Work-life balance is often defined as an employee’s division between time at work and personal time. Personal time away from work is used by the employee to rest, recuperate, and engage with personal connections.

Debates surrounding work-life balance is one discussion that is becoming increasingly popular on social media, with many content creators approaching the topic along generational lines. Some content creators also promote content that focuses on workplace responses to situations where there is little respect for employee boundaries.

Also compounding this interest in work-life balance in popular media are the recent four-day workweek pilot programs and how they affect stress levels and productivity in employees. Four-day workweek pilot programs have been conducted in countries such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Such programmes found that there is a correlation between reduced work hours and increased productivity. In Germany, there is now a law that prohibits employers from communicating with employees on work matters after work hours.

The attention given to work-life balance today is symptomatic of people’s realization of the effects of overworking on their physical and mental health and their reluctance to perpetuate the long-entrenched culture of overworking in the workplace, which is undoubtedly framed by capitalist notions of return but guised as loyalty and success.

Yet, there is surprisingly little discussion about work-life balance within Muslim communities. In Islam, work is indeed considered an act of worship (ibadah). However, achieving a balance between work and personal life is neither a novel concept nor contrary to Islamic beliefs and practices.

Historically, overwork is not a new occupational condition. It has affected people from the lower rungs of the socioeconomic class for centuries. Yet, it was the Industrial Revolution (IR) between the 18th and 19th centuries that truly promoted the culture of overworking, to the point that sleep was seen as wasteful. At the height of the first IR, workers, especially women and children, suffered working long 12–16-hour shifts.

Unfortunately, over a century later, many workplaces around the world still take advantage of their employees. In parts of Asia especially, this condition is further exacerbated by the ethos that a happy life is achievable if you work hard enough.

An example of this can be seen in the Karoshi (“death by overworking”) culture in Japan and other parts of Asia. Much like Japan, there still exists the romanticization of overworking culture in Malaysia, where overworking is seen as a badge of honor in the workplace. In big cities such as Kuala Lumpur, overworking is often celebrated as a hustle culture.

This precarious situation is highlighted by Remote’s recent work-life balance survey of 60 countries. In their findings, Remote finds that Malaysians work unnecessarily hard and are not given ample time to rest and recover from the burden of their work. This led to Remote ranking Malaysia very poorly when it comes to work-life balance.

Despite the continued glorification of overworking, we should reassess our understanding of work-life balance. We fully embrace the Islamic principle that all work can be/should be considered ibadah, and the idea is central to leading a purposeful and spiritually fulfilling life.

However, we must be cautious not to diminish this profound concept by conflating it with the notion of being a ‘yes person’ at work – agreeing to every task, no matter how trivial or unnecessary, under the guise of ‘ibadah’ or fulfilling our religious duty. The idea that ‘all work is ibadah’ can be dangerously misinterpreted if it leads to overcommitting to unnecessary administrative tasks, attending redundant meetings, or engaging in paperwork that serves no real purpose.

These activities drain our energy, detract from our primary responsibilities, and ultimately lead to burnout, hence undermining the very essence of what ibadah is meant to achieve.

We need to start doing away with the misplaced conception that work-life balance is un-Islamic. There are many aspects of work-life balance that Muslims can learn from Islamic teachings and the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ life story.

The Prophet ﷺ was a master of prioritization and discernment. He was deeply committed to his responsibilities, yet he never allowed himself to be burdened by tasks that did not align with his core mission. Whether in his role as a leader, a trader, or a family man, the Prophet was selective about how he spent his time, ensuring that each action truly served its intended purpose.

This teaches us that ibadah is not about indiscriminately saying ‘yes’ to everything, but about consciously engaging in work that carries real value and meaning. The Prophet’s life exemplifies this balance; he fulfilled his duties with excellence, yet he was never a passive participant in activities that did not serve a meaningful purpose.

Unfortunately, many Muslim employers and those with authority in the workplace do not believe in work-life balance, thinking that it is a secular and alien concept. In fact, they tend to dismiss it as the frivolous fancy of the young, lamenting their frustrations about their often-younger colleagues who either establish clear work-life boundaries or try to engage with them about promoting work-life balance.

What makes matters worse is that, while they deny work-life balance can ever be achieved, they also weaponize Islamic concepts such as Fisabilillah (generally translated as 'for the Sake of Allah S.W.T.’) by conflating it with sacrifice to push employees to do more work beyond acceptable bounds. This is clearly misguided on their part.

Considerations surrounding work-life balance in Islam should be rooted in the concept of wasatiyyah, which means, among other things, ‘the middle way.’ Wasatiyyah is a central concept in Islamic teachings where it refers to living one’s life in a balanced manner. The Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) defines moderation as the middle path between two extremes. This entails that one should do things moderately and not resort to extremes. The concept of wasatiyyah is also very closely related to Islamic understandings of justice, which is summed up as ‘putting things in their rightful place.’

When justice is observed, balance can be achieved. When considerations of balance and moderation go out the window, then this becomes an invitation of zalim (cruelty) into the lives of Muslims. Zalim is observed when one forces another to work to the point of exhaustion, and it is also observed when a Muslim neglects family and personal ties for the sake of work. "Fisabilillah," says the employer to the employee, as the ones being overworked neglect their other responsibilities at home and with Allah S.W.T.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the embodiment of moderation, and this can be seen in how he lived his life. Despite his many responsibilities as husband, father, Imam, and leader of a nation-state, the Prophet has shown us how to strike that balance between work, life, and spirituality. He never neglected any aspect of life, be it his worldly responsibilities or his spiritual ones.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once asked a companion:

 "(Is it true) that you fast all day and stand in prayer all night?"

The companion replied that the report was indeed true. The Prophet ﷺ then said:

"Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave (it) at other times. Stand up for prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you, and your wife has a right over you." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 127)

The hadith above illustrates a point that is very important in the discussion surrounding work-life balance. In the situation above, the Prophet ﷺ advised a companion who was excessively committed to spiritual activities by reminding him that doing spiritual activities excessively would affect his bodily health as well as his personal relationships.

While the Prophet ﷺ was referring to spiritual activities such as prayers and not employment, it underscores the importance of keeping your body healthy and maintaining good personal relationships.

Yet, how can a Muslim achieve all this if they are forced to work even after work hours are over? How can a Muslim get enough rest and maintain their health if their work superiors force work onto them at night, which also interrupts precious family time? How can a Muslim give their undivided attention to Allah S.W.T. in nightly worship when they are required to spend that time doing more work?

To consider every action as ibadah should inspire us to work with intention and focus, not to spread ourselves thin by accepting every demand placed upon us. The challenge lies in discerning which tasks genuinely contribute to our higher goals and which ones are distractions that pull us away from meaningful work. It is imperative to critically examine the implications of using the concept of ibadah to justify saying ‘yes’ to everything at work.

By doing so, we risk conflating religious devotion with workplace compliance, where we feel obligated to agree to every task out of fear that refusing might be seen as shirking our religious duties or lacking passion for our work and profession. This is not the true spirit of ibadah. Rather, ibadah calls for thoughtful engagement with our work, where we prioritize tasks that align with our values and contribute to the greater good. Perhaps Muslims might learn a thing or two from Surah al-Furqan, verse 47, when Allah S.W.T says:

 "He is the One Who has made the night for you as a cover, and ˹made˺ sleep for resting, and the day for rising. It is He who made the night a veil for you and sleep for rest, and the day a time for rising."

From this Quranic verse, we must recognize that ibadah encompasses many dimensions, and to generalize it as merely fulfilling work responsibilities is to neglect its broader scope. As humans, we have responsibilities not only to our employers but also to our spouse, children, parents, and ultimately to Allah. Why should we allow our commitment to work to overshadow these other obligations, to the point where we must steal time away from them? It is crucial to remember that ibadah is not limited to one aspect of life; it requires a balanced approach.

True balance, as taught in Islam, involves recognizing the different dimensions of our lives and understanding that not all tasks are created equal. We must critically assess where our time and energy are best spent, ensuring that our work as ibadah remains purposeful and spiritually enriching, rather than being reduced to a blanket acceptance of all demands.

The key is to follow the Prophetic example of prioritization, where the quality of work, not the quantity, defines our worship. Instead of attributing the challenges of work-life balance to secularism, we should recognize that these challenges stem from the natural human condition of having diverse and sometimes conflicting demands.

Let’s acknowledge and respect these different dimensions, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all solution that may lead to burnout and disillusionment. It demands a recognition of our multiple hats and the practical constraints we face in fulfilling them. Holistic understanding should include an appreciation of the complexity of human life, rather than reducing it to a singular unrealistic dimension.

Wan Nur Madiha Ramlan is an assistant professor of English Literature the Department of English Language and Literature (DELL), AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). She specializes in postcolonial Malaysian literature, Asian Australian literature, and Malay folktales. 

Siti Nurnadilla Mohamad Jamil is an assistant professor of linguistics, specializing in critical discourse studies at the Department of English Language and Literature (DELL), AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).