USA: Hard work is an American trait as well as a Muslim one

While working hard is an American attribute, it also allows me to be a good Muslim. It is related through Ayesha that the Prophet Mohammed firmly believed in the value of working with his two hands, and on one occasion, while massaging the callous hands of a laborer, he said, "These hands are very dear to God."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Journal Sentinel
By Ahmed Khan | August 18, 2011

Loyal Americans have contributed to this country's success through hard work, regardless of background. Muslim-Americans are no exception. President George Washington, in a 1785 letter to the Virginia Legislature, declared he would welcome Muslims if they were industrious.

He had set this paradigm for others to follow at the age of 11, when he had to manage his family's Rappahannock River Plantation because his father died. Washington may have set the precedent on becoming an American, but in my opinion he unintentionally set the tone for what it means to be a Muslim-American as well.

Why has working hard become an innate American quality? According to the International Labor Organization, on an annual basis Americans devote 1,800 hours a year at work, compared to 1,600 hours from people in developed countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany.

In addition, 80% of the American workforce works 40 or more hours, while only 50% of Europeans (Danes, Fins, French and German) work that much.


Economist Robert J. Shapiro explains in Futurecast that from 1990 to 2005, the American economy expanded 58%, compared to 34% from places such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

While working hard is an American attribute, it also allows me to be a good Muslim. It is related through Ayesha that the Prophet Mohammed firmly believed in the value of working with his two hands, and on one occasion, while massaging the callous hands of a laborer, he said, "These hands are very dear to God."

In my own experiences, I have known two things: Whatever hard work I have done has never gone in vain (Qur'an 3:196), and even if I had nothing to do, I always strived hard to do something (Qur'an 94:8).

I used to help manage a small convenience store that my father still operates. There was no task that was below me. I just did it.

Observing the month of Ramadan is all about striving hard. I and a few other members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, the oldest Muslim organization in the United States, work for an IT/consultant company based in Oshkosh. Our daily routine during Ramadan requires us to wake up well before dawn. We eat a healthy breakfast and offer prayers at the Oshkosh Qamar Mosque. Without any hindrance to our daily working schedule, we offer obligatory and voluntary prayers throughout the day. The fast ends at dusk.

It is tradition within Islam to complete reading of the Qur'an in the month of Ramadan. I personally read a portion of it every day through the lunch hour. Other members read it at their own convenience.

By always striving to work hard, I and other Muslim-Americans like me can feel reassured that we are contributing to the success of this country.

Ahmed Khan of Oshkosh is a member of the Muslim Writers Guild of America.

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