The Man From Najd Who Mixed the Mortar

Another lesson is tarbiyah through practice. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was teaching the Companions by practising: he was building the masjid with them, not just giving them instructions from a high place, but joining them in the field and showing them what it means to be a Muslim.

Another lesson is that specialisation is respected in Islam, and people should be left to do what they are capable of doing and what they are best at — an important thing for a Muslim leader to learn. When they were building Masjid al-Nabawī, there was a man from Najd with them, and this man was himself a builder. He asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): should I join you in carrying the bricks? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: no, do not carry the bricks with us — you mix, you make the mixture for the bricks and make them; other people can carry the bricks, but you need to focus on what you are best at, and that is making these bricks. Had this man been carrying bricks, the people mixing them would have been less expert than he was, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) devoted him to this task and had other people carry the bricks.

So in Islamic work, not everybody has to do the same thing: not everyone needs to be a good dāʿī, not everyone needs to become a scholar, not everyone needs to be an imām. Let people do what they are capable of doing, because Allah (swt) gives different people different gifts, and a good leader is the one who recognises the abilities of his followers and advises them on how to strengthen the gifts that Allah (swt) has given them, and how to take advantage of those abilities for the benefit of Islam and the Muslims.