Love What You Do Until You Do What You Love

Written by Dr. Hamada Alantably

There is a valuable and inherited saying: “Love what you do until you do what you love.” Each of us repeats this saying constantly, implying that one does not always achieve what one desires. Therefore, if you wished for a certain job but did not obtain it, and instead found yourself in another, you must love this current job until the opportunity arises for you to transition to what you truly love.

This perspective renders work conditional and temporary, stemming from the conviction that “this is not what I love; I am only coexisting with my current job.” These are indicators of being a mere employee, just another head among many, rather than indicators of distinction, success, and creativity in work.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Allah loves that if one of you does a task, he does it with perfection.” Here is a clear indication that you must perfect any work you undertake, for the perfection of work is an act of obedience. Mastery leads to excellence and creativity, reflecting the wisdom of the Almighty in His creation; He perfected the creation of everything, making the universe and all its creatures a miracle of creativity in every sign of God.

The point here is that a person’s value lies in mastering their work. This is not contingent upon the extent of your love or hatred for that work, but on your ability to perfect it. I am not writing these words to show off, but to point to a value we sorely lack in our professional lives—”the perfection of work”—which we have replaced with love or hate, as if work has become a series of feelings driven by whims. “I like you, so I am happy to work with you and I am dedicated to it,” or “I dislike you, so I do not accept this work.” The value, ladies and gentlemen, is not in the degree of love or hate, but in the capacity for perfection—that which our religion has commanded us to uphold.

I would like to use my own experience as an example—not for praise or to present a model, but because I cannot judge the experience of others. From my own reality, I have never done a job I loved purely out of affection or passion; rather, I prefer to master every task I undertake at all levels. I see that my potential, my capabilities, and my dream are to be a faculty member at a university. However, for reasons known only to God Almighty, I have not yet been able to realize this dream.

Because I hold an academic qualification in sports management and all my reading is in this direction, I have worked in all fields of sports administration: at the Directorate of Youth and Sports, in youth welfare at the university, in clubs, federations, volunteer work, and the private sector. All these are experiences in sports management that I believe have enriched me greatly. I gained experience from them that has benefited me immensely in the academic field, and my standard in all of them was the perfection of work.

The result is that I am happy with the experience I have gained and the successes or failures I have achieved, as I have learned from them all. My primary and ultimate motivator in them was the perfection of work, because I believed in giving everything its due—my work, my life, and my love for research and knowledge.

Therefore, I urge myself and you to master your work, for only through it can our countries rise and can we achieve our goals and ambitions.

And with Allah lies the intent of the path.

By Dr. Hamada Alantably