Prof.

Muhammad Nauman Faisal---- Punjab College of Commerce, Okara----Functional English [1]

DIGNITY OF LABOUR

OUTLINE
A. INTRODUCTION
i. Labour is the essential part of the inheritance of all the creatures.
B. ADVANTAGES OF LABOUR
i. If the people had not laboured hard, there would have been no progress in any field of life.
ii. Both manual labour and mental labour should be honoured.
C. DIGNITY OF LABOUR IN ISLAM
i. Islam puts great emphasis on the dignity of labour.
ii. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) preached the dignity of labour.
iii. All God-fearing Muslim caliphs and kings followed the same tradition of dignity of labour.
D. DIGNITY OF LABOUR IN WEST
i. The secret of the success of the people of China, America, Germany and Japan lies in labour.
ii. Everyman is the architect of his own fate. All the great men worked hard to gain heights and achieve their goal.
E. CONCLUSION
i. Labour is the key to success in every field of life
Labour is the essential part of the inheritance of all the creatures. Work is a great blessing
for the mankind. Each one of the creatures of God needs to work to earn its livelihood. Even the birds, the beasts, the
animals, the fish, ants and insects make a hard search for food to sustain themselves. In fact, man and work are twins.
All progress that man has made is the result of his work and labour. Nothing can be achieved without labour. We have achieved
different scientific inventions by dint of labour.
Ralph Ransom remarks:

Before the reward there must be labour. You

plant before you harvest. You sow in tears
before you reap joy.

Prof. Muhammad Nauman Faisal---- Punjab College of Commerce, Okara----Functional English [2]
If the people had not laboured hard, there would have been no progress in any field of life.
Man had made ships, aero-planes, radios, televisions, telephones, computers, etc. Again, if the farmers do not plough the soil,
there would be no crops. If the masons, carpenters and weavers do not labour, there will be no houses to live in and no clothes to
cover our bodies. Therefore, labour is essential for man.
Work is of two kinds: manual and mental . Manual work is done with hands while
mental work is related to mind, thinking and planning. In the past, manual work was the job of the slaves. Even today, the rich
people hate the working classes. The reason for this attitude is that work done with hands is not thought to be something
respectable. We must be realistic and give the manual workers a place of dignity in our society. There is nothing undignified and
shameful in manual work.
Islam puts great emphasis on the dignity of labour. Islam is against idleness and wastage of
time. Allah Almighty likes those who work hard to earn their livelihood. The blessings of Allah Almighty are for those who not
only pray but also strive to achieve what they pray for.
The Holy Quran says:

Man is given that much for which he strives hard.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) preached the dignity of labour. He would never ask

anyone to do anything which he himself could do. He repaired his shoes, mended and washed his clothes and swept his room.
When the mosque at Madina was being built, he carried mud and building material. Hazrat Abu Bakar (R.A.) not only did
his own work but also fetched water for widows and neighbours. Hazrat Omar (R.A.) once carried on his shoulder a large
sack of flour for a needy family. Hazrat Ali (R.A.) laboured in the garden of a Jew and gave away his wages in charity. Hazrat
Fatima (R.A.) herself fetched water, ground corn and swept her house. Caliph Omer Bin Abdul Aziz refused to engage a
servant to help his wife.
The Holy Prophet (S. A. W. W.) said:

He, who works hard is friend to Allah.

Above was the picture of the golden era of the Holy Prophet (S. A. W.) and his companions.
After that, all God-fearing Muslim caliphs and kings followed the same tradition of dignity of labour. At the dining table, Caliph
Mamun-ur-Rasheed served not only the members of his family but also his guests. Sultan Nasir-ud-Din earned his living

Prof. Muhammad Nauman Faisal---- Punjab College of Commerce, Okara----Functional English [3]

by making caps and Emperor Aurangzeb earned his living by transcribing the Holy Quran. Thus, in Islam labour is valued
while idleness and laziness are discouraged.
The secret of the success of the people of China, America, Germany and Japan lies
in labour. In China, everyone has to work for sometime in the field or in a factory. The Americans are not shy of doing their own
work with their own hands. The people of Germany and Japan have made a great progress in every field of life. They believe that
work is worship. They avoid employing personal servants. For them, the person who works with his own hands is not burden on
others and is respectable. We should popularize this idea in our society.
Abraham Lincoln says:

Capital is only the fruit of labour, and could never have

existed if labour had not first existed. Labour is superior
to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.
Man is the architect of his own fate. Hard work is the key to success in every field of life.
Many people have risen from the ranks on account of hard work. Abraham Lincoln and Shakespeare can be cited in this
respect. Quaid-i-Azaam Muhammad All Jinnah also believed in the dignity of labour. Our great Quaid gave us a great
message to put our efforts not only for ourselves but also for our beloved country. He said:

"Work, work and work."

The contempt of manual labour is wrong. No person is either superior or inferior on the basis of his
work. If a person does his work honestly, whether mental or manual, is respectable. We should also recognize the dignity of
labour.
Martin Luther King Jr. once remarked:

Prof. Muhammad Nauman Faisal---- Punjab College of Commerce, Okara----Functional English [4]

All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity

and importance, and should be undertaken
with painstaking excellence.
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--- Best Wishes Punjabians --Prof. Muhammad Nauman Faisal
Punjab College of Commerce, Okara