Foreword
Chapter I. Introduction:
Indonesia, Muslims, and Us 1
Chapter II. The Meaning of Working Hard 19
Because Working and Working Hard Are Different 21
Because Working Hard Does Not
Emerge Without an Ethos 22
Because Working Hard Is Born from
a Grateful Heart 26
Because Working Hard Means
Working Longer 29
Because Training Hard Is Also a
Form of Working Hard 30
Because Exceptional Individuals
Are Forged Through Hard Work 33
Because Spiritual Obedience
Requires Physical Obedience 35
Because Working Hard Means Doing
“More” 37
Working Hard Means Working
Creatively and Tenaciously 40
Because Working Hard Means
Working in the Real World 43
Because Hard Work Stems from Love
46
Chapter III. Work Is, in Essence,
an Act of Worship 51
Because *Ibadah Mahdhah* (Formal Worship) Is the Pillar, While *Ibadah Ghairu Mahdhah* (General Acts of Worship) Is the Structure 54
Because Working Hard Is a
Fundamental Principle of a Muslim’s Life 57
Because the First Form of Worship
Known in This World Had to Be Achieved Through Hard Work 60
Because Worship Is the Core of
Islamic Teachings 60
Because Having Faith Implies
Taking Action 61
Because *Taqwa* (Piety) Is Also
Indicated by the Quality of One’s Social Conduct (*Muamalah*) 63
Because Working Can Also Be
Considered a Form of *Jihad* 68
Because Leading by Example Is a
More Effective Form of Advice Than Mere Words 70
Because There Is Day and There Is
Night 72
Because This World Is a Bridge to
the Hereafter 73
Because “Worship for the
Hereafter” Indeed, It Is Also for This World 75
Because Prayer Serves as
Provision for Navigating Life in This World 77
Because Ablution (Wudu) Makes Us
Healthier 81
Every Movement in Prayer Was
Designed by Allah to Promote Our Well-being 82
Because Fasting Is Not an Ordeal,
but a Path Toward Better Health 88
Reciting the Quran Cultivates a
Calm, Peaceful, and Serene Soul 91
Because Work Erases Sins 93
Because Those Who Work Hard Will
Meet Allah with Radiant Faces 94
Because Work Facilitates the
Answering of Prayers 94
Because Work Brings Forth Divine
Rewards (Thawab) 95
Because Reliance on Allah
(Tawakkul) Is Only Valid After Striving to the Utmost 96
Because Repentance Requires More
Than Just Words 96
Through Work, We Can Earn the
Love of Allah SWT 97
Through Work, We Can Be Spared
from the Torment of Hell 98
Because a Muslim Must Fulfill
Their Role as a Steward (Khalifah) to the Best of Their Ability 99
This World Is a Field for the
Hereafter 100
Because We Must Master This
World, Before It Masters Us 101
Chapter IV. The Messengers Also
Worked 109
Because the Messenger Worked to Sustain His Own Life 111
Because the Messenger Worked to
Support His Family 114
Because the Prophet’s Family Also
Worked 115
Because the Messenger Had to Work
Hard to Care for the Community (Ummah) 116
Because Caring for the Community
Yields No Material Wage 117
Because the Pioneers Who Spread
Islam to the Indonesian Archipelago Were Accomplished Merchants 119
Because the *Wali*
(Saints/Islamic Scholars) Taught Agriculture and Practical Skills 125
Chapter V. Hard Work Moves the
World 131
Because Hard Work Is a Universal Currency 133
Because Hard Work Is More
Significant Than Natural Resources 136
Because Hard Work Is the Capital
of Civilization 138
Because Hard Work Has Proven More
Important Than Formal Education 143
Because It Is Hard Work That
Shapes Destiny 145
Because Only Through Hard Work
Can We Surpass Others 149
Because Hard Work and Success
Know No Age 151
Because the Essence of Life Is
Movement, and the Essence of Worship Is Also Movement 153
Because Islamic Scholars Laid the
Foundations for Modern Science 159
Because Muslim Scholars
Demonstrated That Tangible Achievement Is True *Amal* (Righteous Action) 163
Because Muslim Scholars Opened
Our Eyes and Minds to the Fact That All Knowledge Is God’s Knowledge 170
Because *Amal* Is Realized
Through Practice, Not Merely Through Rote Memorization 172
Chapter VI. Work as an Innate
Human Disposition and a Trust (Amanah) 179
Because Movement Is the Essence of Life in This World 181
Because to Remain Healthy, Humans
Must Engage Both Body and Mind 188
Work Is an Innate Part of the
Human Purpose in This World 192
Because Allah Wants Us to Take
Pride in Ourselves 193
Because Sustaining Oneself
Through One’s Own Efforts Is Highly Honorable 194
Because Allah Has Given Us Clear
Commands 194
Because Islam Disapproves of
Those Who Beg 196
Because Allah Is Just Toward Us
198
Because Allah (SWT) Deeply Loves
Those Who Work 198
Because Hard Work Invites Allah’s
Mercy 200
Because We Are Entitled to
Happiness, and Material Means Are One Requirement for It 201
Because Hard Work Fosters
Humility (Tawadhu) 202
Through Work, a Human Truly
Becomes Human 203
Because Work Bestows Honor and
Nobility Upon Us 205
Because All Legitimate Work Is
Honorable 207
Work Elevates One’s Dignity 208
Because Specific Effort Is
Required for Prayers to Be Answered 210
Chapter VII. Work Is More
Valuable Than Wealth 215
Because Through Work We Acquire
Wealth, and Possessing Wealth Is Not a Disgrace 216
Because Asceticism (*Zuhud*) Does
Not Mean Abandoning the World 219
Because the Value of Work Can
Serve as an Economic Indicator 222
Because the Value of Work Takes
Precedence Over the Control of Resources 223
Because Security of Employment Is
More Important Than Security of Housing 225
Because We Are Forbidden from
Neglecting Economic Resources 226
Because God Has Made the Earth
Available for Us to Cultivate 227
Work Is a Prerequisite for
Gaining Control Over Economic Resources 228
Because Poverty Stems Not from a
Lack of Wealth, but from a Lack of Work 229
Work Can Serve as a Marriage
Dowry (*Mahar*) 234
Because Working as an Honest
Farmer or Merchant Is Highly Praised by the Prophet 235
There Is No Distinction Between
Ritual Worship and Righteous Living 237
Because Wealth Can Be a Means to
Engage in More Acts of Worship 238
To Fulfill the Obligation of
*Zakat* (Almsgiving), One Must Possess Sufficient Wealth 241
Righteousness and Piety Do Not
Necessarily Require a Life of Destitution, Poverty, or Misery 242
Because Enjoying Wealth in a
Reasonable Manner Is Not a Sin 245
Because Knowledge Is Superior to
Wealth 247
Chapter VIII. Working Hard Is
Truly Beautiful and Enjoyable 253
Because We Are Instructed to Be
as Diligent as Bees 255
Because We Are Instructed to Be
as Productive as Bees 257
Because Working Hard Is Not a
Form of Torture to Be Avoided, but Rather a Source of Good Health 262
The Command to Work Hard Is Not
Meant to Be a Burden 265
Because Sincere Work Leads to an
Earthly Paradise 267
Because Sincerity Manifests
Paradise on Earth 270
Because You Can Be Both a Sufi
and a Successful Manager at the Same Time 273
Just Do the Work; Let Allah
Determine the Outcome 275
Because Active Muscles Are
Healthier 280
Because Dreams Do Not Come True
on Their Own 283
Conclusion 287
About the Author 291
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