Islamic Work

During the reign of Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم), and later, the reign of Abu Bakr, the first Khalifa, may Allah be pleased with him, Khalid bin Walid, commander of the Muslim army, rocked the non-Muslim armies again and again and again and lead the Muslims to many victories. In this way, he became a fitnah–people ascribed victory to him, and not to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). After the battle of Yarmuk, the newly-instated Khalifa, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) removed Khalid bin Walid from leadership of the army and instated Abu Ubaydah (RA) as the commander.

Never label. Human beings are not two-dimensional that you can slap a label onto them and classify them. One of the best ways to destroy ties between people, groups, and organizations is to label them. Even if they deserve it, don’t do it. When you find yourself applying a label to someone, ask yourself: Will this action please Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)? When you find others who label, back away. You don’t want to involve yourself with people like that.

In one of the battles in the time of the Khulafa Rashideen, the Muslim armies attacked a fort behind a trench. With a trench, defenses spread thin: 500 people need to guard all points of the trench. So in any given area, you have only a few guards. How did the Muslims succeed? They find the one lazy guy–if the trench is eight feet deep and six feet across, they find the location two feet deep and one foot across–and focus the entire army towards that one location, all the hundreds or thousands of mujahideen.

If you have an idea, execute it, even if it won’t turn out perfect. Ihsaan is not perfection, it’s excellence. Strive your best, but tolerate mistakes as well. Only Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is perfect. Don’t be like the shopkeeper who keeps the door to his shop closed all the time in order to keep it clean. No customers enter. If you’re always closed and looking for perfection, you’ll shut down.

Consultation, or shura, is a fundamental leadership technique in Islam. You consult with the experts, and you implement it, and you close the issue. Shura means consultation. It also means the consulted group. Shura is a fundamental technique in leadership. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), the best and most knowledable and noble of people, practiced shura with his companions–and who knew better than he? How can the rest of us believe we don’t need shura?

The dedication of sahaba is no joke. They strove beyond the physical limtations of their bodies. When they couldn’t stand, or open their eyes, they continued. Their dedication to Allah transcended their bodies. In the battle of Yamamah, when Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (RA) lay in the nursing docks after one battle, he heard a shout from outside–ya ahlil ansar, “o people of the Ansar”. He spotted an ansari nearby–a man critically injured, couldn’t walk, incapacitated, being nursed.

The illustrious sahaba (companions of the Prophet), may Allah be pleased with all of them, competed in righteousness. They did not compete for the largest house or the biggest family. They competed, among other things, for the honour of guard ingthe Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) in battle. They divided into tribes and competed with other tribes. The amirs, too, competed with each other. For example, in the campaign in Ash-Sham, the two armies competed–who could be the fastest to fight their way to the key city?

After the death of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), many tribes apostated from Islam. Some stopped paying zakaah (poor-due), and some tribe leaders claimed prophethood. Many of the common people at that time lacked education. The emotional charge of the situation swept up many of the Muslims. Protect yourself. If you allow the river of emotion to sweep you up, in a lot of cases, it will misguide you towards the wrong direction.

If you possess some skill you can utilize to the benefit of the people everywhere, never hold back. Don’t hold it to yourself. Forget about what other people are thinking. Focus on how they can benefit from it. This applies especially if a) you have relatively rare talents, or b) nobody knows about your skills. Wallahu ‘alim.

As Islamic workers, we never lower our standers. Not as volunteers, not as professionals, and not as Muslims. Always strive to the best of your abilities. And inshaAllah this way, your skills and talent grow faster than if you barely use them. Never fall into the trap of so many people who produce second-rate material “just because” it’s for Islamic work, and not for their own (percieved/worldly) benefit. And remember: ihsaan means excellence, not perfection.