Why running your business is a form of Ibadah
Ibadah means “worship” or “to worship”, the act of doing a service. It is considered the highest form of humility and homage before Allah (SWA).
Ibadah needs to be incorporated into all aspects of our life, with everything that we do in life we have to be devoted to the divine will and pleasure of Allah (SWA). Giving a divine meaning to everything that we do in life has significant effects on everything that we want to accomplish in life.
Ibadah is not only about praying or fasting, Ibadah is about setting the right intentions or Niyyat. If we set our niyyah (intention) to please Allah, if we love for the sake of Allah, if we seek knowledge for the sake of Allah then how can we go wrong? In the Holy Quraan, it states, “That which is with you will be spent but what is with Allah shall last.” All our efforts without a niyyah (intention) will fade away but that which is done for His pleasure will remain the grow into paradise.
Your business is a form of Ibadah
Earning a halal income is a form of Ibadah, now imagine if we conduct our business with this niyyah (intention), the lengths we will go to because we have set the right niyyah (intention) for our business. We all know that running a business means that we are providing a service. We show up for our clients, we make sure that we give 100% of ourselves so that we can provide the best possible service for our clients.
If the purpose of our business is providing a service or product that Allah is pleased with then we will be blessed with such beauty and abundance in our business and lives that we will feel fulfilled in every aspect. Our hearts will be filled with love for what we do and that is the beauty in Islam. That is how we can be inspired even more through Ihsan (beauty, perfection, excellence), to extend our Ibadah in all aspects of our lives and not just our business.
To achieve success and perfection in your business, one has to have a strong niyyah in order for your service to be taken as a valid Ibadah. For example, if we wake up in the morning and we just go through the motions with no real goal for the day, we will not achieve a lot for that day. However, if we set a pure intention with a desire to strive for Ihsan then we will achieve our goals for the day and beyond.
So, what is Ihsan?
Part of the definition of Ihsan means that you benefit people whether it is through money, knowledge, skills or resources so that they spend in the path of Islam and this spending is part of Ihsan. Worldly achievements of science, art, literature, geography, engineering, medicine and so much more is gained by an individual's desire to reach Ihsan.
Ihsan does not have one meaning. Similarly, in Islam, there is no one way to worship Allah and it for this reason that we are therefore able to thrive in our business to serve Him through serving other people.