Moosa A.S. employed for his skills
Today, we look at the importance of having Tawakkul and adopting the means in the running of our businesses. Allah is the only One that provides and our sustenance is decreed by Allah. However, it is necessary to go out and seek our Rizq, it is necessary to do our best by adopting the necessary means and strategies.

Moosa A.S. left Egypt for Madyan and remained there for ten years. During this time, he came into the service of a man after he helped two of his daughters draw water from a well for their flock. When the women came home, they relayed the story to their father, so he sent one of them back to fetch him. The Quraan states that one of the daughters said,

قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ ۖ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ
“One of them said O my father! Employ him for a wage. The best man for employment is definitely the strong and trustworthy one.” (Al-Qasas 28:26).

Now remember, if this statement meant nothing, it would not have been mentioned in the Quraan. There is a lesson in this statement. What is the lesson?

Two qualities were used to describe Moosa A.S. when the question of employment came up. ‘Strong’ and ‘trustworthy’. Ulema explain that when we looking to employ someone, we should look out for these two qualities. One will vary according to the job and the other will remain the same irrespective of the job description.

A) Strong – Look for someone that is skilled. In this case, the job required strength therefore strength was regarded as a skill. In your business it could be computer literacy, eloquence or extensive knowledge in a certain field. Keep in mind, Moosa A.S. was not experienced but he was given a chance. Try this as well. Sometimes, in pursuit of experienced individuals, we ignore great, young, fresh thinkers.

B) Trustworthy – This quality will remain the same irrespective of the post being applied for. No matter how skilled a person may be, if he/she is not trustworthy, you hiring a liability.

According to some scholars, the father in the above incident was Shuayb A.S. One can easily say that with or without staff, if it’s meant for the business to succeed, it will succeed. However, we learn from here that even when employing staff, there is a need to look for the best. Along with Tawakkul in Allah, there is nothing wrong in using the best available resources. In fact, this was the method of the Ambiyaa A.S.