Allah has said in Surah Baqarah (verse 30) that he will place on earth khalifa translated as representative/vicegerent. Dictionary.com translates “vicegerent” as an officer appointed as deputy by and to a sovereign or supreme chief, Allah being the Supreme Chief and us his deputies. A deputy is meant to exercise delegated powers. It means that we are meant to do what we have been instructed to do through the Quran and Sunnah.

But when the meaning of Khalifa is taken to be representative, another aspect opens up. It means that we are ambassadors of Allah in this world, individually and collectively. As individuals, we must display discipline in the face of the mundane. This encompasses many things–being on time for prayers, working on our fitness, eating healthy, living by the Quran and Sunnah and setting examples for those around us, especially the younger ones present in our lives. Collectively, the responsibility falls upon us as a specific gender, as families, as races, as nations but most importantly as an ummah.

Wherever I go, I am a woman, part of the family I was born into and the one I have married into, I am ethnically South Asian, raised in the Middle East but have lived many years in Canada. All of these identities require an innate sense of discipline from within, to represent myself and my people to the best of my ability. Any lapse on my part will inevitably reflect badly on my people because people will judge. The reason to do or not to do something should never be a peoples’ judgement, but to become so lax in one’s principles that you end up misrepresenting an entire people through your carelessness is unfair.

One must be deliberate in their little actions or inactions. There are very easy examples of how to accommodate the deen in our daily lives without being preachy. Listening to the Quran while cooking, memorizing Quran while ironing, listening to Islamic (or other educational) podcasts while driving, taking prayer breaks at work after informing everyone of the reason for your 10-minute absence. We live in a world of interdependence. Someone (besides Allah) is always watching you. And for them to watch you do something that could allow them to improve their habits and in turn grant you the benefit of passing on beneficial knowledge and customs would bring collective barakah.

Doing good is also contagious, for oneself and towards others. People inherently want to adopt the good they see around them and gather strength from unrelated far off places when they feel like they cannot go on. Today, many garner strength from the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza absorb strength from their knowledge of the Quran and from stories of hardship of our pious predecessors, sahaba and prophets.

The important thing to remember is that the title khalifa whether translated as ambassador, representative, or vicegerent is not something to be taken lightly. It is a trust and a duty that Allah has placed upon us, one that requires active effort to fulfill. This is why a believer’s words and actions must always be calculated and intentional. And every intention must at least be justifiable to themselves in the light of this job title.