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A common question we receive is: how do we balance contentment and ambition? Both are positive qualities that are essential for a happy and successful life, yet they seem to contradict each other. Contentment teaches us to be satisfied with what Allah has provided, while ambition drives us to seek more and work hard to achieve lofty goals. On the surface, these values may seem contradictory, yet Islam encourages us to embrace both.
Contentment is a fundamental aspect of purifying the soul. Without it, greed can take hold, leading to a constant sense of dissatisfaction, no matter what we achieve. Numerous hadiths remind us of the virtues of contentment and warn us of the dangers of greed.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Wealth is not in having many possessions. Rather, true wealth is the richness of the soul.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6446, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1051)
He ﷺ also said, “Whoever among you wakes up secure in his property, healthy in his body, and with his food for the day, it is as if he were given the entire world.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2346)
The Prophet ﷺ also warned us against greed in various hadiths, including:
“If the son of Adam had two valleys full of wealth, he would desire a third. Nothing will fill his belly except the dust of the grave, but Allah relents to those who repent.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6436)
“Beware of greed, for it destroyed those before you. It commanded them to be miserly, and they obeyed. It commanded them to sever family ties, and they did so. It commanded them to behave wickedly, and they did so.” (Abu Dāwūd 1698)
How do we differentiate between ambition and greed? Is it wrong for a believer to aspire to a higher standard of living, aim for a promotion, or buy a better home? While Islam teaches contentment, it does not discourage ambition or setting goals. In fact, Islam encourages us to strive for excellence (Ihsan) in everything we do.
Ambition is not contradictory to contentment, but rather complements it. Contentment comes after striving—after working hard and doing our best, we should be content with whatever Allah has provided for that day.
In the hadith of Ihsan, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, Allah Almighty is excellent and loves excellence.” (Al-Mu’jam al-Awsaṭ 5884)
Islam teaches us to aim for excellence in every aspect of our lives—whether it’s in our work, finances, or family life. We should strive to be the best version of ourselves, working hard towards noble and meaningful goals. However, contentment should come after this effort—being satisfied with a hard day’s work, even if the results aren’t what we had hoped for. Contentment means being happy, even when we don’t achieve all our goals.
So, how do we achieve this balance? Here are some practical tips:
Balancing contentment and ambition is essential for a fulfilling life. While contentment teaches satisfaction with what Allah has provided, ambition drives us to strive for excellence and achieve meaningful goals. Islam encourages both—hard work and contentment—emphasizing that contentment comes after striving. True contentment guards against greed and dissatisfaction, while ambition pushes us to be the best version of ourselves.
By practicing gratitude, redefining success, setting realistic goals, and finding joy in the journey, we can achieve this balance. Prioritizing faith and avoiding comparisons with others further helps align our ambition with spiritual contentment. We ask Allah to accept our efforts, guide us to balance, and protect us from greed, laziness, and jealousy.
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In an age dominated by microcontent and shortened attention spans, many people openly admit that they don’t read or struggle to focus long enough to complete a full book. This trend is concerning because books are vital for intellectual and spiritual growth. The transformative experience of reading a deep, life-changing book cannot be replicated by any form of video, no matter how long. Short bursts of information, typical of microcontent, can’t effectively strengthen the mind or nourish the soul. Reading books is an essential habit for anyone striving for excellence.
This holds especially true for Muslims. Books are central to our legacy. From the time Muslims first learned the art of papermaking from the Chinese, books have played a crucial role in the dissemination of knowledge and wisdom. The final revelation of Islam is itself a book—the Qur’an. The sayings and teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) were preserved in the books of Hadith, while Islamic law is explained in books of Fiqh. The Qur’an is elaborated on in books of Tafsir, and our spiritual traditions are expanded upon in books of Tasawwuf. Books have always been, and will continue to be, a cornerstone of our tradition.
As society leans more toward microcontent, you can distinguish yourself in any field by becoming an avid reader. The bar for excellence is low because so many people settle for mediocrity. Even an average reading habit—say 10 books a year—can set you apart from your peers. An excellent reading habit—50 books a year—can position you as a leader in your field. If you want to excel, building a strong reading habit is essential. Here are some tips to get started.
You can’t start reading if you don’t have anything to read. Begin by creating a list of books that interest you or can help you grow. These could be religious texts, self-help books, or works related to your profession. You can borrow them from a local library, download digital versions, or purchase physical copies to start your own home library. Once you have a few books on hand, choose one to begin with—just be realistic about your choice.
If you’re not used to reading, tackling a lengthy book might feel overwhelming. The best way to begin is by choosing a shorter book, preferably under 100 pages, but rich in content. Be realistic about what you can handle, and start with something practical and beneficial. A short but impactful book can have a profound effect on your mind and soul. Find one that aligns with these goals and start reading.
Life is busy, and it’s hard to find time for new habits unless you deliberately make room for them. If reading is important to you, prioritize it by scheduling time for it daily. Pick a time when you are free and able to concentrate, such as early in the morning, during your lunch break, or just before bed. Commit to reading for a few minutes every day during this time.
At first, you may struggle to concentrate for extended periods. Don’t be discouraged—start small with just five minutes a day. Once you’re comfortable, gradually increase your reading time by a few minutes every week. Over time, you’ll find yourself reading for 30 minutes to an hour without difficulty. By establishing this habit, you’ll be able to read several valuable books each year.
If starting a reading habit feels difficult alone, consider joining or creating a book club. In a book club, members can motivate each other and hold one another accountable for meeting their reading goals. To start one, gather a few friends or family members, choose a book to read, and agree to meet after a few weeks to discuss it. A book club can provide the social encouragement needed to get back into reading.
Technology often distracts us with mindless content, but it can also help foster strong reading habits. Use apps to track your reading progress, or download ebooks to read on your mobile devices. You can watch video summaries to reinforce key concepts, join online discussions, or enroll in courses that explain the ideas in greater depth. These are just a few ways technology can support your reading goals.
Don’t procrastinate. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to establish a strong reading habit. Start today by picking a good book, setting a time to read, and dedicating just a few minutes to reading a few pages. If you’re unsure where to begin, consider trying our self-help bundle, a collection of must-read books that inspire better habits and encourage excellence in all aspects of life. Learn more about the bundle here.
The Ottoman era is one of the most overlooked periods of Muslim history. Yet in many ways, it was one of the best empires founded on Islamic principles. The Ottoman Empire, at the peak of its power and glory, established a level of freedom and safety for the average person that was unheard of in the world at the time. The Ottoman Empire was a Shariah empire with its roots and capital in modern-day Turkey. It was founded in the early 1400s, and collapsed in 1924. It is the most recent example of a Shariah-governed empire.
In many ways, the Ottoman system of leadership was a maturation of the monarchy system of the Umayyads and Abbasids. It took the good aspects of past empires, built upon it, and fixed some of its weaknesses. Some of their policies were controversial, yet necessary for maintaining peace and stability. The end result was a peaceful safe land in which people lived in freedom with barely any government interference or oversight.
Under Ottoman rule, the dhimmi system was formalized into the millet system, which allows for great freedom for non-Muslim minorities. Non-Muslim communities organized themselves into their own towns, villages, and neighbourhoods. Each of these would have their own unique culture and a religious identity. These neighbourhoods would self-govern according to the teachings of their religions. Their primary interaction with the government was the annual payment of the security tax (jizya) in exchange for which the government would provide safety and security.
There were very few restrictions on non-Muslims which including restrictions on preaching their religions to Muslims, and restrictions on crime and public sin. Beyond this, they had a lot of freedom to govern their communities as they wished. The Ottoman leaders would maintain close contact with the religious leaders of all minorities in their lands, mainly to find ways to assist these minorities and ensure peace and justice. Many religions, especially Judaism, strived under the millet system.
Under Ottoman rule, the average Muslim citizen experienced a great level of peace, safety and freedom. The only restrictions being on crimes and public sin. Beyond that, people had the right to live as they pleased, and wherever they wanted to. There was limited bureaucracy and no border restrictions. People could pursue any career they wished, open any business they wished, and benefited from many free public services funded by endowments (awqaf).
The Ottoman system was a meritocracy in which hard work was rewarded. A young man born to a poor village family could become a powerful judge if he studied hard, worked hard, and worked his way up the career ladder. There were many opportunities for growth, and very few restrictions. The shariah allowed for a diversity of cultures, interpretations of law, and languages, leading to the empire being a rich mixture of various cultures all united under the banner of Islam.
Leadership under Shariah was decentralized, and this was especially true under Ottoman rule. Ottoman kings rarely interfered with the day-to-day lives of people. They were primary concerned with maintaining peace and justice, by protecting the borders and ensuring that the Shariah remained the law of the land. For Shariah to function as the law of the land, the king had to avoid interference. His job was simply to hire the right people to interpret and apply the law and pay them well. He had no right to dictate to them what the law should be.
Dr. Wael Hallaq summarizes the decentralized nature of Shariah leadership well in the following passage:
Pre-modern Muslim rule was limited in that it did not possess the pervasive powers of the modern state. Bureaucracy and state administration were thin, mostly limited to urban sites, and largely confined to matters such as the army of the ruler, his assistants, tax collection and often land tenure. People were not registered at birth, had no citizenship status, and could travel and move to other lands and regions freely – there being no borders, no passports, no nationalities, and no geographic fixity to residential status. A Cairene family, for instance, could migrate to Baghdad without having to apply for immigration, and without having to show documentation at borders, because, as I said, there were neither borders (not fixed at any rate) nor passports in the first place.
And the farther people lived from the center of rule, the less they were affected by the ruler, his armies and his will to impose a certain order or even taxes on them. And the reason for this was simple: in order for the ruler to have complete control over far-away regions, he had to send armies and government officials whose cost of maintenance may not always have been covered by the taxes they levied from the populations under their control. So, if there was no state to regulate society and the problems that arose in it, then how did people manage their affairs? The short answer is: self-rule.
Communities, whether living in city quarters or villages, regulated their own affairs. If the civil populations felt it necessary to have a ruler, it was because of the specific need for protection against external enemies, be they raiding tribes, organized highway robbers or foreign armies who might wreak violence on them and play havoc with their lives. But the civil populations did not need the ruler to regulate their own, internal affairs, since such regulations were afforded by a variety of internal mechanisms developed over centuries by their own local communities. (An Introduction to Islamic Law, pp. 7-8)
The Shariah is the most misunderstood system of law in the modern world, even by Muslims. Many Muslims have absorbed the stereotypes and lies peddled by orientalists about the Shariah. In our latest online course, we seek to fix this by providing a holistic overview of the Shariah. In these 30 modules, we cover the history, people, goals, case studies, features, and misconceptions about Shariah in a level of detailed rarely found in the English language.
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A lot of modern history is falsified by the victors to justify their oppression of others. To justify the invasion and colonialism of the Muslim world, many lies were invented about Islam and Shariah. Sadly, many Muslims today believe these lies as they have not been exposed to alternative historical narratives.
One common myth that we are told is that Shariah was a barbaric and violent law system, and the Muslim world needed to be civilized. Muslims are told that their lands were ruled by violence, specifically violence towards non-Muslims and women, and that the colonial powers came to save them. Some of us believed these lies.
History proves otherwise. History bears witness to incredible empires that were built on Shariah. Under the Right Guided Caliphs, and later under the Umayyads, Abbasids, and Ottomans, a thriving civilization rose up that would shape the world in many ways.
The Shariah is built upon justice. Ibn al-Qayyim (RA) said, ““Verily, the Sharia is founded upon wisdom and welfare for the servants in this life and the afterlife. In its entirety it is justice, mercy, benefit, and wisdom. Every matter which abandons justice for tyranny, mercy for cruelty, benefit for corruption, and wisdom for foolishness is not a part of the Sharia even if it was introduced therein by an interpretation.” (I’lām al-Muwaqqi’īn 3/11)
The Shariah produced empires that brought many positive changes to the world. Some of the beautiful accomplishments of Shariah include:
The Shariah was the foundation for empires in which people lived free, safe, and happy lives. Mighty empires and powerful civilizations were built upon this Divine System.
In our newest online course, we explore the history of the application of the Shariah to highlight the benefits and goals of Shariah, as well as clear up misconceptions about the Shariah. This in-depth 30-module course is a unique deep-dive and a rarely utilized approach to the history of the Shariah. Join us for a course that will increase your faith, increase your appreciation for God’s Wisdom, and give you a fresh perspective on one of the most misunderstood systems of law in human history. Learn more here.
