Every morning, people of all professions leave home to earn a living: some to offices, some to factories or shops, others to educational institutions. Working life is an inseparable part of meeting household costs, children’s education and family needs. But for a Muslim, a job is not just a way to earn a salary; the workplace is also a test of honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility and fear of God. Islam teaches diligence and encourages earning a halal living. Allah says: “And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah.” (Surah Al-Jumu’ah, 62:10) So alongside earning a halal living, it is essential to follow Islamic principles in how one earns.
Let every taka of your salary be halal
At the end of the month, an employee receives a salary and uses it to buy groceries, pay rent and school or madrasa fees, and buy medicine for parents. So the purity of the source of earnings is very important. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “No one has ever eaten better food than what he earned with his own hands.” (Bukhari, 2072)
Time and responsibility are a trust. The time for which an employee is paid belongs to the organisation’s work and is a trust in their hands; betraying that trust by any trickery must be answered for before Allah. Allah says in the Quran: “Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due.” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:58) So deliberately using any means to betray a trust is forbidden.
Let character be your identity at work
Ability matters at work, but without good character it often brings no good. How an officer treats subordinates and how colleagues treat each other also matter in Islam. Belittling others, exaggerating a colleague’s mistakes, backbiting, taking credit for others’ work or arrogance are all blameworthy. Allah says: “Let not a people ridicule another people… and do not backbite each other.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:11-12)
Let work go hand in hand with worship
The busyness of working life often consumes people so much that in chasing a living they cut back on prayer, Quran recitation and time owed to family. But working for a living should not mean losing sight of life’s main purpose. Allah says: “Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at specified times.” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:103) It is a Muslim’s duty to arrange to pray at work when the time comes and not to neglect obligatory worship because of work.
Gaining skill in one’s profession is also part of the responsibility. A doctor must be skilled in medicine, a teacher knowledgeable in their subject, an engineer capable in their work, and a trader must know the rules of transactions. Hiding incompetence to take on a responsibility can harm oneself and others. If, at the end of the day, a person can return home tired but at peace, knowing “Today I did not violate anyone’s rights, did not earn anything haram and did not shirk my duty”, then working life too can be successful and a fine means of worship.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report