Many of us good people, those who say or think we Work for Allah, are Episodists.
Many of us.
We “work” when we are told to — when we have to; and when we are called upon — and then we go dormant. We go underground as it were.
Basically, we just go where our heart is.
We wait for the right time and occasion to do the right thing: that is, to Work for Allah.
We wait for orders and invitations to stir off the couch — orders and calls from our local Mullas; from our so-called leaders; from whomever.
But Islam is about total absorption.
Islam is about being totally consumed in and by your work — 24 hours; 7 days a week; 12 months a year; for all the years of your life that Allah grants you in this world.
And making everything else secondary to it.
“Working for Allah is what you do for living – meaning, that is what you do as the overriding purpose and preoccupation of your life.
All else – your job, career, education, family, friends, everything – is part of the support network you need to be able to do Allah’s work.
What is Allah’s work? Let me try and explain, even though it is by no means an easy undertaking.
Or, maybe, on the other hand, it is the simplest and easiest thing to do. So here goes:
Working for Allah is living and dying for Allah, as the Qur’an quotes Prophet Abraham (May God Bless Him!) as saying.
Working for Allah is living every moment as if you see Allah and he sees you, as Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, said.
Working for Allah is helping and serving all of God’s creation everywhere and in every form.
Working for Allah is living and working in this world as if this life will last forever.
Working for Allah is preparing to leave this world as if it will happen tomorrow.
Working for Allah is doing all that Allah requires of you as if this were your last day on earth.
Working for Allah is honoring your parents; it is showing kindness, respect and affection to your spouse; and it is loving and providing the best for your children.
Working for Allah is loving your neighbor like yourself; and it is treating others how you would want them to treat you.
Working for Allah is offering a blessing and a greeting of peace and joy to everyone: those you know as well as those you don’t know.
Allah’s work is helping friends; forgiving enemies; and showing compassion to the afflicted and the needy, regardless of who or what they are.
Working for Allah is being generous almost to a fault; it is giving even when you have nothing much to give.
Working for Allah is feeding others when you go hungry yourself.
Allah’s work is educating the world and inviting people to God.
Working for Allah is ensuring peace, security, justice and stability around the world.
And it is fighting tyranny, injustice, cruelty and oppression against anyone anywhere.
And it is working tirelessly to make sure that God’s world is better tomorrow for everyone of God’s creation than it is today – and that means every Jew, Christian, Hindu and Muslim on the one hand and every bird, beast, fish and plant on the other hand.
It is for this that God created us: to work for him; to work for his world.
And it is to invite us all to do this – to work for him; to work for his world – that he sent his noble prophets, may Allah Bless Them All, into this world.
To paraphrase what God All-Mighty says in the Qur’an: “I created human beings so they would serve me.”
How can anyone – Muslim or non-Muslim – say no to something like this?
And how can anyone go wrong with a life full of commitment to something like this?
And anyone with any sense, if they won’t work for Allah, who will they work for?”
