And, the Messengers Were Farmers Too

We have often heard the stories of the trials and tribulations the Messengers faced in spreading the faith. Yet, little is revealed about how the prophets and Messengers sustained their economic lives. Like ordinary human beings, prophets and Messengers required food, clothing, and shelter; these things did not simply appear out of nowhere.

Prophets and Messengers had to work to meet their daily needs, just as any other person would. Beyond providing for themselves, they also had to support their families.

A Hadith states: "God never appointed a Prophet who did not tend sheep or goats." Indeed, the prophets raised livestock—an activity that falls under the umbrella of agriculture. The Messengers lived amidst societies that relied on agriculture alongside trade.

The Messengers engaged in farming just as we do. What they planted did not bear fruit immediately; the process required effort and dedication, and carried the risk of failure. Thus, even though the Messengers bore the heavy burden of conveying divine revelation, upholding God’s religion, and guiding the community, they did not have to abandon their economic livelihoods.

Furthermore, working while simultaneously preaching and spreading the faith was a lifestyle adopted by many of the missionaries who brought Islam to the Nusantara archipelago. They were traders, preachers, and religious teachers all at once. The *Wali Songo* (the Nine Saints of Java) followed this same path. Their economic activities were not driven solely by profit but were oriented toward their mission of spreading the faith. Engaging in proper and profitable economic activity was also among the lessons they taught to their communities at the time.

The Messenger Farmed for His Livelihood

Throughout history, prophets worked like ordinary people to support themselves. Surah Al-Furqan, verse 20, reads: "And We did not send before you, [O Muhammad], any of the messengers except that they ate food and walked in the markets." The market is a place where people of diverse characters gather; one can encounter everyone there, from the best of individuals to the worst. Thus, in conducting their economic activities, the messengers of God mingled and interacted with all kinds of people without discrimination.

They were not reclusive spiritual figures living in ivory towers; the Prophets engaged in actual work and trade. Moses (Musa) worked for Jethro (Shu'ayb); David (Dawud) was a craftsman who made armor; Joseph (Yusuf) served as a warehouse overseer; Zechariah (Zakaria) was a carpenter; and Enoch (Idris) was a tailor.

Abraham (Ibrahim), meanwhile, possessed the skill to craft statues—like his father—but focused instead on producing household pottery. Moses was also a master builder who designed and led several monumental construction projects in Egypt. Due to his nomadic lifestyle, Moses frequently changed professions to support himself. Similarly, Jesus (Isa)—who was appointed a prophet at age thirty and passed away just three years later—is often depicted in Christian art as a shepherd, though some accounts suggest he was a carpenter.

The Prophets worked because they refused to exploit their status or rely on their followers for sustenance. They undertook various trades, utilizing manual skills and other abilities. A Hadith states: "No one has ever eaten better food than that which is earned by their own hands; and indeed, the Prophet of God, David, ate from the work of his own hands." David earned his living as a blacksmith; he crafted items such as armor and sold them in the market to support himself and his family.

One day, Solomon (Sulaiman) asked God to show him a servant who was more grateful than himself. God then sent Gabriel to teach Solomon how to gild jewelry with gold; Solomon applied this technique to an axe and sold it. Thus, the first person to make decorations with gold gilding was Prophet Sulaiman AS.

In his youth, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was a highly industrious worker. He earned a living by herding goats owned by others, tending to the flock with great productivity. He also sold merchandise belonging to Khadijah in the Levant (Ash-Sham), working on a profit-sharing basis. The Quraysh people were renowned for their mercantile prowess; they traveled to Yemen in the winter and to the Levant in the summer. They were by no means a lazy people. Abdullah, the Prophet’s father, for instance, fell ill and passed away while returning from a trading journey to the Levant. At the age of twelve, Muhammad (SAW) began to follow in his people's footsteps, joining a trade caravan to the Levant at the invitation of his uncle, Abu Talib.

When the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) was twenty-five years old, Abu Talib secured him a position with Khadijah, the wealthiest merchant in Mecca at the time; she offered him a wage of four camels. For the first time, our Prophet led a trade caravan along the major trade route connecting Yemen and the Levant. The venture was a resounding success, yielding profits far greater than any previous trade mission had achieved. Thus, at his core, our Prophet was a resilient and hardworking individual.

Even after being appointed as a Messenger, Muhammad (SAW) would milk his own goats, mend tears in his garments, and repair his own sandals. The Prophet’s entrepreneurial skills had been cultivated from an early age through his work as a shepherd; he tended the flocks of the Quraysh while still very young to help lighten the financial burden borne by his uncle. He desired to earn an income and achieve independence, refusing to remain idle or spend his time merely at play. As a merchant, the Prophet Muhammad embodied four key principles of business success: *siddiq* (truthfulness), *amanah* (trustworthiness), *fathonah* (intelligence, shrewdness, and an understanding of business management and strategy), and *tabligh* (the ability to communicate effectively and persuade business associates or buyers). The Messenger of Allah (SAW) and his companions were people who valued work. Beyond his duties to the community, he would personally repair and mend his sandals, patch his own clothes, milk his goats, and attend to his family's needs. The Prophet would sometimes even help clean the house to assist his wife. They set a noble example of how to balance the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge with the need to earn a livelihood. Prophets and messengers worked to sustain the mission of *da'wah* (spreading the faith). Engaging in trade, farming, or animal husbandry to earn a living was never considered beneath their dignity, nor did it diminish the quality of their *tawakkul* (reliance on Allah).

Islamic scholars, too, were known for their diligence and perseverance in work, while remaining steadfast and resilient in the pursuit of knowledge and the propagation of the faith. During his time as Caliph, Abu Bakr would go to the market every morning carrying garments to sell. When he encountered Umar and Ubaidah bin Jarrah, they asked him, "How can you engage in trade while serving as the leader of the Muslims?" Abu Bakr replied, "How else am I to support my family?" This was despite the fact that, like Umar, he received a stipend from the *Baitul Mal* (public treasury).

The Prophet’s family also engaged in work. Fatimah al-Zahra, the Prophet’s daughter, once ran out of wheat while her children were ill and in need of food; she went to a shopkeeper and secured work pounding wheat to make bread for herself and her children. Zainab worked as a leather tanner. Fatimah al-Zahra also worked within her home, making bread—a process that involved everything from pounding the wheat to baking the loaves. Asma binti Abu Bakr assisted her husband by feeding the horses and carrying water to the orchard on foot—a journey of about five kilometers.

Islam holds in high regard certain occupations that are sometimes viewed by people as lowly—such as herding goats, a task often disregarded by others. Rasulullah SAW said: "Allah did not send a single Prophet unless he was herding goats." When the companions heard these words, they then asked: "And you, O Messenger of Allah? The Prophet answered: Yes! I also herd goats for a few carats, belonging to the people of Mecca." (Bukhari's history)

Muhammad, as the messenger of Allah and the last of the Prophets, also herded goats. He shepherded for wages some of the people of Mecca. The lesson is that greatness belongs to people who like to work, not to people who like to spend time and are unemployed.

Prophet Musa AS worked as a laborer for a very old man. He worked as a laborer for 8 years as a condition for marrying one of his daughters. The old man assessed Prophet Musa as a good worker and a commendable worker. So the old man's daughters were right, one of whom said: "Hey, father! Take that worker, because the best person you take as a worker must be someone who is strong and trustworthy." (al-Qashash: 26).

Ibn Abbas narrated that David worked as a blacksmith crafting armor. Adam worked as a farmer, Noah as a carpenter, Idris as a tailor, and Moses as a shepherd. Therefore, every Muslim must prepare to earn a living, for no Prophet existed who did not engage in some form of productive work. In one of his hadiths, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated: "No one has ever eaten food better than that which is earned through their own labor; indeed, the Prophet David used to eat from the earnings of his own work." (Narrated by Bukhari).