Advice to Community Servants

Twenty pieces of advice surmised from my teachers and mentors on personal commitment, family balance, understanding vocation, seeking mentorship, and fostering spiritual and educational growth.

Jul 15, 2024

Embarking on the path of community service is a profound and rewarding journey, akin to the role of a shepherd guiding their flock with unwavering care and dedication. Mustafa Davis told me in 2015, "True leaders are the shepherds who never abandon their flock. They protect and care for their flock, never ridiculing, condemning, or exploiting them. That is the work of wolves. Wolves are dangerous, as they are only concerned with themselves. They aren't true leaders."

In this spirit, the following twenty pieces of advice are a compilation of what I have surmised from my teachers and mentors for my own service. These insights encompass the essential aspects of service: personal commitment, balancing family life, understanding one's vocation, seeking mentorship, and fostering spiritual and educational growth. It is not exhaustive, but perhaps the start of a larger conversation and (I pray is) of service to you.

Personal Commitment

Why: Reflect on your motivation for serving. Understanding your intentions and reasons behind your commitment to service will give you direction and can sustain you through challenges.
Fard Kifayya (Communal Obligation):
- Recognize that community service is a collective duty. Consider to what extent you want to dedicate yourself to community service (unless your participation is irreplaceable).
- Take initiative and do not assume the responsibility is someone else’s. Do not be a bystander if you see something that needs to be done, big or small.
Understand the Commitment:
- Realize the depth of your commitment and its impact on your life and the community.
- Learn an ethical framework and strive to uphold it to the best of your ability, even at your own expense.

“God makes some people remain in the service of Him, and He singles out others to love Him. ‘All do we aid—these as well as those—out of the bounty of thy Lord, and the bounty of thy Lord is not limited.’” (Quran 17:20) –Ibn AtaIllah Al-Askadari (d. 709/ 1310)

Family Life

If Single:
- Ideally, get married before taking on significant community roles to ensure personal stability.
- Consider the benefits of marrying someone who shares your community values and, at least, understands the extent of your commitments.
- Be vigilant about marrying from within the community, especially from those you directly serve.
Prioritize Your Family:
- Remember that serving your family is an obligation uniquely yours (fard ‘ayn).
- Devise a hierarchy of priorities (e.g., Allah → family → community → everything else) to ensure a healthy balance between your family’s needs and community responsibilities.

“O believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, overseen by formidable and severe angels, who never disobey whatever Allah orders—always doing as commanded.” –Quran (66:6)

Career + Vocation

Volunteer, Job, or Vocation:
- Understand the distinction between volunteering, a job, and a vocation.
- Approach your service with the dedication of a vocation, the professionalism of a job, and the sincerity of a volunteer.
- Take what you need to sustain yourself, but find a balance to avoid becoming wealthy at the community's expense. Ideally, albeit increasingly impractical, you financially support your family by means other than your community service.
Recognize Your Gift:
- Identify your unique skills and strengths. Everyone has something valuable to contribute; find your orbit and stay in it.
- Strive to constantly hone your skills and strengths to serve better and more excellently, particularly in your niche.

Mentorship and Growth

Find Mentors: Seek out experienced individuals in every domain of life (e.g., spiritual, social, intellectual, professional, etc.) who can guide you in your service journey. Mentors provide invaluable advice and support, both practically and spiritually.

Continued Growth:
- Spiritually: Engage in regular and consistent spiritual practices to nourish your soul. Despite all towfiq (success) is from and by Allah’s mercy, we must not forget that hurt people hurt people.
- Emotionally: Invest in your emotional well-being, seek support when needed, and develop resilience to navigate the emotional challenges of community service.
- Educationally: Pursue continuous learning, both religious and secular, to stay informed and effective.

From: “The Sweetness of Live,” by AbuMadyan Al-Ghawth (d. 594/1198)

Spiritual Development

Tarbiya via Service: View your service as part of your personal and spiritual development (tarbiya). Remain spiritually aware and open to what Allah is teaching you via your service.

Mistakes Will Happen: Accept that mistakes, yours and others’, are part of the learning process. Learn from them and move forward.
Difficulties and Burnout: Prepare for challenges and emotional difficulties. Perseverance is critical, but know where and how to rest and recuperate.
Set Realistic Expectations: Manage your expectations to avoid frustration and disappointment. When you find service untenable, don’t quit, pivot.

Organizational Structure

Start with the Contract: Establish clear agreements and expectations from the beginning. Ensure you have Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and accountability measures to track progress and ensure transparency.

Build Trust: Do not overlook those within the organization, especially your colleagues, in your attempt to service the community. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Delegation: Learn to delegate tasks so you can focus on serving the community effectively and not protecting your position. This also teaches humility and the ability to step down when necessary.

“Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression.” –Quran (5:2)

Community Engagement

Humility: Approach your service with humility. Your position in the community does not define your worth.
Collaboration: Foster a sense of community by involving others in your service efforts. This creates a supportive and collaborative environment.
Integrity and Discretion: Uphold integrity in all your actions and decisions. Exercise discretion when dealing with sensitive information and situations, maintaining the trust and confidence of those you serve.
Love: Love the community. Allah blessed you with them to worship and draw nearer to him.

“The true lover is not he who hopes for compensation or seeks his own aim from his beloved. Rather, the lover spends himself on his beloved. The lover is not he who expects his beloved to spend on him” –Ibn AtaIllah Al-Askadari

Be a shepherd to your community, serving with grace and care, regardless of how big or small the role. Balance your life like one tending a flock, nurturing with love and sincerity. Embrace challenges as growth, lead humbly, and weave a tapestry of support and unity. In this sacred service, you will find the true beauty and worth. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “The most beloved people to Allah are those most beneficial to others.”

And, ultimately, with Allah is all success!

Khawatir

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