Surah al-Ma’idah : some lessons for Muslim business leaders

Abstract EN

Previous studies have looked at sūrah al-Baqarah, sūrah Āli-‘Imrān, and sūrah An-Nisā’ from an Islamic management perspective.

The conclusion from previous studies was that Muslim business leaders can develop organisations that have a positive organisational culture, a neutral organisational culture, or a negative organisational culture.

This study builds on this foundation by looking at what insights can be gained from sūrah al-Ma’idah in relation to building an Islamic corporate culture.

The works of Khaled and Khan are compared.

A group of MBA students was given a draft of this study and they shared their reflections on this sūrah.

Two key facts stand out.

First, although there are a number of Islamic rulings in this sūrah, there is a lot of emphasis on having taqwā and being grateful.

Much of the reflections of the MBA students focused on the importance of taqwā and good manners at the workplace.

Second, this surah is one of the last sūrah revealed and it clarifies the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims.