Islam, Altruism, and Business: What My Bentley Professor Taught Me About My Own Religion

*These little kids are not relevant. I just thought they were adorable.

"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
-The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
[Sahih al-Buhkhari and Sahih Muslim]

At first glance, this hadith, which was quoted by the President earlier this year at the White House National Prayer Breakfast, is yet another characterization of the golden rule that’s present in all religions and moral belief systems. In reality, it’s much more than the golden rule. You are not to do well unto others simply because that is how you would wish to be treated. You are not to give zakat (charity) simply because it’s an act condoned by Allah that will bring you closer to good in the hereafter.

You are, however, to act accordingly because you cannot in your own heart be satisfied knowing that your brothers and sisters are suffering.

In this way, leading an empathetic and altruistic lifestyle becomes one of the strongest bases of Islam, and consequently, one of the strongest signs of belief.

This is all very easy to dictate, but here’s the catch: there’s a very small percentage of us that actually possess these traits, says Dr. John Lesko of the Management Department at Bentley University.
According to interpretations of this hadith, however, that isn’t to say that the majority of us don’t believe. Rather, it implies that our belief in God will not be complete until such thinking is attained.

I strongly believe that this quality is more relevant than ever for us, Generation Y. It’s an idea that was drilled into me by Dr. Lesko every Friday afternoon in Organization & Environment. Lack of empathy for the greater good (in how a company manages both its people and its public relations) is what he attributes to “the fall of the dinosaurs,” or the failure of America’s greatest corporate giants. I'm pretty sure that you can come up with the examples yourself. As business grads, we will be expected to make several decisions in our professional and personal lives-- decisions that may deal with, for example, the release of a buggy software due to pressing deadlines, or simply the creation of a corporate volunteer program. Choosing the socially proactive path will only promote and encourage prosperity in our communities (and also in business, as it has come to be proven), regardless of our faiths.

And for those of you still at Bentley, take Dr. Lesko, you won't regret it. Out of all my courses at Bentley, his is the only one that gets to the heart of business model theory. Not to mention, he employs the Socratic method wonderfully (and successfully).