WHY ISLAMIC WORK ETHICS
In pursuit of Allah’s promise of the Divine pleasure, the goal of every Muslim is to live a life that will earn them their passage to Heaven in the Hereafter, the ultimate success which is described in the Quran as,
“A grace from your Lord. That is truly the ultimate triumph.”
ad-Dukhan, 44:57
What does such a life encompass? Does it mean renouncing the world, foregoing “the enjoyment of the blessings that Allah The Most Glorified, The Most High bestowed on us” in this world and totally devoting oneself to the Hereafter?
If that was indeed the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the early Muslims in the years following the passing of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would have pursued that path of renouncing the world and devoting themselves entirely to the pursuit of the Hereafter.
But they did not.
Instead, they engaged in the pursuit of knowledge in the arts and the sciences with such ardour and vigour that the Muslim world became the leading centre of learning, achieving the status of a civilised society when even Europe was still in the early Middle Ages.
The Golden Age of Islam would not have happened if the Muslims then were only focused on the Hereafter.
(extracted from Seeking A Life Balance, pg 43)
Their belief that the achievements in this world would light their way in the Hereafter motivated the Muslims of the Golden Age to live and breathe the Islamic core values in their work and daily life. This formed a culture whereby the pursuit of knowledge and innovation in science and arts reigned supreme. The unstinting support by Muslim leaders like Harun Al- Rashid, his son Al-Maamun and subsequent rulers saw 400 years of enlightenment and achievements that made our modern world possible.
In the wise words of Raja Tun Alias, an eminent public servant in the post-Merdeka nation-building era, in his foreword to Seeking A Life Balance:
“The values we practice as we conduct our work life activities will also determine our moral character, and mould the society we are a part of”.
So why not re-discover Islamic core values and apply them as work ethics to transform ourselves and our community?
