الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. (Qur’an 2:268)
Barakah is all about having an abundant mindset. A follower of this culture recognizes that blessings and bounty are from Allah, He’s Eternal, His Kingdom and Blessings are infinite and limitless. The Vastness of Allah (SWT) eliminates the fear of loss and limitedness.
عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِيمَا رَوَى عَنِ اللَّهِ، تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَا عِبَادِي لَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَإِنْسَكُمْ وَجِنَّكُمْ قَامُوا فِي صَعِيدٍ وَاحِدٍ فَسَأَلُونِي فَأَعْطَيْتُ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ مَسْأَلَتَهُ مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا عِنْدِي إِلاَّ كَمَا يَنْقُصُ الْمِخْيَطُ إِذَا أُدْخِلَ الْبَحْرَ
Abu Dharr, RadhiAllahu Anhu, reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:”[…] O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of jinns also all stand in one plain ground and you ask Me and I confer upon every person what he asks for, it would not in any way, cause any loss to Me (even less) than that which is caused to the ocean by dipping the needle in it.” [Muslim]
Hustle culture, on the other hand, is cutthroat. It’s a dog eat dog out there, and you need to be the earliest bird to catch all the worms. It’s about “limited resources,” “tough global competition,” “and you need to get what’s yours before everyone else does.” It’s turning human beings into beasts fighting over the crumbs of life, turning away refugees fleeing war or extreme poverty because they are scared “they’ll take over our jobs.”
…وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“[…] And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul – it is those who will be successful.” (Qur’an 59:9)
Walk through any Souq (traditional marketplace in the Muslim world) – in Madinah, Jerusalem, Cairo, Fez, Istanbul – and notice how you’ll see rows and rows of shopkeepers selling the exact same items for the exact same price. You might even catch one of them telling you not to buy from their store but to go to their friend’s shop because their friend didn’t sell enough today. That’s Abundance-mindset in action.
Thought Experiments for Individuals
What are you afraid to lose if you give some of your resources away? What do you think will happen if you do share these resources with an abundant mindset?
Thought Experiments for Teams
Who are your top competitors? What if you reached out to them and asked to help them solve a problem they face? What if you sent some of your clients to your competitors?