If our purpose is to worship God why do we get jobs?
The concept of worship in Islam encompasses much more than ritual acts; it includes all aspects of life, including one's work and daily activities. The Qur'an emphasizes the importance of establishing worship alongside fulfilling one's responsibilities. For instance, in Surah Al-Anfaal, it states, Who establish worship and spend of that We have bestowed on them.
8:3. This verse indicates that worship involves not only prayer but also the charitable acts that follow from one's earnings.
Additionally, in Surah An-Noor, it instructs believers, Establish worship and pay the poor-due and obey the messenger, that haply ye may find mercy.
24:56. This shows that work is not contrary to worship; rather, it can be a means to fulfill one's religious obligations, such as providing for oneself and helping those in need.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir explains that work can be an act of worship if done with the right intention — to seek Allah's pleasure and provide for one's family. Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ emphasized the importance of lawful sustenance, stating, Worship consists of seventy parts, the best of which is the pursuit of lawful sustenance.
Al-Kafi 2:41. This suggests that engaging in work is part of a broader understanding of worship that includes all lawful endeavors.
Thus, having a job is not only permissible but can also be a significant aspect of fulfilling one's purpose of worshiping God, as it allows individuals to contribute to society, support their families, and perform acts of charity, all of which are vital components of a faithful life.
Sources
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8:3 · Al-Anfaal
8:3 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall
ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
Who establish worship and spend of that We have bestowed on them.
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24:56 · An-Noor
24:56 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall
وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
Establish worship and pay the poor-due and obey the messenger, that haply ye may find mercy.
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 24:56
Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 24:56
The Exalted commands His believing servants in this verse to establish prayer, which is worship directed solely to Allah without any partners. He also commands to give zakat, which entails kindness and generosity toward the weaker and poorer among the creation. Furthermore, He instructs that they obey the Messenger, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, meaning they must follow him in what he commands and abandon what he forbids. By doing so, Allah will have mercy upon them. There is no doubt that those who carry out these acts will receive Allah’s mercy, as He says elsewhere: "Those are the ones whom Allah will have mercy on" (At-Tawbah: 9:71). Regarding the statement, "Do not think that those who disbelieve," meaning those who opposed and rejected you, Muhammad, "can overcome or harm Allah on earth," this is a reassurance that such unbelievers cannot thwart Allah’s will. Rather, Allah is fully capable of punishing them severely for their disbelief. Hence, it continues, "Their abode is the Fire, and how terrible the destination," indicating that the ultimate outcome for such disbelievers is the Fire of the Hereafter, which is truly a dreadful end, a terrible place to stay and a miserable resting place.
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Al-Kafi 2:41
Al-Kafi · Book 2, Hadith 41
My father used to say: Allah, Glorified and Exalted, does not remove knowledge after granting it, but rather the scholar dies and takes with him what he knows. Then come the unrefined who go astray and mislead others. There is no good in anything that has no foundation. — OR — When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) prayed for rain, the people were given so much rain that they said it would cause flooding. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said with his hand raised: "O Allah, [send rain] around us, not upon us." Then the clouds dispersed. They said: O Messenger of Allah, you prayed for rain and we were not watered, then you prayed again and we were watered. He said: I made two supplications; in the first one I had no intention (for the rain upon us), but in the second one, I had intention. — OR — Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) said that menstrual blood and istihadah blood do not come from the same place. Menstrual blood is hot; istihadah blood is cold. — OR — Ali (peace be upon him) said, 'I do not permit the sighting of the crescent except by the testimony of two just men.' — OR — The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Worship consists of seventy parts, the best of which is the pursuit of lawful sustenance." — OR — I was in the mosque when Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) entered, wearing a black turban tied across his shoulders. I asked a man near me about him. He said, "Who else have you asked who came into the mosque except this sheikh?" I said, "I had not seen anyone enter the mosque with a more handsome appearance in my eyes than this sheikh, so I asked you about him." He said, "That is Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him)." I then stood up with the man and others and surrounded him and greeted him. A man asked him, "May Allah guide you; what do you think about a man who said his wife is divorced three times when marrying her? Then he intended to marry her. Is that right for him?" He replied, "Divorce is only after marriage." Then Abdullah and I went to Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon him) and told him about this hadith. Abu Abdullah said to him, "Do you verify this hadith on behalf of Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him)?" He said, "Yes." — OR — A man bequeathed to me and left five hundred or six hundred dirhams and left a daughter. He said to me: There is a residuary heir ('asabah) in al-Sham. I asked Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) about that, and he said: Give the daughter half and the residuary heir half. When I arrived in Kufa, I informed our companions of his words, they said: May he protect you, give the daughter the other half. So I gave the daughter the other half. Then I traveled and met Abu Abdullah again and informed him of what our companions had said and that I gave the daughter the other half. He said: You did well, I only gave you this ruling fearing the residuary heir on you.
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