I spent the last 5 days in the historical city of Fez in Morocco; a city unlike any that I've visited before, with its old markets, 9000 alleyways, hospitable people and many more. There's one particular masjid that I visited in Fez, whose story represents the true understanding of Productivity in Islam.

The masjid is known as Al-Qaraouine, better known as the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. But even more amazing to me is the story behind this mosque.

The story goes that the mosque was built by a pious woman known as Fatima Al-Fihri, the daughter of a wealthy merchant named Mohammed Al-Fihri. The Al-Fihri family had migrated from Kairouan (hence the name of the university), Tunisia to Fes in the early 9th century, joining a community of other migrants from Kairouan who had settled in a western district of the city. Fatima and her sister Mariam, both of whom were well educated, inherited a large amount of money from their father. Fatima vowed to spend her entire inheritance on the construction of the mosque.

What's incredible about this vow was that not only did she vow to spend her entire inheritance on the mosque, but she also made sure that any money that goes into building this mosque comes from a purely halal source. Moreover, whilst the mosque was being built, Fatima spent her days fasting until the mosque was complete.

The result, was not just a mosque, but Al-Qaraouine quickly developed into a place of learning, understanding and debate. The University of Al-Qaraouine became the pinnacle of the Muslim land higher education years before Oxford or Cambridge hosting a wide range of subjects, (not only religious but even sciences & mathematics). 

It's amazing how when you walk into Al-Qaraouine and realize that this was a place where Muslim scholars taught, kings sent their sons to learn, and knowledge was produced, that you cannot but feel awe at the place.You can only wonder at the powerful nature of the blessing of Allah, which when someone taps into it with their sincere intention and hard work, remains eternally attached to whatever you worked hard for. Fatimah Al-Fihri combined tapped into this blessing with her spiritual side (the fasting) along with her hard work (ensuring every dime is halal) and Allah blessed it in ways she could not even imagine, and that's the key to Productivity in Islam.