A Heart-Centred Reflection for Muslim Professionals

In a world that increasingly demands we fit in, many of us find ourselves caught between cultures, languages, and value systems. We’re the ones who grew up hearing one set of expectations at home and navigating a completely different one at school or work.

We are the Third Culture Adults — Muslims raised between lands, between languages, and sometimes, between expectations of deen and dunya.

And this tension doesn’t disappear when we enter the workforce. In fact, for many of us, it amplifies.

Straddling Two (Or More) Worlds

The term “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) may have originated in academic circles, but for many of us, it’s not a concept — it’s a lived reality. We are now the adults who grew up juggling salaah schedules with school camps, Eid holidays with exam deadlines, and respectful cultural norms with hyper-individualised environments.

For example, I came to Australia as a teenager—sent from Jakarta to Melbourne at age 14. I lived in a boarding house, completed high school, and continued through bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, all without family physically present. I wasn’t raised around dinner table conversations about navigating corporate or business life. My parents were business owners in Jakarta, but their experience didn’t translate to Australian workplace norms. And I only see my parents only once a year during my summer holiday when I visited Jakarta.

I had to figure it out on my own, and I wasn’t alone.

I’ve met many brothers and sisters in business and leadership who share a similar story:

• A sister working in a government department who struggles to find her voice in meetings, not because she lacks insight, but because the way she was raised taught her not to interrupt or speak unless invited — while louder, less-informed voices dominate the conversation.

• A brother in a senior corporate leadership role who consistently delivers results and leads with empathy — yet is told in every performance review that he needs to “be tougher” and “demand more from his team,” even though his team is high-performing and loyal.

• A Muslim team leader in logistics who was challenged by HR when he requested time off for Jumu’ah prayers, despite making up the time — while colleagues regularly took extended smoke breaks without question. The double standard left him feeling excluded and quietly resentful.

• A young professional in a client-facing tech role who was subtly discouraged from growing out his beard, told it might not be “aligned with the company image” — even though diversity was supposedly a core value in the organisation.

Behind these stories highlights one common theme: we are navigating more than just job responsibilities — we are navigating our identity as a Muslim in our workplaces. 

What the Workplace Doesn’t See

Most organisations are not equipped to understand the depth of what Third Culture Muslims navigate:

• Humility misread as lack of ambition.

• Gentleness mistaken for weakness.

• Boundaries based on religious principles misunderstood as inflexibility.

We don’t just show up with degrees and skills. We show up with values. Values that come from our faith, our culture, and the life we’ve lived between worlds.

Allah ﷻ reminds us:

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another...”
(Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13)

This verse isn’t just a spiritual reminder — it’s a leadership principle. 

Diversity isn’t a checkbox. It’s a divine design. Our unique lens as Muslims navigating multiple worlds is not a liability. It’s a gift.

Inner Leadership: From Fear to Faith

For many of us, our early years in professional spaces were shaped by fear — fear of saying the wrong thing, standing out too much, or being “too Muslim.” 

So, we adapt. 

We play small. We hide parts of ourselves so we can fit in to feel that we belong. 

Some of us shortened or changed our names – just to avoid awkward questions. Some of us softened our boundaries or downplayed our faith in conversations, just to stay off the radar. 

But that dissonance created internal chaos — not peace. Because when we keep hiding parts of ourselves, we slowly disconnect from who we really are. And over time, that kind of disconnection takes a toll — emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually.

But over time, through Allah’s guidance, through our self-reflection and personal growth, many of us begin to ask:

• Am I leading from fear? Or from trust in Allah?

• Am I shrinking myself to survive, or standing tall to serve?

• Am I living to please people — or to please my Rabb?

This shift — from fear-based performance to faith-based presence — is the real leadership transformation.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Islam began as something strange and will go back to being strange, so glad tidings to the strangers.”(Sunan Ibn Majah)

For Muslims, this hadith hits home — especially in today’s workplaces.
Many of us know what it feels like to be the only one in the room who doesn’t drink at the networking event, who steps out for Jumu’ah while others may take smoke breaks without being questioned, who skips the Christmas lunch but still brings gifts during Eid.
We’ve felt that tension — of being visible, different, and quietly misunderstood.

But here’s the beauty of this hadith:
Islam doesn’t just acknowledge that feeling — it honours it.
It reminds us that being “strange” in a world that’s lost its centre isn’t a deficit. It’s a sign of alignment with our journey as a Muslim. 

So when you feel like a stranger at work because you choose prayer over popularity, integrity over shortcuts, or faith over fitting in — know that you’re not out of place.
You’re exactly where you need to be.

And the Prophet ﷺ gave you glad tidings for it.

Reclaiming Leadership Through Faith

As Muslim Third Culture Adults, reclaiming leadership from a place of faith isn’t about ticking boxes or sounding more "spiritual" at work. It’s about anchoring ourselves in something deeper — so we can lead with clarity, integrity, and alignment in spaces that often pull us in other directions.

Here’s what that can look like in practice:

• Presence: Leading with heart, sincerity, and emotional awareness — not just hitting KPIs. It means being fully engaged with people in meetings, not just managing them. It’s about choosing depth over performative busyness, and being someone your team can trust, not just someone who delivers results.

• Tawakkul: Taking action with excellence — preparing the tender submission, negotiating the contract, dealing with a team conflict — but knowing that rizq, outcomes, and barakah are from Allah. It’s that subtle but powerful shift from control to conscious surrender: “I’ve done my part. Now I leave it to Him.”

• Ikhlās: Being deeply sincere in what we do and why we do it — even when it comes to sharing our wins. Whether it’s a LinkedIn post about a project milestone or an update in a leadership team meeting, it’s about checking in with your intention. Is it to benefit others? To inspire? Or just to be seen?

• Rahmah: Leading with compassion that doesn’t compromise standards. It’s not passive. It’s active care — setting clear boundaries, giving feedback with empathy, creating safety without losing accountability. It’s the balance between softness and strength, rooted in the prophetic model.

When we lead this way, we’re not just performing in a role —
We’re embodying a way of being a true muslim who submits to our Rabb. 

A way of leadership that is deeply human, deeply Islamic, and deeply impactful.

We don’t just fit into existing models —
We become the model.

A Final Reflection

If any of this speaks to you — if you’re a Muslim professional, entrepreneur, or business leader who’s grown up navigating between cultures, know this:

You are not alone. 

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock.” (Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)

Leadership in our deen isn’t tied to status or job titles. It’s tied to trust – an Amanah given by Allah. It’s about showing up in your life, your workplace, your family — with integrity, presence, and purpose.

So the question becomes:
Are you leading from who the world told you to be? 

Or are you leading from who Allah created you to be?

Wassalam

Sidqie