Zaid Adib Ansari is a thought leader, author, educator, and researcher. His career spans 35 years in community activism, higher education and building social capital in emerging communities. After completing his BS and MS at the University of Cincinnati, Zaid went on to study for a Ph.d in criminology at Florida State University. Zaid has taught and conducted research at several universities and has been active as a thought leader via his podcast and has been a guest on Huda TV in Egypt and Peace TV in India.
This book is designed to help Muslims obey Allah by avoiding Riba in home purchasing. Muslims pool monies to avoid Riba often. I have watched this practice take place among Muslims from Somalia who live in the United States. For many of them, collective money pooling is a trusted cultural practice. However, for many other Muslims in the West, this practice needs to be learned. I developed the concept of a Lifestyle Contract Group to simulate a cultural habit that some Muslims from the West find hard to accept, for many reasons. I pray this book will encourage an adoption of this practice.
In the quiet hours before Fajr, the prayer rug beckons us to renew life in a process of daily devotion. In these moments of supplication, after Fajr Salat, we begin a conversation that is central to worship in Islam. For Muslims, Dua is not merely a ritual, but a dialogue with Allah. Dua is personal. It enhances the obligatory prayers, collectively or individually. Our supplication narrows the distance between the worshipper and Allah.
Worship in Islam is like a Bird with Two Healthy Wings
Further, the Hadith—the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)—illuminates the practical application of these Quranic principles. He exemplified the seamless integration of Dua into the daily practice of life, where each action, however mundane, is an extension of worship. In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Cleanliness is half the faith (Iman).'” This underscores the comprehensive concept of worship that underscores everyday acts when performed with the intention of worship. Examining the lives of the Sahabah, the Prophet’s companions, we see vivid demonstrations of this practice. Umar ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him), was renowned for his justice, but would often spend much of his time in the depths of the night, petitioning Allah for guidance. To mirror this behavior,he would establish equity and justice in the Ummah. His Dua was supported by doing actions. Islam manifest synergy between faith and action. The methodology (Manhaj) is shaped by Islamic fundamentals that humans are required to be a Khalifah, (stewards on earth), tasked with implementing principles of the Shariah-faith coupled with righteous deeds. This guiding principle is the bedrock of this Khalifah in Islam.
Evidence from the Quran
The following Ayah (verses) from the Quran illustrate this guiding core principle, as shown here in the following Quranic Ayah starting with Surah Al-Baqarah (2:277). English: “Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give zakah will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.” Arabic: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ Surah Ali ‘Imran (3:57) English: “As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, He will give them their rewards in full. But Allah does not love the wrongdoers.” Arabic: وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ يُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ Surah An-Nisa (4:173) English: “But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards, and Allah does not love the unjust.” Arabic: فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
Examples from the Seerah in Islam
The biography of notable companions and noble exemplars shows this coupling of Dua with doing. For example, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (May Allah be pleased with her) was a supportive wife of the Prophet and also a businesswoman who merged ethics and benevolence. Her wealth was often channeled into supporting the Muslim community. This was a testament to the active manifestation of her faith.The structure of Islamic life is such that the five daily prayers serve as milestones, prompting believers to reflection and remembrance of Allah, followed by righteous deeds. But what lies between these milestones is equally critical. The time spent outside of prayer is a field for planting the seeds of those invocations (Dua). For every Dua seeking provision, let there be work. For every plea for guidance, let there be the pursuit of knowledge. For every prayer for wellbeing, let there be care for oneself and for others.
Dua is Followed by Doing
As the narrative of our lives unfolds, each believer must take practical steps towards embodying active worship. We must be conscious of removing the distractions that weaken our commitment to practical steps to follow up with actions related to the Dua. The believer might ask, “How do we navigate these challenges?” The answer to this principle lies within the teachings of Islam that require a balanced life, by maintaining this coupling of Dua and Doing. The requirement of ‘Ihsan,’ or excellence in all endeavors underscores this fundamental. The Quran urges believers to excellence, as in Surah Al-Mulk (67:2): “He who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed.” This pursuit of excellence is not reserved for major tasks. It extends to all aspects of life.
A Process of Dua with Doing
Set clear, actionable goals that align with your Duas. Put into practice what you are praying to obtain.
Maintain a daily schedule that balances worship and worldly duties.
Seek knowledge continuously and follow up your prayers with wisdom, tangible actions.
Be part of a cohort of believers that encourages and supports active worship, like agreeable companions who check in with you to ask, ‘how’s it going?’.
Reflect daily on your actions, assessing them against your worship focused goals.
Action Steps Summary
In integrating these steps, the believer sees a transformation. The harmonious blend of Dua and do that raises the mundane and the spiritual. It manifests “From Dua to Doing”. This essay concludes our discussion of prayer followed by action within the lives of Muslim men and women.
African American Muslim Street Merchants- Pioneers of A Healthy Economy
By Zaid Adib Ansari
African American Muslim Merchants-Pioneers of Economic Uplift
This blog offers a crosswalk blending historical insights, practical business advice, and spiritual guidance. Each section of this essay is packed with descriptions and a narrative history that was present in US cities a few decades ago. In this post, I’ll include personal anecdotes, real-life examples, and quotations from African American Muslim entrepreneurs of that era. These stories show ia slice of an important aspect of an emerging economy among African American Muslims. These community rooted economic trends spread to the greater African American communities and other communities in the US. African American Muslim street merchants in the 1970s and 1980s, and beyond developed an ethos of economic self-reliance.
Islam Encourages Trade and Commerce
Several commonly held assumptions about African Americans’ labor and African Americans’ enterprise inform our discussion in this essay. I believe that American popular culture is the breeding ground for these assumptions. Umar Ibn Al Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said:I heard Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying: If you all depend on Allah with due reliance, He will certainly give you provision as He gives it to birds; who go forth hungry in the morning and return with full bellies at dusk.” This hadith and numerous Ayah punctuates the absolute necessity of self reliant work based on trust in Allah. (Sunan Tirmidhi,2344, Sunan Ibn Majah,4164, Musnad Ahmad,1/30,52) Imam Tirmidhi (rahimahullah) has declared the Hadith authentic.
African American Muslim Merchants Made Street Vending Popular
Self esteem and self confidence make up the core of African American Muslim street vending. The theme of self reliance and self worth were persistent formal and informal themes among African American Muslims from the 1950s to the early 1990s. Why this ethos declined is the subject for another essay. However, the group, the Nation of Islam, although not recognized by orthodox Muslims as an authentic Islamic group, because of its beliefs and principles are inconsistent with Islam. However,their branding of the concept of “Do for Self”, held sway with many African Americans.
Incense, Body Oils, T-shirts, and Earrings Feed Many
When I graduated from a mid-west university in the late 1970s, I did not believe that a university degree with a last-word economic pathway for me. My brother in Islam, and good friend, brother Ilyas, was a master salesperson. Selling came naturally to him. We were brothers and business associates.This was in the early 1980s. At that time, I was the program director for a halfway house for men on probation. Brother Ilyas was the lead counselor. Neither of us were satisfied with working a 9-5, five days a week. We sought an opportunity for self reliance by studying trends among African American consumers. We also recognized that mainstream retail outlets in America left few buying choices for African American buyers. We also realized that this purchasing barrier for African Americans open a door of opportunity for us., We believed that African American Muslims could build a sidewalk card table or a door-to-door sale platform that could create better economic choices for African Americans. We stepped into that gap. Many African American Muslims managed to carve out this enterprise niche.
Black Jazz Festivals, Black Expos, and Black Family Weekends
By the mid 1980s, African American Muslims merchants patronized a widely circulated schedule of community based events that were good places to sell merchandise. This ‘event circuit’, as we called it, had the potential of producing $10,000 dollars in revenue over a weekend. These events were held in the Mid West and Middle Atlantic states from spring to early fall. Registration fees were reasonable. Brothers who order merchandise weeks in advance, load up a car or van and attend the event. Serious merchants used these events as bonus revenue, besides a local schedule that maintained their presence. Locally, many of the best markets were barber shops and beauty shops and crowded streets where a lot of people congregated to shop or catch buses or trains. We always were mindful that folks in the community had money to spend the first ten days of the month. The rest of the month was slow. Sometimes it was so slow, it was limping. We structured our business activities accordingly.
Many African American Muslim Merchants Created Jobs
Among the African American Muslim merchant group, we had pioneers and trailblazers. These Muslims were typically in their early 50s. They had been working for themselves for several years, and some had physical locations where they housed their businesses. Some were generous mentors. Allah blessed me to be coached and guided by one. His name was Taalib Din Ahmad (May Allah have mercy upon him). He taught me about the earring business. The earring game gave me a fresh and progressive economic paradigm to examine opportunity, up close. The Earring trade was a visceral dive into the economic self reliance, or ‘Do for Self’. Early on, I recognized that the best way to make money was to create jobs. I had to grow and expand my customer base. To grow, we need a workforce. To make this happen, we allowed trustworthy brothers and sisters to have earring cases on consignment. How this worked was I’d give a seller a chance to make forty percent of what was sold. They didn’t need upfront money. They just needed to be trustworthy. I’ll describe how the earring case process worked before I end this essay.
The Street Corner and the Door-to Door Earring Case
My mentor, my trusted brother in Islam, Taalib Din Ahmad (May Allah have Mercy upon him), scolded me one day, and said, “If you are broke, you still own the mind of a slave waiting for some master to feed you”. Before I could reply with a bunch of weak excuses, he said ‘let’s go to the hardware store’. I scratched my head, literally. When we arrived at the hardware, he picked up a couple sheets of plywood, small nails, small screws, and a couple of hinges black spray paint and nylon fishing line. Last, he picked up a couple of small screw-on screen door handles. Next, we drove to a fabric store. There, I was surrounded by middle-aged women buying colorful fabric. I didn’t scratch my head but, I was still trying to figure what are the next steps . Next he said, we are going to your house. Once home, he said, we got a mobile cash register. We got money, Ahkee. Over the next two hours, he built an earring case. The figure below shows the process of constructing Ahmad’s Earring Case.
I’ll wind up this essay here. The next step was watching Brother Taalib sell earrings. His warm, generous smile was authentic. Ilyas and I followed his earring sales recipe step by step. Within a few months, we followed a popular earring trend started by a Rap Group, Salt-N-Pepper. They wore big hoop earrings. We bought an array of styles and priced them to encourage multiple sales deals-one pair is $15, but I’ll let you have a two pair for $25. I’d toss in some humor to ease tensions. I remember hitting the street of a fast traffic corner on a Saturday afternoon at 12 noon. By 6pm I walked to my car to count the money I made. I had made more money in six hours than I would have made at my well-paid professional job for two months. For years, I used to joke and say if I ever met Salt N-Pepper, I’d break them off a cut. Ilyas and I used to motivate ourselves and say we had to have five figures in our pocket daily, and our shoes shined at all times. One lesson I learned from brother Ilyas was to never count your money while you are still working. If you see you have sold a lot quickly, it can demotivate sales. He cautioned me, don’t count until you quit. Don’t quit before five or six hours on the street. Many times Allah has written your provisions in the last few minutes of your sales day-week or month. Be patient and keep grinding.
