Navigating Work and Faith Cultivating a Healthy Work-Life Balance for Modern Muslims

Navigating Work and Faith: Cultivating a Healthy Work-Life Balance for Modern Muslims Living in a rapidly advancing world, many of us find ourselves becoming a part of the very prevalent hustle culture when it comes to our performances at the workplace. Whether it is an employer running one ragged or overwhelming pressure to keep productivity continued, it is undeniable that making your work the ultimate priority in your life, while letting family and religion come second, can potentially prove to be seriously toxic for one s life. For a Muslim, his Deen is practiced in daily life, and taking out time for everyday lives including obligations such as salah, familial matters and other necessary requirements is imperative to fulfill his duties to both Deen and family while focusing on his work as well. This balancing towards maintaining a healthy relationship between work and personal life is referred to as Healthy Work-Life Balance. It sounds like an ideal management, but it involves consistent and conscious efforts towards managing professional and personal commitments along with prioritizing physical and mental wellbeing and self-care. This can be practiced in multiple ways including spending quality time with family or engaging in a hobby once one has returned from work. There is no perfect work- life balance, of course, and indeed every person has to work on figuring out how best to achieve that in a way that does not compromise either work or personal life. Challenges Faced by Modern Muslims There is no denying that the current times, with their need to rapidly progress, have put Muslims in a difficult position when it comes to their personal lives. Religion is intrinsically bound to a Muslim s personal life, so it needs to be given equal importance if not more. Especially for Muslims working in non-Muslim countries, prayer timings, observing and breaking fasts among other things can be a challenge, when the timings and breaks are not conducive to religious obligations. Many Muslims working abroad face issues praying Jumah in a masjid while some miss out on family gatherings such as on Eid because of regular working hours. How to Maintain Work-Life Balance In order to ensure a healthy lifestyle in all the ways that matter, it is important to maintain a work-life balance where there is room for both work and personal lives including religion. DEENIN is among those businesses who strive to take the middle road while keeping religion at their center as they maneuver work and life and encourages its employees to do so as well. A few tips have been mentioned below that can help juggle professional life and religious and personal obligations. 1. Set Boundaries For the sake of one s mental and psychological health, it is imperative to set boundaries for when one can be approached for work. It has become a norm in some workplaces to contact employees with work even beyond office hours, taking advantage of today s communication technology. It is therefore advised to not normalize an instant messaging culture where messages sent on off- hours are also required to be given immediate attention. Similarly, at the time of employment, it helps to give an idea of the breaks one would require for prayers etc.

2. Enjoy your work While it is true that one cannot be particularly choosy when it comes to selecting a job to make a livelihood, it is always beneficial to find something aligning with the catchphrase, Do what you love and love what you do . A job definitely has the potential to become stressful or monotonous or worse, toxic and in such cases, it might be time to ask for flexible work arrangements or a different team. If the work is self-fulfilling, a person is more successful in balancing his personal life along with it. A toxic work situation on the other hand, causes a lot of stress and anxiety and can lead one to distance himself from one s family. 3. Plan According to Prayers Planning meetings and tasks according to prayer timings will not only give time to pray within working hours but as an added advantage, will also add barakah to your time. The stronger the spirituality level, the better the productivity. Planning not just work, but simple tasks or even social gatherings around prayer times is a simple yet superbly rewarding recommendation. It will make it easy to fulfill obligations and complete the tasks on time. 4. Unplug-To Avoid Burnout While dedication and diligence are commendable, some of us often overwork ourselves without realizing the disadvantages. It is prudent to utilize some energy for religious obligations and after-work time with family, especially in Ramadan. At times, what we need to maintain a balance is to completely take a break from work to focus on personal life. Many businesses and companies offer flexibility in leaves so for the sake of one s mental, physical and emotional health it is wise to take off time to recharge even if it s a staycation for a day. 5. Prioritize Your Health It is important to look after one s health in order to keep a healthy balance between work and personal life. Personal life is not just about spending time with family and friends but also working on oneself for example regular exercise and walking are known for reducing stress and anxiety. Taking rests to recharge is also necessary to succeed in one s professional life while keeping up with religious obligations and familial duties. It is rewarding for one s health to take time off each week to relax, play sport, or do any hobby that one particularly enjoys. Bibliography 12 tips to achieve and maintain a good work-life balance. BetterUp. (n.d.). https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-have-good-work-life-balance Healthdirect Australia. (n.d.). Work-life balance. healthdirect. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/work-life-balance

How to improve your work-life balance. Business News Daily. (n.d.). https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5244-improve-work-life-balance-today.html Work ethics in Islam: Creating the best environment and objectives for our work culture. MuslimSG. (n.d.). https://muslim.sg/articles/work-ethics-in-islam-creating-the-best- environment-and-objectives-for-our-work-culture