Yusuf Omar – Lifestyle | 13 October 2016

Recently, as part of our Muharram focus, I wrote about five entrepreneurial lessons from the life of Moosa A.S. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Alhamdhulillah, the feedback was great. This message from a listener caught my attention…

“…The Quraan is filled with Thousands of Examples to guide us in our daily lives. To communicate with the Ummah comparison like this especially with the Youth is what is needed so that they can currentize it into today’s life of ours…”

I agree with this comment. We need to take the beauty of the Quraan and Hadeeth and use it to solve today’s problems. Because the topic is so important, I thought I’ll bring you another five entrepreneurial lessons from the life of Moosa A.S.

Of course, the great task of Dawah that was fulfilled by Moosa A.S. can never be compared to a business transaction however, certain lessons can be taken from his illustrious life.

1.  Remember, you are just a pen.

Among the Bani Israeel there lived a man named Qaroon who was extremely wealthy. His wealth made him arrogant and conceited. He began to regard family and friends lowly and insignificant. When Moosa A.S. used to advise the people and explain to them how to spend their wealth, Qaroon refused to accept that his wealth was a bounty from Allah and refused to use it for good.

Qaroon spent much of his time mocking Moosa A.S. and humiliating the Muslims of the Bani Israeel. Finally, after many warnings, Qaroon together with his abundant treasures were sunk into the earth, in front of the Bani Israeel.

“And we sunk the earth together with him (Qaroon), and his mansion. He did not have anyone to assist him against Allaah Ta’ala, nor was he of those who were assisted.” (Qasas-81)

As a businessman, it is important to understand that your success is a favour from Allah. It is also a test from Allah. Allah wants to see what will happen to your ego and how will you spend that wealth. Keep telling yourself that Allah could have granted this wealth to anyone else if he wanted to. Imagine a black pen, in a pencil case, boasting to the blue and green pen because he signed a million dollar cheque. Isn’t he a fool? Does he not realize that the wealth and power is from the one who signed the cheque, not from the pen that signed it. The one who signed the cheque could have easily chosen the green or blue pen to sign the cheque. The black pen was just fortunate, therefore the correct thing to do would be to be grateful and not boast. If you a black pen, be grateful, if you a blue or green pen, be patient.

2. Beware of the evil eye.

When Moosa A.S. went up against the magicians of Firawn, they met face to face for a contest. The magicians first threw down their sticks. The Quraan explains what happened…

“You throw! Then they threw. They conjured an illusion over the eyes of the people and terrified them. They brought a mighty magic.“  (A’araaf-116)

This was a form of magic or what some people refer to as ‘Jadu’ or ‘Sihr’.

You probably wondering how is this related to business? When a customer throws his money on my counter will it turn into a snake? No, it won’t. Will his eyes turn into a snake? No, it won’t, but it might turn into an evil eye.

What is the evil eye? It starts when the person likes a thing, then his evil feelings affect it, by means of his repeated looking at the object of his jealousy. This could happen to your business, whether it be a huge entity or a small store. Eyes of jealousy continuously looking at your success can bring you down. The unfortunate part of this is that sometimes the jealous person has no idea what havoc his jealousy is causing. In a Surah that speaks of protection, Allah instructs Nabi S.A.W. to seek protection…

“And from the evil of the envier when he envies.” (Al-Falaq – 50)

How do you avoid this? For starters, by implementing the first point of this article, there wouldn’t be much reason for people to get jealous. Besides that, find out from your local Imaam what Duas or Surahs can be recited for protection. Also, to avoid casting an evil glance on the next person’s success, make a habit of saying ‘MaaShaa’Allah’ whenever you see something that you like. Scholars say that this will remove all evil. When I was in Pakistan, I seen the words ‘Masha’Allah’ written, in big, on huge mansions. Why? I assume whoever admires the house will automatically read it so unknowingly, the admirer is getting rid of all evil from his glance. Smart thinking hey?

3. Who to employ?

When Moosa A.S. was at the watering-hole in Madyan, he assisted two ladies. He later married one of these ladies and was employed by her father. It is mentioned that the lady’s father was Shuaib A.S. When the topic of employment was discussed, one of the daughters told their father regarding Moosa A.S…

“Oh my father! Hire him, for the best you can hire is the strong and trustworthy one” (Qasas-26)    

Now remember, if this statement meant nothing, it would not have been mentioned in the Quraan. There is a lesson in this statement. What is the lesson?

Two qualities were used to describe Moosa A.S. when the question of employment came up. ‘Strong’ and ‘trustworthy’. Ulema explain that when we looking to employ someone, we should look out for these two qualities. One will vary according to the job and the other will remain the same irrespective of the job description.

A) Strong – Look for someone that is skilled. In this case, the job required strength therefore strength was regarded as a skill. In your business it could be computer literacy, eloquence or extensive knowledge in a certain field. Keep in mind, Moosa A.S. was not experienced but he was given a chance. Try this as well. Sometimes, in pursuit of experienced individuals, we ignore great, young, fresh thinkers.

B) Trustworthy – This quality will remain the same irrespective of the post being applied for. No matter how skilled a person may be, if he/she is not trustworthy, you hiring a liability. Simple as that.

4. Talkers will talk.

When Moosa A.S. was granted prophethood, he returned to Firawn and gave the people Dawah. In order to prove his prophethood, he performed some miracles for the people. Despite witnessing the clear miracles, Firawn did not accept Moosa A.S. to be a true prophet. Instead, he accused Moosa A.S. of using magic to deceive the people. This made it clear that even if Moosa A.S. moved mountains, Firawn would never accept his message. Moosa A.S. did not allow this to lower his morale. He carried on with his work. He had an objective in mind.

“Firawn said to the eminent ones around him, “Indeed, this is a learned magician.” (Shu’araah-34)

As an entrepreneur, you will find three types of people. Those that will sincerely be happy for you, those that will show a happy face in front of you (see point 2 above) and those that cannot stand the thought of your success. This third group will never come to grips with your success. They will always speak about you. From their mouths you will always hear comments like…

“Only one year in business and already another branch opening! There must be some dodgy deals involved”

Or

“Yea easy to make so much money when you deal in interest and stolen goods”

You can’t get rid of these people. They will always be there. The trick is to look past them and focus on more important things. In fact, work harder to make them burn even more. Firawn’s mind was made up. His pride and arrogance would never allow him to accept Moosa A.S. Similarly, they made up their minds that they not on your side so don’t let their comments bring you down. Remember, when you started your business, you had a goal. Keep your eye on that goal and remain focused.

5. Whatever is meant, will happen.

Like most other prophets, Moosa A.S. was granted prophethood when oppression and immorality was the order of the day. Outwardly, the climate was just not appropriate for good morals and pure Islam. Despite these harsh conditions, he moved forward with his objective of Dawah. When Firawn rejected his message, he focused on the public. The point is, the odds were stacked against him but he endured and eventually, as we learn from the Quraan, his mission was successful. Why? Because he followed a pure path and he done what he had to. The results were not in his hands. How many people accepted his message was decided by Allah, The Most Merciful.

Similarly, as an entrepreneur, the current economic climate makes its very difficult to smile. However, always remember that an effort to earn provisions is the requirement. How much we earn is decided by Allah, not us. Carry on with your business. Strategize and market your product appropriately. If a client is not interested, learn from your mistakes and pitch the idea to another client. Never lose hope. The odds will be stacked against you. Great minds prosper when the odds are stacked against them.

I hope these five points brings some benefit to you. How has it affected you? Did I leave out anything? Leave a comment or interact with us on our social media platforms. I’d love to hear from you.