophet (Samad, 2015).
The above Hadith shows that the performance of Masjid an-Nabawiy was not only a place of 'ibadah but was an essential place for administration, management, and highly revered institution among early Muslim Ummah. Moreover, it is a general knowledge that the significant role of performance of Masjid in Islam has transformed from a centre of congregation Solawât to the symbol, instrument, and institution of promoting and directing the well-being -spiritual, social, political and economic activities -of Muslim Ummah in their immediate societies.
However, despite the growing number of Masaajid around the globe, Masjid as an institution in recent times is faced with so many challenges that have adverse effects on positioning it for better performance. For example, according to Mutalib et al. (2017), Malaysia, who hold discovers low attendance Masjid of Jama'ah (congregants) to perform obligatory congregational Solawât regularly. In addition, Zakariyah (2014) stated that one of the most apparent issues in the administration of Masaajid in Malaysia is the Tabung Masjid (poor management of funds).
Also, in the United State (US), where Soldo (2017) emphasized the lack of training among leaders of Masjid to fulfil their responsibilities effectively to their followers and managed funds to provide tools of practices Masaajid in the country (US). While, Kareem and Adetoro, (2017) notice inadequate accountability of Masjid funds in Nigeria, which appears to be insignificant challenges facing the voluntary donation of Masjid (Bayt al-Māl -‫المال‬ ‫.)بيت‬ Additionally, Yusuf and Raheem (2013) decried the unethical practices of Muslim leadership administration of the Masjid in Nigeria, where committee members indulge in immorality due to intolerance among the members (p67). This aligns with the argument of Imosem (2012) cited in Abdullateef, Muhammed Yinusa, Danjuma Sulaiman, and Abdulwasiu (2018, pg370) that: -"It appears that many Nigerians are religious without being righteous. We observed all the prayers, fasting, and attendance of services but did not reflect the true teachings of our religions in our day-to-day interaction with our fellow citizen. We compartmentalize our lives such that what is taught in our Churches or Mosques stay there" (Abdullateef et al.,p370). Due to the issues above, most Masjid is no longer serving the purpose for which they are established in terms of their roles in shaping the thoughts and the ideology of the Muslim Ummah Sallehhuddi, Abu Said, Hasmanto, Mustafa, Jais, Samsudin, Masuod, & Ismail, 2017;Sapri, Ab Muin, & Sipan, 2016). Also, this is evident that the rampant ideological deficiency resulting in MP deficiency issues because researchers have found that attachment to the Masjid by Muslim Ummah lead to an effect on the well-being of individuals and the community. Therefore, because of the significant role of the Masjid for the Muslim Ummah of today, it has become imperative to revive the idea of the Masaajid in the Lagos State of Nigeria as a community canter of spiritual uplift and locus of activities for the Muslims Ummah.
According to several Muslim Scholars e, g., Badi (2017); Omer (2018);  affirm the antecedents of Islamic leadership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the most influential leadership styles of all time, while his successors (RTA) emulated him (SAW) with those virtuous exemplary characters to direct affairs of the Muslim Ummah under their governance with significant consistency in creed and principles. Furthermore, Priest and Gass (2017) stated that scholars agree that the process of leadership reflects the effectiveness of the leader. Therefore, understanding the mediating IEAP could help us understand the importance of leaders towards enhancing organizational performance and, most importantly, by extension, MP. Because of the above, there is a need to understand MP from the standpoint of Islamic leadership antecedents, and there is a need to understand MP from the perspective of Islamic leadership theories, which are repose in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to provide qualities need for implementing by Islamic leaders purposely for getting blessings from Almighty Allah (SWT) (Daud, Rahim & Nasurdin, 2014). Therefore, among the essential factors mentioned by the previous studies are the GCA of imamship. This fact can help to improve antecedents of Islamic leadership (Mahazan & Abdullah, 2013).
Includes IEAP has introduced as a mediator in this study deals with the rules that define moral conduct according to the ideology of a specific group.

Literature Review
This section reviews the literature on the Central Masaajid in Lagos State of Western Nigeria. Areas of a contextual background of GCA of Imamship are independent variables (IV) of the study. While IEAP a mediating variable (MV) of this study. Also, MP is the dependent variable (DV) of the study.

Lagos State, Nigeria
Lagos State is located in the South-Western Geopolitical Zone in Nigeria. It is the most populous city in Africa, with over 21 million people (Eniafe et al.., 2020). Additionally, Alade et al. (2016);Owolabi, Odugbemi, Odeyemi, and Onigbogi (2018); Oniyide (2019) had reported that Lagos State was the capital of the Republic of Nigeria during the Colony and Protectorate until 1991 when the capital was relocated to Abuja during military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida. Also, Lagos State is subdivided into five major sub-ethnic/cultural groups, each having its peculiar Yoruba dialect. These are its five administrative divisions of Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos-Island and Epe, which were regarded as the IBILE (Eniafe et al., 2020;Oniyide, 2019). Moreover, the State (Lagos) has subdivided into 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in addition to the 20 LGAs, making a total of 57 Local government administrative units (Eniafe et al., 2020).
To highlight the justification for choosing Lagos State. Lagos State is selected as a case study for this study because Islamic Religion is practised during the colonial era and after the Nigerian independence (1960). Also, the first Muslim School was established and officially

Masjid Performance (MP)
Masjid performance (MP) refers to refer to a large of Muslims that come to the Masaajid to offer their obligation Solawât, learn more about Islam which is related to a complete way of their life and thereby strengthen their faith with Allah Almighty (SWT) (Alhassan, 2017;Eniafe, et al., 2020;Jaafar, Habidin, Hussin, Zakaria, & Hamid, 2013;Omer, 2018). According to the Holy Qur'an, Allah Almighty (SWT) says in Surah at-Taobah: -"The Masaajid of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day (Day of Judgment), perform the Solât (conduct of obligatory daily Solawât), and give Zakat (almsgiving to the poor), and fear none but Allah. It is they who are on true guidance". (Qur'an9, Verse18).
Based on the noble verse above, the keyword in these verses above is: If it is applied to the subject of Masjid, four guidelines could be derived, included (1) to build or to repair, (2) to maintain in fitting dignity, (3) to visit for the purpose of devotion, and (4) to fill with light, life and activity (Omer, 2013;as cited in Alberta, et al., 2015, p372).
The performance of Masjid is always associated with the state of religious behaviour in many Muslim Ummah. This thought could be located in the researches done by previous scholars, for examples Oskooii, and Dana (2018) on Muslims in Great Britain as well as Mutalib et al. (2017), in Malaysia, also Alade et al. (2016); Eniafe et al., (2020) in Nigerian. In general, Masjid is considered the essential socio-religious centre for Muslims around the globe (Mahazan & Abdullah, 2013;Jaafar et al., 2013 ). Westfall (2019), the United States, examined the nature of the relationship between Masjid and political engagement. The result of the study found a positive relationship between Masjid attendance associated with political engagement.
Additionally, the study discovered that in Solât -ul-Jumu'ah on Friday, the chief Imam Delivery's Khutbah where he talks about current issues that affect the people in the political space and this is significant because it shows the concern of Masjid leadership with politics as the study pointed out. Nonetheless, Utaberta et al. (2015) argued in a study on Masjid in America that: -"Unfortunately, we, Muslims today facing difficulties to implement the commandments of Allah and following the footsteps of Prophet (PBUH) as we have deteriorated from the guideline that was prescribed for us and adopted the western philosophy of life. As a result, the most important institution of the Muslim community, i.e. the mosque, has become insufficient to be integrated with the fabric of the Muslim societies. Now with the present resurgence of Islamic thoughts and philosophy, once again, the time has come to revive the institution of mosque completely based on the direction that is prescribed in the Qur "an and the practices of Prophet (PBUH) and the early generation of the Muslims which portrays the practical aspect of utilizing the advantages mosque institution to its fullest extent" (Utaberta et al., 2015, p374).
In this regard above, there are many Masaajid around the globe witnessing parts of the preceding problems, according to Mutalib et al. (2017), who found low attendance among congregants to perform obligatory congregational Solawât regularly in Masaajid in Malaysia. At the same time, Zakariyah (2014) stated that Tabung Masjid (funds of the Masjid) is one of the most apparent issues in the administration of Masaajid. Poor management of funds, especially in Nigeria. Where poor MP has been a significant challenge, according to Yusuf & Raheem (2013), is an issue that calls for a lot of attention among the Muslims on MP as this is affecting the way the Masjid is being managed. Additionally, they said that: -'It is, however, pathetic and disturbing that Muslim community for a very long time have not been able to live up to expectation judging by its moribund institutions of which the Masjid is one' (Yusuf & Raheem 2013, p8).
Hence, the unethical practices of the Muslim leadership administration of the Masaajid in Lagos in particular and Nigeria general where committee members indulge in immorality as a result of intolerance among the members are also something that affects MP and calls for attention. Therefore, this study attempts to provide some insights on how we should revive our Masaajid to perform efficiently by measuring performance in three dimensions which includes: (a) Masjid attendance, (b) Masjid activities, and (c) Masjid funding. Based on the direction of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet (SAW) and the early generation of our successors (RTA), which portrays the practical aspect of utilizing the advantages of Masjid institution to its fullest extent. Additionally, some previous studies measured MP tangible and intangible resources, such as expenses ratio of religious events, religious education, charity and community services, to indicate how efficient the Masaajid resources are utilized. While, Mutalib et al. (2017) measured MP with three items: Masjid attendance, fund-raised by Masjid, and assets of Masjid. Additionally, the performance of the Masjid should be continuously investigated regularly (Mutalib et al., 2017). The dimensions of MP for this study will be explained in the following subheading below: -

Masjid Attendance
Masjid attendance defines as regularly attend Masjid for compulsory congregational Solawât. Also, it is a crucial ritual activity of MP (Eniafe et al., .2020;Mutalib et al., 2017;. While, Oskooii, and Dana (2018), defined Masjid attendance as several increments of political participation with an association of people from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds together. Therefore, Masjid attendance has been revealed in many verses of the Holy Qur'an. Likewise, the following (Surah an-Nisaahi): -"When you finish your Solât (congregational Solawât), remember Allah's praises, while you are standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides, but when you are free from danger (secure), perform Solât (daily Solawât) regularly. Indeed, Solât (daily Solawât) are enjoined on believers at the appointed times". (Qur'an4, Verse103).
Hence, many Hadiths reported by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) indicates the importance of attendance congregational Solawât as the following: -"The Solât in congregation is twenty-seven times superior to the Solât offered by person alone" (Sahih Bukhari -Book 11; Hadith 618).

Masjid Activities
Masjid Activities refers to the various activities that Muslim Ummah performs in the Masjid through the guidance of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah (Mutalib et al., 2017;Omer & Farhadullah 2019;Prawirasasra, & Mubarok, 2017). According to the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty (SWT) says in Surah An-Noor, concerning this: -"In houses (Masaajid) Allah has permitted to be raised and His Name to be mentioned therein-in them, people glorify Him in the early mornings and the evening (hours before sunset)" (Qur'an24, Additionally, Masjid al-Haram, Masjid al-Quba, and Masjid an-Nabawiy are centres of field Da'wah that disseminate knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence (i.e., Delivering lecturing and learning of the Holy Qur'an, Sunnah, and schools of thought in Islam, via worship Allah Almighty (SWT) (Said, 2020). Additionally, in accordance to al-Imam al-Ghazali (RA) said: -"Mosque is an institution. It is the source of spiritual and material guidance; it is the hall for worship, the school for knowledge and the centre for literacy pursuits. Strongly attached to the duty of prayers and the rows of worshippers are more attitudes and traditions which form the essence of Islam" (Al-Ghazali, 1999). Therefore, there are several studies that Muslims Scholars Researches, e.g., Alade et al.  (2020), have found that Masjid activities are significant with organized through the Masaajid and are the symbol of those who receive guidance from Allah Almighty (SWT).

Masjid Funding
Masjid funding is an essential factor dimension that can promote MP better. Also, it can develop socio-economic as well as contribute to new knowledge relating to the principle of In Lagos state particular, and Nigeria context generally, no organization or society pays the salaries of Islamic leader particular Imam, Quranic learning and other related to Islamic affairs.
Hence they are forced to search for alternative means of financial assistance (Amuda, 2013). In bolstering the above statement, AbdulKareem, Ogunbado, AbdulGaniyy and Mahmud (2019) affirmed that there is no provision for Nigeria's Ministry of religious affairs. Therefore, many Masaajid countries need financial assistance and support for MP, maintenance, and Islamic activities programs. According to Riwajanti (2019), who hold emphasized as following: -"Funds can be utilized for empowerment activities/programs, useful for the ummah... however, is not easy because the takmir might have different backgrounds, have different understandings…these differences sometimes could also raise conflicts of thinking". (Riwajanti, 2019, p201).

General Cognitive Ability of Imamshiep
Several researchers, e.g., Bedell-Avers, Hunter, and Mumford (2008); Mahazan, and Abdullah (2013); Mumford, Campion, and Morgeson (2007) have defined general cognitive ability (GCA) as the brain-based skills and mental processes needed to carry out any task and have more to do with the mechanisms of how you learn, remember, and pay attention rather than any actual knowledge you have learned. While some previous researches earlier, e.g., Bensaid, Machouche, and Grine (2014); Mahmood, Arshad, Ahmed, Akhtar, and Khan (2018); Miller (2019) have argued that the GCA is the depict same with intelligence variables that they are empirical evidence supports the importance and predict antecedent of leadership. This is also alternatively referred to as the lead intelligence or qualities in several studies. According to Bass (1990), who posited that amongst variables explaining GCA, "intelligence has probably received the most attention in studies of leadership" (cited in Mahazan, 2012, p109). While, in another definition, intelligence is a general mental ability for reasoning, problem-solving, and Intelligence\Spiritual Intelligence. Therefore, these studies above examined the relationship between these five categories of cognitive ability in leadership performance. The studies affirmed that one aspect of mental ability that should be focused on is GCA. Therefore, GCA was found as one of the predictors of leadership in some previous researches. Consequently, the GCA of Imams influenced MP. As such, it is reasonable to suggest that an Imam with GCA would make significant contributions to the organization of Masaajid, where he works as Imam (Mahazan & Abdullah, 2013;Mutalib, & Ghani, 2013). This fact implies that GCA is vital competencies that are needed to meet the challenges of MP or job demands, education, and Therefore, the Prophet Mohamed (SAW) says: -"Wisdom is the lost property of the believer; wherever he finds it, he has more right to it" (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2687).

Truthfulness (Siddiqi)
Truthfulness is a quality in general cognitive ability for imamship in this study.
According to Daud et al. (2014), one of the Islamic leadership qualities that required consistency between words and actions is truthfulness. Additionally, truth is a value that drives the commitment of an imam as a leader and subsequently leads to better performance (Daud et al., 2014). Rahman and Shah (2015) defined trustfulness as the sense ofResponsibility, honour, courtesy, showing optimal result and respect for others. An imam always has to speak the truth and be truthful from the core of his heart, not for affectation but for establishing moral standards in the Muslim Ummah (Daud et al., 2014). Also, Rahman and Shah (2015) affirmed that a believer must fulfil the obligation to achieve success in this world and hereafter.
While looking to become a successful person, one must be obedient to Allah Almighty (SWT) and His terms and rule. According to the Holy Qur'an says: -"Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing" (Qur'am4, Verse58).

3 Responsibility/Trust (Amanah)
Responsibility is trust (Amanah), and an Islamic perspective is about how Muslims enact their leadership role (Aldulaimi, 2016). A true leader does not seek his interest but the welfare of others. In the context of work culture in an organization, every worker must be aware that a position that he holds is decided by him (Aldulaimi, 2016). Truthfulness is the opposite of lying, and it is the mother of all good in a person's character, and it is the source of all other virtues. Imam of the Masjid must showResponsibility in his character and competence to influence members of the congregation in the Masjid. The position of Islam on leadership has very significant implications for the present-day Human Resource Development (HRD) practices and policies (Ahmad, 2012). The Masjid is an example of a communal unit withResponsibility in Islam (Utaberta, Asif, Rasdi, Yunos, Ismail, & Ismail, 2015 Therefore, theResponsibility of Imamashp is to manage the world according to Allah's wants and establish good relationship among humanity (Alimin, Awang, Ahmad, & Nain, 2018).
Moreover, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the best example of a trustworthy leader. According to Sheikhayni (Bukhari and Muslim), the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) saying: -"All of you are providers of care, and everybody is responsible for doing it right for his subordinates and dependents" (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim); "There is no faith for a person who does not possess Amanah, [i.e., unreliable] and there is no religion for one who does not keep his promise". (Sunan Ahmad).

Communication/Delivery of massage (Tabliigh)
Communication/Delivery of massage is required to the purpose of the mission clearly and to inspire people to follow it. The Holy Qur'an itself is the most eloquent document, and it appeals both to the mind and the heart. For example, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) delivered messages of Islam in a way that a small group of people in Makkah instantly admitted. Even though the tribe of Quraish in Makkah accepted that his statement had value, but they were against it because they found it as undermining their interests (Daud et al., 2014).
Communication can articulate ideas and views with clarity and eloquence (Daud et al., 2014).
Communication is an essential quality that needs to be learned, practised and master by every leader, especially the Chief Imam of the Central mosque. According to Muhamedi  ˹already˺ knows all about them, and keeps account of everything" (Qur'an72, Verse28).

IEAP (Islamic Ethical Administrative Practice)
IEAP is an essential mediating factor for this study. IEAP introduced as a mediator in this study deals with the rules that define moral conduct according to the ideology of a specific group. Several researchers e, g., Hair, Hult, Ringle, and Sarstedt (2014); Hair, Hult, Ringle, and Sarstedt (2016), defined mediating effect as is created when a third variable or construct intervenes between others related constructs, understand how mediating effects work. It seeks to be a predictor MP by ensuring that there is adherence to the rules of ethics -in other words, the people receive what they need pretty. It likewise seeks to give the administration guidelines for integrity in their operations. This integrity, in turn, leads to the fostering of trust in the Masjid community. By building this atmosphere of faith, the administration helps people understand that they are working with their best interests in mind (Kamri, 2014).
In Nigeria currently, the inability of Masjid administration to cope with the dynamics of the In this regard, IEAP is excavated from the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. Therefore, it could be said to incorporate the four dimensions that have been proposed in this research and based on previous studies, which are: 1, Competition, 2, Effort, 3, Morally responsible conduct, and 4, Transparency (Haider & Nadeem. 2014;Wahab, 2017) as used in this study.

Competition
Competition is regarded as Shura (Consultation), which Imams are encouraged to preach to their Jama'ah (followers) in line with the concepts of IEAP. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as a great example, who laid the excellent foundation of a civilization, an ethical value, also conceived as a set of significant leadership trait of the Prophet (SAW) was Shura. The Shura (Consultation) was held to be very important, and he of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) consulted and followed his companions' advice in several matters, as Allah Almighty (SWT) revealed in the Holy Qur'an: -"…and consult them in the matter;" (Qur'an3, Verse159).

Effort
Effort: Chief Imams of the Masaajid need to invest their efforts in professionalism to congregations of the Masaajid. In this regards, Islamic ethics that is excavated from the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah was proposed by previous studies (Eniafe et al., 2020;Wahab, 2017). While, an effort is considered as perform 'ibādah (worship) in Islam and will be rewarded, as the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: -"Worshipping has seventy avenues. The best of them is the involvement in an honest and earned a living" (cited in Aldulaimi, 2016;Wahab, 2017).

Morally Responsible Behaviour
Morally "As to those who believe and work righteousness, verily We shall not suffer to perish the reward of any who do a [single] righteous deed" (Qur'an18, Verse30).

Transparency
Transparency is a good value and relates to good character and morals (Akhlaq al-Hasanah). Also, transparency is considered a pillar of IEAP that is built on good values such as honesty (Sidqah), integrity (Istiqomah), justice ('adl), sincerity (Ikhlas), and trustworthiness (Thiqqoh) (Wahab, 2017). Likewise, the transparency of IEAP is deeply rooted in the belief in Allah Almighty (SWT), having trust in Him while an Imam is anticipated to be fair, and behave righteously towards the affairs of his followers in the Masjid. According to Riwajanti (2019), who hold emphasized as following: -"…building trust among members is very important, being transparent. In the mosque, it will be easier to do this because mosques apply management based on the ummah. So, people will trust each other. The problem usually appears because when they have public trust, they break the trust" (Riwajanti, 2019, p200).
Also, he is to be relating responsibly and be accountable for what he is entrusted with.
This commandment is because justice is one of the transparent principles of Islam, and it is also associated with the qualifies of leaders in Islam as Allah Almighty (SWT) says in Surah (Qur'an38, Verse26); "Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. So excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing" (Qur'an4, Verse58).

Research Method and Result
This study used a quantitative leadership approach. A conceptual framework was developed to show the identified elements of mediating effect of the IEAP of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which is the most influential leadership styles of all. Hence, in line with Sekaran and Bougie (2016), the cross-sectional survey method is the approach for this study and implied a procedure through which data has been collected and analyzed to test the proposed hypotheses. The survey instruments consist of two parts: demographic information of the respondents and the variables' instruments prepared to elicit information. The questionnaires were specifically designed for this study. The three variables in this study which are Islamic leadership of GCA of Imamship as the independent variable (IV). While IEAP is the mediating variable (MV), MP is the dependent variable (DV). The dimensions and items were adapted from previous Islamic studies, which contained constructs model based on the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah, including measurements of personal qualities as the qualities to be portrayed by the chief Imam of Central Masjid.

Conceptual Framework of the Study
The conceptual or theoretical framework refers to a demonstration of reality, and it comprehensively explains those factors (variables) of the actual world that the researchers think to be related to the problem identified as well as it demonstrates the significant association among them (Nachmias & Nachmias 1996;Rahi, 2017). Therefore, according to the literature review earlier for this study, the Islamic leadership of GCA of Imamship is an independent variable that includes four dimensions (knowledge/wisdom, truthfulness, responsibility/trust, and deliverance of khutbah). While the mediating knowledge variable is IEAP, it also is introduced to improve the effect of independent variables on DV, which is MP.
Consequently, the conceptual framework depicted the theoretical relationships that occurred among all the constructs, which is the basis upon which the study's hypotheses are formulated. This model is shown in Figure 3.1: - The general cognitive ability of Imamship

Hypotheses Development of the Study
The hypothesis is defined as a primary postulate or clarification by the researchers of what the researchers consider that the result of the study will be (Rahi, 2017;Singh, 2020).
This study is based on thirteen hypotheses (nine direct hypotheses and four indirect hypotheses), included with four subsections. The first direct hypotheses test the relationship between the independent variable of GCA of Imamship with four dimensions (knowledge/wisdom, truthfulness, responsibility/trust, and deliverance of khutbah), and the dependent variable of MP. The second direct hypotheses test the relationship between the mediating variable of IEAP and the dependent variable of MP. The third direct hypotheses test the relationships between the GCA of Imamship (knowledge/wisdom, truthfulness, responsibility/trust, and deliverance of khutbah) and IEAP. While, the fourth indirect hypotheses considered the mediating roles of IEAP between the GCA of Imamship (knowledge/wisdom, truthfulness, responsibility/trust, and deliverance of khutbah) and MP.

Relationship between GCA of imamship and IEAP
For instance, Mahazan and Abdullah (2013) found that GCA of imamship (knowledge and abilities of leadership) predicted skills through mediating effect IEAP. Also, the authors found that leadership self-efficacy and past leadership experiences mediated the relationship between distal antecedents and leadership potential. The same was also found by Chan and Drasgow (2001) in their leadership behaviour research. Therefore, the following hypothesis is presented below: -H5,6,7,8: A relationship between GCA of imamship (i.e., Knowledge/Wisdom, Deliverance, Responsibility, and Truthfulness) positively predicts IEAP.
H5: There is a relationship between knowledge/wisdom and IEAP.
H6: There is a relationship between deliverance and IEAP.
H7: There is a relationship betweenResponsibility and IEAP.
H8: There is a relationship between truthfulness and IEAP.

Relationship Between IEAP and MP
IEAP is an essential mediating variable factor for this study. It can assist imams to improve Masjid performance (MP). In line with the studies mentioned above, the study of Noor, Ab Wahab, and Nasirun (2017) investigated the relationship between Islamic work ethic and performance management among employees of Islamic organizations in Malaysia.
The study reported a significant relationship between ethics and performance management (among employees of Islamic organizations). In the light of these studies above, this study aims to increase our understanding of the influence of IEAP of Imams towards MP. Based on these findings, the following hypothesis is presented: -H9: There is a relationship between IEAP mediates and Masjid performance

Mediating Effects of IEAP on the Relationships Between IVs and DV
A mediating effect is divided into two options: direct and indirect mediating effects (Hair et al., 2014;Richiardi, Bellocco, & Zugna, 2013). Direct mediating effects linked the relationship between two constructs with a single arrow, and it is model as a possible mediator for the indicated relationship. At the same time, the Indirect effects are those relationships that involve a sequence of connection with at least one interfering construct (Hair et al., 2014).
This study predicts that the IEAP will be influenced by the GCA of imamship: Knowledge/Wisdom, Delivery of Khutbah. Truthfulness, and Responsibility, on MP for the Muslim Ummah in Lagos State Nigeria. As we discussed earlier that several studies e, g., Mahazan and Abdullah (2013)

Data Collection Procedures
The data collection procedures for this study were collected from Chiefs Imams of Central Masaajid in Lagos State, Nigeria. Besides, previous researchers have utilized several approaches in administering questionnaires such as face-to-face interviews, offline questionnaires, online questionnaires, and telephone interviews (Zhang, Kuchinke, Woud, Velten, & Margraf, 2017). While Remillard, Mazor, Cutrona, Gurwitz, and Tjia (2014) acknowledged that online questionnaires have successfully targeted groups of individuals who are members of organizations or institutions. The researcher uses strict administration procedures (Sudman, 1996)  Island, and Epe, which are traditionally referred to as IBILE (Alade et al. 2016;Owolabi et al., 2018). Therefore, the collection of data processed for this study spanned over one and half months, followed up with several phone calls and SMS as a reminder.
In line with those mentioned above, this study has distributed 434 total questionnaires. 350 (80.6%) questionnaires were returned as a response rate. There were 350 questionnaires returned, of which 40 were discarded as unusable due to outlier issues, ambiguous responses. Thus, the remaining 310 responses were finally considered usable in the analysis, which implies a 71.4% response rate. Following the argument proffered by Creswell (2012) that a response rate of 50% or above is adequate for surveys, the analysis of this study was based on 310 respondents.

Statistical Analysis Results
Partial Least Square, Structural Equation Modeling -Version 3 (PLS-SEM-V3) was used to examine and analyze purposes in this study since it is considered the best. PLS-SEM is an explanatory methodology that counts on both primary and secondary data (Hair et al., 2014). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has established noticeably in academic research in limitless academic disciplines. Hair et al. (2014) pointed out that results of PLS-SEM are recommended in most works of literature, and the two stages comprise the measurement model and structural model assessment. For this study, the two models need to be put in place.

Measurement Model
The measurement model is recognized as the outer model. Tabachnick and Fidell (2013) emphasized that reliability and validity are the two chief principles used in analyzing PLS for the valuation of the measurement model.

Construct Reliability and Validity
Reliability is the valuation of the level of constancy amongst various measurements of a construct (Hair et al., 2014). Reliability assesses the degree to which measures are free from random error and yield reliable outcomes. The reliability of the instrument terms that the measures will yield a likely result if used repeatedly. The purpose of construct validity is to create the degree to which the results accomplished from using a measure match the theories upon which the test is primarily designed (Sekaran & Bougie 2010). Construct validity is focused on responding to the question. This study subjected the measurement scales to convergent validity and discriminant validity test to regulate the validity of the constructs (Sekaran & Bougie, 2013).

Convergent Validity
Convergent validity is a type of construct's validity that appraises how a particular measure truly measures what it intended to measure and associates positively with other measures of the same construct (Hair et al., 2017). Consequently, average variance extracted (AVE) is a common technique used by researchers in generating convergent validity of the construct (Hair et al., 2017). On the other hand, the estimate for convergent validity measurement is the average variance explained (AVE) proposed by Fornell and Larcker (1981).
The argument was that AVE is the total average of the squared loadings items of a given construct.

Discriminant Validity
Discriminant validity refers to a condition where the researchers see that every indicator of a theoretical model is different in terms of statistics (Bhatti & Rehman 2020;Rehman et al., 2019). Discriminant validity in this study was evaluated using the Fornel-Larcker criterion, which was carried out by assessing the square root of AVE values and the latent variable correlations, which must have a higher value than any other latent construct (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Thus, the results displayed that the square roots of AVE values are higher than the rest of the correspondent latent constructs, revealing the formation of discriminant validity in Table 4.8. He (SWT) says in the Holy Qur'an (Surah al-Ahzab & al-Qolam) below concerning this: -"There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often;" (Qur'an33, Verse21); Additionally: "And indeed, you are of a great moral character" (Qur'an68, Verse4).

Theoretical and Practical Contributions
The contribution of this study from the theoretical and practical perspectives lies in identifying how the mediating effect of IEAP in the relationship between GCA of imamship

Recommendation of the Study
As a recommendation of this research, the Government of Lagos State Nigeria should monitor the Imamship of central mosques to checkmate unholy practices such as hate and extremist Khutbah, Tazkirah (preaching) capable of disrupting the peaceful co-existence among different religions. This fact will also reduce the tendency of owners of a central mosque to use the mosque to achieve their interest socially and politically. The training system should also focus on strengthening mosque leaders' leadership and management capabilities.
Furthermore, the participation of chief Imams must organize Qur'an tuition in the Masjid for Muslim Ummah because it is the main activity of the mosque. At the same time, it is in terms of the resources of the Imam of the Mosque to organized Qur'an tuition among his followers.

Conclusion
The purpose of this study is to assess the mediating effect of IEAP on the relationship between GCA of imamship (Knowledge/Wisdom, Delivery of khutbah. Truthfulness, and Responsibility) and MP for Muslim Ummah in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study was underpinned by Islamic human resources management (IHRM) and resource-based theory (RBT).
Although the influence of IEAP and GCA of imamship has been tested on MP, researchers have paid lesser attention to the holistic integration of all these constructs (Knowledge/Wisdom, Delivery of khutbah. Truthfulness and Responsibility), in a framework. Thus, this study was conducted for testing and validating a conceptual framework to elucidate the hypothesized relationships.
The empirical results of this study have contributed to the body of literature. This study addressed the significant theoretical research gap by integrating the mediating role of IEAP on the relationship between GCA of imamship, and MP. Also, it is conceptual framework has provided additional support to the use of IHRM and RBT. Further, the study added to the limited studies within the confine of IEAP in developing countries towards improving MP. In addition to the theoretical contributions, this study also provides critical practical insights to the Chief Imams on improving the MP. People will be attracted to coming to the Masjid for learning, praying, consulting, listen to Khutbah Jumu'ah and able all there will be a better performance of the Masajid based on the Holy Qur'an, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and emphasizing spiritual motivation based on Islamic Shari'ah, in Lagos State, Nigeria.