When it’s okay to be a workaholic?
In light of recent events….heck, who am I kidding? In light of my life, I think it’s appropriate to comment on something I’ve been bouncing around in my brain for a while.
So you already know my stand on pedestals (no pun intended). There are people, may Allah bless them for their efforts with Jannat il-Firdaus, who dedicate their lives to Islamic-based organizations from the smallest community to the largest national and international groups. It’s a thankless job that often takes away from family, school, a “real” job, health, time, etc. Truly, may Allah grant them better than that which they give of themselves. Inshallah, may Allah bless them with a pure intention and ultimate reward from Him in Jannah.
Ya Rabbana, taqabbal minna.
I know we all come home from Dawah events or Iftars or press conferences dog-tired, sick of all the abuses and criticisms hurled at us during the event, promising that next time we’ll find someone else to do it, swearing off the job until we regain our sanity. It’s a classic story. But at the same time, there is the inescapable beauty and purity and peace that comes with knowing you’ve done something for your faith and your community, something for Islam and for your Ummah. The sense of accomplishment is tempered only by the reminder that our intentions should remain pure and that we should act out of love for Allah and not to further our own reputations or agendas. (Inshallah may we all be able to remember that intention).
Ya Rabbana, taqabbal minna.
There are people, many of whom start out who small by dishing out rice at Iftars, who become what I like to call “professional Muslims.” They’re the spokespeople, the Dawah coordinators, the events planners, the explainers, the dialoguers, the teachers. The ones who spend their time giving Islam to a non-Muslim world. And by the time they get up here, they’re darn good at what they do. They know it. People know it. Allah blesses them with a gift, and they choose the perfect way to use it - by serving Him and His deen.
Ya Rabbana, taqabbal minna.
Here is where we must enter the huge caution. There is an incredibly delicate balance between living Islam as if it is your deen…..and working Islam as if it is your job. For these “professionals,” Islam often becomes their job. It is their job to know the most appropriate Hadith, the most applicable Quraanic verse, the most understandable and long-lasting explanation of a concept they may not themselves understand. It’s a dangerous position to be in, no doubt. How do we keep the balance between devoting our lives to Islam….and making it our life not to live but to explain and teach Islam to the majority non-Muslim society.
Ya Rabbana, taqabbal minna.
Sometimes you just have to step back. After a long day of Dawah, I often have to go back over all the verses and ahadith I sprouted out to explain and simplify and beautify some Islamic concept for a non-Muslim. I have to look back. Do I really understand that verse that I spit out? Do I really implement that hadith into my daily life?
Ya Rabbana, taqabbal minna.
The danger is losing the essence of Islam in yourself as you struggle to awaken it within others.
Is Islam my job?
Or is it my life?
how confusing.
The only thing I know for sure is this: May Allah give us all the strength to continue to struggle in His way to spread the Truth. May Allah purify our intentions. May we work for Him and only Him.