Ahmad Abdillah

// Between Sujood and Syscalls

No One Was Watching

Why I try my best even when no one is watching — or is there?

It was 2am on a Tuesday. I was staring at a hex dump, tracing a flaw buried deep in a piece of software that most people do not even know exists. No deadline. No one asked me to do it. If I found something, the people it would protect would never know my name.

No one was watching.

Or so it would seem.

A colleague once said to me: “Why bother working so hard? In the end you still only get a C.” He meant the performance grading. And honestly, he was not wrong. The grade did not reflect the effort. It rarely does. If your motivation depends on the appraisal, you will burn out or coast — both lead to the same place.

But that question — why bother? — deserves a real answer. And I found mine in a concept that reframes everything: Ihsan.

What Ihsan Actually Means

When Jibreel asked the Prophet ﷺ about Ihsan, he said: “It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you” (Sahih Muslim 8). That is the definition most people know. But Ihsan is not just about salah and sujood. It is a whole orientation towards life.

Allah commands it directly. In Surah An-Nahl (16:90): “Indeed, Allah commands justice and Ihsan.” Not suggests. Commands. And in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:195): “And do Ihsan. Indeed, Allah loves the Muhsineen.” He loves the people who pursue excellence in what they do.

Then the Prophet ﷺ made it practical. He said: “Verily Allah has prescribed Ihsan in all things. So if you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters” (Sahih Muslim 1955). He picked one of the most everyday acts to make the point: in all things. Not just prayer. Not just Quran recitation. Everything.

And in Surah Al-Mulk (67:2), Allah tells us why we are even here: “He who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed.” Not most in deed. Best. The test is not volume. It is quality, sincerity, and excellence.

Then there is that beautiful ayah in Surah Ar-Rahman (55:60): “Is the reward of Ihsan anything but Ihsan?” Allah repays excellence with excellence. That alone should be enough.

Why My Work Counts

I work in cybersecurity. I look for flaws in software that runs at deep, foundational layers of people’s systems. When that software has a vulnerability, an attacker can take full control of someone’s machine. When I find and report that flaw before it gets exploited, people are protected. They will never know about it. But the harm was prevented.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved of people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people” (Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat, graded hasan by Al-Albani). That hadith sits with me. Nobody writes you a thank-you note for the exploit that never happened. But the benefit is real, and Allah sees what people do not.

He ﷺ also said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both” (Sahih Muslim 2664). Strength here is not just physical. It is competence, capability, mastery. Being good at what you do — when what you do benefits others — is itself beloved to Allah.

The Tension I Feel

I still feel a tension though. Sometimes I wonder if I should spend less time on this work and more time on purely religious pursuits. More Quran. More study of fiqh. More purification of the heart. I feel my heart is clouded at times, and that worries me.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Verily in the body there is a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound. And if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Indeed it is the heart” (Sahih al-Bukhari 52, Sahih Muslim 1599). That is not something I can ignore.

And Allah warns in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:10): “In their hearts is a disease, so Allah has increased their disease.” I do not want to be someone whose heart hardens without him noticing. I do not want to get so buried in technical work that I neglect the state of my own soul.

But I keep coming back to the conclusion that this is not an either/or. The heart comes first, always. My salah, my obligations, my character — those are non-negotiable. But once those are in place, pursuing excellence in beneficial work is not a distraction from my deen. It is part of it. The Prophet ﷺ told us that even a man who earns halal to provide for his family has that counted as sadaqah (Sahih al-Bukhari 1445). The same action, transformed by intention.

It Comes Down to Niyyah

“Actions are but by intentions, and each person will have but that which he intended” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1, Sahih Muslim 1907). This is the first hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari for a reason. Everything starts here.

If I sit down to do my work seeking recognition or clout, that is what I get. If I sit down to do the same work seeking Allah’s pleasure and intending to protect people from harm, the exact same action becomes ibadah. The work does not change. The niyyah changes everything.

My Resolve

There will be dry stretches where nothing interesting comes out of the work. When that happens, worldly motivations crumble. Wanting recognition does not survive tedium. Wanting a job offer fades. But knowing that this is what Allah placed in front of me, and choosing to do it with Ihsan because He is watching — that holds up. It does not depend on results.

Allah reminds us in Surah Al-Inshirah (94:5-6): “For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.” He said it twice. The grind is part of the path, not a sign that something is wrong.

And in Surah Az-Zumar (39:10): “Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.” Without account. Not measured, not calculated. Just given.

So I keep going. Not because it is always exciting. Because it is beneficial, I have the ability, and I choose to do it for His sake.

May Allah accept it, purify my intention, and not let my heart harden while I am not paying attention.

This is my first post. I started this blog because I kept finding connections between what I believe and how I work — and I wanted a place to think out loud about that. If you are a Muslim navigating professional life and wondering how your deen fits into your daily grind, I hope some of these reflections resonate. I am still learning — that is what Mutaallim means.

References