Advice to Community Servants (Part 2)
Struggling to stay consistent in your service? Learn how trust in Allah, sincerity, and embracing challenges can transform your journey and strengthen your connection with Him.
In the first part of Advice to Community Servants, we explored the foundational elements of service—honoring the act of service itself, maintaining pure intentions, and staying focused on what is within our control. But as we continue down this path, it becomes clear that the journey of community service is ongoing, with new challenges and opportunities arising at every stage.
This second part delves deeper into the personal, vocational, and spiritual dimensions of service. It’s not just about serving; it’s about growing as a servant—constantly renewing our intentions, maintaining our integrity through financial sustainability, and embracing the inevitable loneliness that accompanies leadership. Each step brings us closer to understanding that service is both an act of love and a test of faith, requiring a constant balance between giving to others and preserving our own well-being.
Whether we are just beginning our journey or have been serving for many years, I pray these twenty additional pieces of advice will help us sustain our efforts and strengthen our resolve, reminding us that the reward for our service is ultimately with Allah.
Personal Commitment
Constantly Renew Our Intentions
Distractions (criticism, pride, demands) will inevitably arise.
Regularly reflect on why we serve—intending worship, seeking Allah’s pleasure.
Keep values central to maintain pure intentions and stay focused on serving Allah.
Consistency
“Be steadfast as you are commanded,” by Allah in the Quran (11:112)
Consistency builds trust, allowing people to rely on us, and inconsistency diminishes our impact and erodes trust.
Career + Vocation
Diversified Income Streams
Trust in Allah as the ultimate Provider; accept that outcomes are from Him, but work hard nevertheless.
Exhausting our means is part of worship and trusting in Allah's plan.
Financial stability enables independence and preserves integrity, and diversified income streams help prevent burnout.
Networking
Build connections with peers (to share resources and ideas) and experts (to learn and grow).
Balance expanding horizons without compromising mission, values, or well-being.
Spiritual Development
Sphere of Influence
Focus on what is within our control (spiritually and physically), and leave the rest to Allah.
Submission to Allah’s magnificent knowledge and power, juxtaposed with our inadequacy, brings trust in His wisdom and peace with the outcomes.
Service = Love = Worship ≠ Ego
True service is love and devotion to Allah, not self-promotion.
Avoid seeking validation or recognition; be humble and grateful to serve if you are tested with it.
Community Engagement
Impostor Syndrome
Everyone feels inadequate at times, but we cannot let these feelings limit us. What truly matters is Allah’s pleasure, not our self-perception or how much we produce.
Strive for congruence in our private and public lives.
Recognizing our shortcomings is a blessing and an opportunity for growth.
Loneliness
The best of creation (the prophets and the righteous) faced isolation and grief.
We must not seek emotional fulfillment from those we serve; our role is to give.
Building relationships outside of service, clearly distinguishing when we are serving and when we are being served, is essential for preserving ethical boundaries.
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”
–William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Part 2
Conclusion
As community servants, we must continuously strive for personal and spiritual growth, recognizing that our connection with Allah must deepen with every step we take. The challenges we encounter in service are not obstacles to be avoided but opportunities designed to strengthen our sincerity and commitment to Him. These hardships are part of the divine test, reminding us that true success lies not in outcomes or recognition but in our steadfast reliance on Allah and our intention to serve solely for His sake.
These trials refine our character and draw us closer to Allah. Every difficulty invites us to increase our patience, humility, and devotion. Rather than focusing on the external results of our efforts, we must remember that our true success is measured by our intentions' purity and our hearts' perseverance. Ultimately, our reward is with Allah alone, and the challenges we face on this journey are the means through which we grow into more sincere and devoted servants of His cause.
And, ultimately, with Allah is all success!
Some additional articles on this topic:
Raindrops of Mercy: Spiritual Tools for Difficult Times
With this post I explore the metaphor of a storm to provide context for how we can reframe how we look at difficult times.
Expounding on a pleasantly nostalgic memory of a fishing trip I went on with one of my teachers, this article explores the plateauing phases of life that I call “spiritual holding patterns.”
Presence: A Quranic Framework to Finding Spiritual Harmony
"Being present (muhadara) is the presence of a heart with the Lord from behind a veil of sequential proofs, discursive thought, or the overwhelming power of invocation [dhikr]." – Ahmed b. Ajiba
mashallah