MOTIVATION AND WORK ETHIC IN ISLAM

Ahda Ilma, Aranti Adriarani, Afra Zahirah Achmad

SMA Al Umanaa Boarding School
Pondok Pesantren Modern Al Umanaa
Jl. Pelabuhan II km 10, Desa Kebonmanggu, Kec. Gunungguruh, Kab. Sukabumi

Abstract: The mindset of most people today about work is generally far from the values which is
taught in Islamic guidance. Currently, work is identified with activities related to the profession and
activities to fulfill economic needs only, so that human’s orientation of working today is just to make
money. As a result, various damages at the earth were caused by this incorrect work orientation. In
fact, Islam has provided it work guidance, that is doing all activities in order to fulfill the purpose of
his creation as a human that has been given by Allah Swt, accompanied by motivation to achieve the
pleasure from Allah (Ridho Allah). Then, work ethic will emerges in daily behavior. Those work ethics
that can be seen in daily behavior are behave honestly in every activity, always istiqomah (consistent),
have a sense of responsibility in their activities, always sincere in all activities, doing the work as well
as possible, work hard, emphasizes the quality of work, work professionally, do not waste
opportunities, not postponing work, appreciate time, not being the wrong-doers (Zaliim), be humble,
and obeying the applicable law. How to work by Islamic guidance should be oriented to the Prophet
Muhammad, as a good role model for mankind. With goals, motivation, and work ethics that are in
accordance with the guidance of Islam, Rasulullah Saw can achieve success, and leaves good traces of
his work that can still be felt today.

Key words: Islamic motivation, Islamic work ethic, Work, Work character, Work ethic.

PRELIMINARY

Humans must have various kinds of goals at work, which are driven by
different motivations. However, the result of existing researches still prove that
earning money (materialistic) dominates goal of work for many people. At the end,
work becomes an activity that is identically with making money and the measure of
success is measured by the wealth that someone has. People who made wealth as their
motivation for work, will always strive to fulfill their goals even by justifying any
actions, even though this will cause new and harmful damages. This behavior could
be happen because of that unfulfilled motivation will causing tension, which causes
the owner of the motivation to find ways and actions in order to eliminate tension,
regardless of whether the actions they do is lawful (halal) or lawless (haram). The

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damage which has shown as the impact of this wrong orientation of work, is Allah’s
will so that people can feel the consequences of their actions in order to reminds
people to return to the right path, as mentioned in Al-Qur’an (QS. Ar-Ruum (30):41).
It seems that defects are a sign for humans to return to use Islamic concepts and rules
in working that based on the Al-Qur’an and hadits shahih.

DISCUSSION

Work is an activity that is widely discussed in many verses of Al-Qur’an. In

Al-Qur’an, “Work” is expressed in Arabic, “ ‫يَ ْع َم ُل‬-‫” َع ِم َل‬. The word “Work” (-‫َع ِمل‬
‫ )يَ ْع َمل‬has the meaning “To put into practice” and “To do” in English (Echols and
Shadily Dictionary, 2014). One of the verbs ‫ َل‬D‫ َع ِم‬is contained in QS. At-Taubah
(9):105:

ِ ‫َو قُ ِل اءْ َملُوْ ا فَ َسيَ َرى هّللا ُ َع َملَ ُك ْم َو َرسُوْ لُهُ َو ْال ُم ْؤ ِمنُوْ نَ َو َستُ َر ُّدوْ نَ اِلَى َعاَلِ ِم ْال َغ ْي‬
‫ب‬
َ‫َوال َّشهَا َد ِة فَيُنَبِّئُ ُك ْم بِ َما ُك ْنتُ ْم تَ ْع َملُوْ ن‬
“And say (O Muhammad Saw) “Do deeds! Allah will see tour deeds, and (so will)
His Messenger and the believers. And you will be brought back to the All-Knower of
the unseen and the seen. Then He will inform you of what you used to do.”

In this verse, the word “Work” is expressed by "‫"اعملوا‬ in the form of fi’il

amr (imperative verb) and uses the dhomir (pronoun) “‫ " اَ ْنتُ ْم‬which means “You”.

Based on fiqhiyyah principles, lafadz " ‫ "اعملوا‬is an obligation that must be carried
out by every Muslim (fardhu ‘ain). What is called “Work” is not just doing the
activities that related to profession. More than that, what is called “Work” in Islam is
making a serious effort to manifest himself as a servant of Allah who prosper Allah’s
earth, and to be a part of the best people (Khairu ummah) (Tasmara in Sunardi, 2014).

The goal of working in Islam must be in line with the goal of human creation
which is given by Allah, that is to worship Him (Qs. Adz-Dzariyat (51):56). Work is

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a part of non-ritual worship (‫محضة‬ ‫)غير‬, namely by doing daily activities which
include IPOLEKSOSBUDHANKAM (In English: Ideology, Politics, Economy, Social,
Culture, Defense, and Security) which is carried out in accordance with Allah’s
guidance with the aim of obtaining His blessings (Ridho Allah) to build and prosper
His earth, according to the task that given by Allah for humans who lives on earth,
that is to become khalifah in this earth (Qs. Al-Baqarah (2):30). To achieve goal, we
need motivation. Knowing the purpose of work that based on Islamic perspective of
life is important, because this true goal will affect the work ethic that someone has.
Islamic work ethic that is reflected in morals is impacted by the faith and the life
goals that accordance with Islamic guidance. The work ethic that is reflected in
person’s behavior is a result from the motivation he has. Motivation can be said as
intention (Niyyah) that being a stimulus within a person in working to achieve goals,
and it is the foundation of the deeds and work that is done. In a hadits Rasulullah Saw
said:

ِ ‫إِنَّ َما األَ ْع َما ُل بِالنِّيَّا‬...

‫ َوإنَّ َما لِ ُكلِّ ا ْم ِرى ٍء َما ن ََوى‬،‫ت‬
“Actions are (judged) by motives (Niyyah), so each man will have what he
intended...” (Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim).

All of the goals that will rise this motivation or intention will later appear in
the morals and can be seen as work ethic that a person has when working, as a
manifestation of doing righteous deeds. In working, the Islamic ummah should work
by the work methods of Prophet Muhammad. Towards his work goals, work
intentions and motivation, as well as to the work ethic that is reflected in his morals.
This is because in QS. Al-Ahzab (33):21 explained that in Rasulullah Saw there were

good role models (‫حسنة‬ ‫)اسوة‬ for those who hoped for the grace of Allah. The
success of prophet Muhammad was supported by the four characteristics, namely
shiddiq (honest), amanah (trustworthy), tabligh (conveying), and fathonah
(intelligent). The derivatives of these four characters then become Islamic work ethic
which can be known through the words of Allah in the Qur’an and the hadits of the

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Prophet Muhammad. This is based on the hadits of Aisyah RA, which states that
“The morals of the Prophet are the Qur’an” (Recorded by Ahmad). According to
Sunardi (2014), an Islamic work ethic will rise the morals in someone’s daily life.
These morals are:

1. Behave Honesty in Every Activity

People who believe that the purpose of their work is to worship Allah
and to reach His blessing, will always uphold honesty in every actions
eventhough no one is watching, because he is very sure of what Allah Swt
said in QS. Al-Ahzab (33):52. For him, Allah is enough to be his supervisor.
2. Always Istiqomah (Consistent)
In a hadits, the Prophet Muhammad said:

...َّ‫َو اَ ْن اُ ِحبُّ ااْل َ ْع َم ِل اِلَى هّللا ِ اَ ْد َوا ُمهَا َو اِ ْن قَل‬

“The deeds most loved by Allah (are those) done regularly even if they are
small.” (Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim).

It is clear that in this hadits, Allah love the deeds (work) that is
continuously done (istiqomah or consistent) even if it is just a little.

3. Have a Sense Responsibility in Activities

The person who has responsibility is usually called an “amanah”
person (trustworthy person), which means can be trusted. A trustworthy
person will believe that every individual will be asked for their responsibility
by Allah Swt for what he has done (QS. Al-Muddassir (74):38), therefore he
will be a trustworthy person.
4. Always Ikhlas in All activities

The root word of “Ikhlas” is “‫ ”خلص‬which means “Clean, pure, not

mixing”. Ikhlas is an Arabic word ‫) )إخالص‬ which means “Sincere”.

People who are sincere in their work are people who do not expect anything in
return for their work, apart from the pleasure of Allah. A sincere person
(Mukhlis) also believes in Allah’s command to always be sincere in his work

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(QS. An-Nisaa’ (4):146). The word “Ikhlas” also has the same root word as

“Kholas” (‫ )خالص‬which means “finished”. It means, the result of sincerity

is the completion of work, and working sincerely means working thoroughly
and totality (Kaffah).

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5. Doing the Work as Well as Possible
A Moslem must have faith that Allah will always see his deeds,
eventhough he will not be able too see Allah (Ihsan). Rasulullah Saw had also
said as narrated by Muslim, “Verily, Allah has enjoined excellence (Ihsan)
with regard to everything.”
6. Work Hard
Allah has ordered the Moslems to work hard in QS. Al-Jumu’ah
(62):10:

...‫ض َوا ْبتَ ُغوْ ا ِم ْن فَضْ ِل هّٰللا ِ َو ْاذ ُكرُوا هّٰللا َ َكثِ ْيرًا‬
ِ ْ‫فَا ْنت َِشرُوْ ا فِى ااْل َر‬...
“… you may disperse through the land, and seek bounty of Allah (by working,
etc.), and remember Allah much…”
People who has the principles to always work hard should also believe
that Allah will not change anything from a people, unless the people
themselves who are willing (to work hard) to change their own situation (QS.
Ar-Ra’d (13):11).
7. Emphasizes the quality of Work
In QS. An-Najm (53):39:

َ ‫َو اَ ْن لَّي‬
‫ْس لِاْل ِ ْن َسا ِن اِالَّ َما َسعى‬
“And that man can have nothing but what he does (good or bad)”
In another verse, it is also stated that Allah will judge our work, as
stated in QS. At-Taubah (9):105:

ۡ‫اع َملُ ۡوا فَ َسيَ َرى هّٰللا ُ َع َملَ ُكم‬

ۡ ‫ َوقُ ِل‬...
“And say (O Muhammad saw) “Do deeds! Allah will see your deeds…”
Based on the two verses above, a Moslem must have desire to always
do our best because that goodness and quality from what we has done will be
what we will get from Allah Swt.
8. Work Professionally
Rasulullah Saw had said in a hadits, which means: “Allah love
someone who when works, he performs it in perfect manner (Itqan)”

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 (Recorded by at-Thabrani and Baihaqi). “Itqan” (‫ )إتقان‬means sturdy, strong,
and neat. Working by itqan means working neatly and effectively
(professionally).
9. Not wasting Opportunities
Hadits of the Prophet Muhammad from Abdullah bin Humaid from
Annas, “If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your
hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant
it.”
This hadits implicitly expresses Prophet Muhammad’s command to all
Moslems to always take advantage of opportunities while we can, no matter
how small they are.
10. Not Postponing Work
Allah has given us the guidance to always work continuously, not to
procrastinate. This command was said by Allah in QS. Al-Insyirah (94):7:

ْ‫ص ۙب‬
َ ‫فَا ِ َذا فَ َر ْغتَ فَا ْن‬
“So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allah’s
worship.”
11. Appreciate Time
This point is related to the previous point. Because, the behavior for
not postponing work is one of the ways and an efforts of a person to
appreciate time. Someone who appreciate time will always be productive and
avoid to be lazy. Regarding time, Allah has said in QS. Al-‘Asr (103):1-3,
which explains that: “Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe and do
righteous good deeds…”
12. Not being the Wrong-doers (Zaalim)
Regarding this zaalim deed, Allah said in QS. Ali Imran (3):57:
ٰ ُّ‫وهّٰللا ُ اَل يُحب‬...
...‫الظّلِ ِميْن‬ ِ َ
“…and Allah does not like the Zaalimuun (Polytheists and wrong-doers)…”

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 The wrong-doers are people who commit torture and harm to
themselves and others. This contradicts with Islam guidance that worship is to
fulfill the mandate from Allah to empower the earth and everything in it as
well as possible.

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 13. Always be Humble
This humble behavior is alluded to by Allah in QS. Al-Furqan (25):63,
that the gracious servants of Allah are people who walk in this earth humbly.
A humble person is a person who does not act arrogantly in his activities.
14. Obeying the Applicable Law
In QS. An-Nisaa’ (4):59, Allah commands the believers to obey Allah,
obey the apostles, and obey Ulil Amri (The holders of power) who belong to
the group of Allah believers (Mu’minuun), who enforces Allah’s law. A
person who is disciplined and obedient to Allah’s law, will not justifies any
means of activity, because he will do something based on the law (halal or
haram) that established by Allah.

Human whose work guidance is not based on Al-Qur’an, will have

disorientation in working that will made them to do something which causes damages
in this earth. People who works based on Qur’an laws, whose work goal is to worship
Allah, will always tries to fulfill the mandate given by Allah to humans, that is to
prosper the earth of Allah in order to get His pleasure. Meanwhile, people who do not
use Qur’an laws are represented by Allah in QS. Al-A’raf (7):176 and QS. Al-A’raf
(7):179, whose work goal is to tends the ownership of property (Materialist), or to
accumulate as much wealth as possible (Capitalist). Therefore, they do not care about
the limits of halal or haram that are determined by Allah in Al-Qur’an. As a result, in
pursuing their goal, they will justify any actions and do harm (act of doing zaalim)
which causes damages in the earth, both it is visible physical damage or moral
damage.

CONCLUSION

1. It is important for us Muslim to know the work goals that are in accordance
with Islamic principles, because the work goal will generate motivation, and
then it will be reflected in the work ethic.

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 2. In working, Muslim should take the example of the work goal, motivation, and
the work ethics (morals) of Prophet Muhammad which came from Al-Qur’an
and hadits. Those work ethics are behave honestly in every activity, always
istiqomah (consistent), have a sense of responsibility in their activities, always
sincere in all activities, doing the work as well as possible, work hard,
emphasizes the quality of work, work professionally, do not waste
opportunities, not postponing work, appreciate time, not being the wrong-
doers (Zaliim), be humble, and obeying the applicable law.
3. Human whose work guidance is not based on Al-Qur’an, will have
disorientation in working that will made them to do something which causes
damages in this earth. People with the characteristics that have been
mentioned in QS. Al-A’raf (7):176 and QS. Al-A’raf (7):179 are those who
will cause damages in this earth of Allah Swt.

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Al-Qur'anul Kariim.

Echols and Shadily. (2007) Kamus Indonesia Inggris: Edisi Ketiga.

Sunardi, D. (2014). Etos Kerja Islami.

Yunus, M. (2009). Kamus Arab Indonesia. Jakarta: PT. Mahmud Yunus WA

Dzurriyah.

Zaini, A. (2016). Meneladani Etos Kerja Rasulullah Saw

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