Farrukh Tahir, Canada
In the hustle and bustle of corporate life, employees often find themselves stuck in the daily grind—skill sets gathering dust, enthusiasm waning, and productivity sliding down a slippery slope. Enter the refresher course, the corporate equivalent of pressing that handy refresh button on your browser. Now, what if I told you that this isn’t a shiny new invention? In fact, Islam beat the corporate world to the punch by over 1,400 years with its own remarkable spiritual refresher—Ramadan.
Think about it. Ramadan is basically humanity’s annual spiritual reboot. Just as companies hold refresher courses to stop workers from slipping into old habits, Ramadan swoops in annually, reminding Muslims to enhance their spirituality. Fasting, extra prayers, and loads of charity—it’s all about renewing dedication and reminding yourself of what truly matters.
Corporate refresher courses work because people, quite frankly, are creatures of forgetfulness. According to a fascinating piece in the Journal of Applied Psychology, refresher courses are the magic sauce for skill retention and boosted job performance—essentially, the professional equivalent of ‘practice makes perfect.’¹ Ramadan harnesses the same clever logic. Each year, as the crescent moon signals Ramadan’s arrival, Muslims intently focus on essential spiritual practices. When fasting, believers hone their ability to resist temptations, building patience, resilience, and mindfulness—qualities that would fit right into any top-notch corporate training program.
The beauty of Ramadan lies in repetition. Sounds mundane? Think again! A comprehensive study in Educational Psychology Review highlights that periodic reminders work wonders for long-term retention and effective skill use.² Ramadan does exactly this—creating a sacred rhythm where spiritual reminders become second nature.
God Almighty also recognizes this facet of human nature and emphasizes in many instances in the Qur’an the benefit of reminders:
‘So go on reminding; surely, reminding is profitable.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 87:10)
Just like attending corporate workshops and retreats, Ramadan helps Muslims recalibrate their spiritual compasses, reminding them of ethics, compassion, and devotion in an increasingly distracting world.
And let’s talk motivation—something every manager would trade their morning coffee for. An article in the Harvard Business Review noted that refresher courses significantly lift employee morale and drive.³ Ramadan, too, stokes spiritual enthusiasm by bringing the entire community together, creating an atmosphere as vibrant as any well-planned corporate retreat. The unity, collective prayers, and meals with family pump motivation to sky-high levels, proving that teamwork really does make the spiritual dream work.
Successful businesses swear by periodic refresher training, and it’s no secret why: higher morale, improved retention, and soaring productivity, as documented by corporate gurus in scholarly journals.⁴ Similarly, Ramadan participants frequently report feeling spiritually energized, more ethically aware, and deeply connected with their community, showcasing how periodic reinforcement does wonders for both soul and society.
What’s genuinely captivating here is how Ramadan subtly acknowledges a universal human truth—we’re all prone to forgetfulness and occasional complacency. Corporations get this, creating training refreshers to deal with inevitable skill decay. Islam anticipated this long before “corporate culture” was a thing, embedding Ramadan as a divine refresher course to gently guide humans back to their spiritual A-game every year.
Ultimately, Ramadan and corporate refresher courses share a fascinating similarity. Both remind us, whether we’re seated in office cubicles or kneeling in quiet prayer, of the need to pause, refresh, and reconnect with what’s genuinely important. Islam, however, perfected this art long ago in the form of Ramadan.
About the Author: Farrukh Tahir is an Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Canada, serving in the Review of Religions.
ENDNOTES
¹ Brown, K.G., & Sitzmann, T. (2011). Training and Employee Development for Improved Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10773180_Effectiveness_of_Training_in_Organizations_A_Meta-Analysis_of_Design_and_Evaluation_Features
² Arthur, W., Bennett, W., Edens, P.S., & Bell, S.T. (2003). Effectiveness of Training in Organizations: A Meta-Analysis of Design and Evaluation Features. Educational Psychology Review, 15, 215–238. https://oxfordre.com/psychology/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-33?d=%2F10.1093%2Facrefore%2F9780190236557.001.0001%2Facrefore-9780190236557-e-33&p=emailAwWNzoN4qQIpY
³ Noe, R.A., & Tews, M.J. (2009). Employee Training and Development. Harvard Business Review, Retrieved from https://dedi1968blog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/employee-training-and-development.pdf
⁴ Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S.I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K.A. (2012). The Science of Training and Development in Organizations: What Matters in Practice. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(2), 74–101. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1529100612436661
Another commonality is giving back: Ramadan encourages acts of charity, as taught by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and helping those in need. Similarly, successful businesses often engage in corporate social responsibility, contributing positively to society and the environment. This is a great article! I hope you share it on LinkedIn as well (if allowed). We need more articles like this that highlight Islamic teachings in a positive light, while connecting them with the business world on platforms like LinkedIn.