Nigeria's free digital learning hub. Videos, lecture notes, practice questions and leaderboards aligned with CCMAS, NBTE, NCCE, WAEC, NECO, IJMB and JAMB curricula.
Loading
Nigeria's free digital learning hub. Videos, lecture notes, practice questions and leaderboards aligned with CCMAS, NBTE, NCCE, WAEC, NECO, IJMB and JAMB curricula.
This is the complete lecture note for ISS 306 Entrepreneurial Skills (Calligraphy). You can read it online below, open it in the full viewer, or download the PDF for offline study. It pairs with the course's video lectures, so you can read and watch together.
Course code: ISS 306 Course title: Entrepreneurial Skills (Calligraphy) Course credit load: 2 Units List of Series: • Series 1: Entrepreneurship in Islamic Perspective • Series 2: Dignity of Labour and Livelihood in Islam • Series 3: Concept, History and Purpose of Calligraphy • Series 4: Tools and Types of Calligraphy • Series 5: Practical Applications of Calligraphy for Commerce 1 Entrepreneurship in Islamic Perspective Series Outline This Series comprises three Parts: 1. 1.1 Meaning and Foundations of Entrepreneurship in Islam o 1.1.1 Meaning of entrepreneurship o 1.1.2 Entrepreneurship within the Islamic worldview o 1.1.3 Legitimate pursuit of livelihood and wealth 2. 1.2 Qur’ānic and Prophetic Foundations of Enterprise o 1.2.1 Seeking Allah’s bounty through lawful activity o 1.2.2 Lawful trade and mutual consent o 1.2.3 Work, effort and economic responsibility 3. 1.3 Principles of Islamic Entrepreneurship o 1.3.1 Halāl and ethical boundaries o 1.3.2 Honesty, trust and fairness in business o 1.3.3 Balancing material success and accountability to Allah
Introduction Entrepreneurship is often associated with starting a business, making a profit or developing a product or service. From an Islamic perspective, however, economic activity is not separated from faith and moral responsibility. Islam recognises the legitimate pursuit of livelihood and permits people to benefit from the resources Allah has provided, while requiring them to conduct their economic activities within lawful and ethical boundaries. This perspective is particularly relevant to calligraphy because a creative skill can become a legitimate source of livelihood when it is developed, marketed and delivered responsibly. The aim of this Series is to introduce you to the Islamic understanding of entrepreneurship and establish the religious principles that should guide the pursuit of income through lawful enterprise. We shall commence this Series by examining the meaning of entrepreneurship and how it fits within the Islamic worldview. Next, we will consider Qur’ānic and Prophetic guidance concerning the pursuit of livelihood, lawful trade and productive effort. Finally, we will examine the ethical principles that should govern entrepreneurial activity, including lawful earnings, honesty, trust, fairness and accountability to Allah. Series Learning Outcomes Upon completing this Series, you should be able to: SLO 1.1 explain the meaning of entrepreneurship from an Islamic perspective, SLO 1.2 analyse Qur’ānic and Prophetic guidance on the pursuit of lawful livelihood, SLO 1.3 evaluate ethical principles that govern entrepreneurial activity in Islam, and SLO 1.4 apply Islamic entrepreneurial principles to a proposed calligraphy-based business activity.
1.1 Meaning and Foundations of Entrepreneurship in Islam Entrepreneurship involves identifying an opportunity, organising resources and providing goods or services in order to create value and generate legitimate income. An entrepreneur is a person who identifies an opportunity and takes purposeful action to organise resources, provide a product or service and accept the responsibilities associated with the venture. Entrepreneurship therefore involves more than owning a business. It requires initiative, planning, creativity, resourcefulness and a willingness to accept responsibility for economic decisions. In ISS 306, entrepreneurship is considered specifically in relation to calligraphy. A person who possesses calligraphic skills may identify a need for artistic lettering, Islamic decorative work, wedding stationery, branding or other permissible creative services and organise those skills into a commercial activity. The commercial value comes not merely from possessing the skill, but from using it to provide a service that customers are willing to obtain through a lawful transaction. 1.1.1 Meaning of entrepreneurship The modern concept of entrepreneurship is broad. It may involve establishing a new enterprise, improving an existing service, developing a creative product or identifying a problem and providing a solution for it. An entrepreneur therefore moves from simply having an idea to taking organised action. For example, imagine that you have developed a strong ability to produce attractive Arabic calligraphy. You notice that people in your community regularly need customised designs for wedding invitations, Islamic wall decorations and business materials. You decide to offer these services professionally. You determine what materials are needed, estimate your costs, establish reasonable prices, communicate with customers and deliver the completed work. These activities demonstrate entrepreneurial behaviour. The Islamic perspective does not reject this kind of initiative. Instead, it places economic activity within a broader moral framework. The entrepreneur is expected to consider not only, “How much profit can I make?” but also, “Is the activity lawful? Am I dealing honestly? Are other
people’s rights protected? Am I fulfilling my responsibilities to Allah and to those with whom I transact?” Fill in the blank: A person who identifies an opportunity and organises resources to provide a product or service is called an __________. 1.1.2 Entrepreneurship within the Islamic worldview Islam presents human beings as responsible users of the resources entrusted to them by Allah. Wealth and material resources can be used for legitimate purposes, but their possession does not remove the believer’s moral responsibility. The Islamic worldview therefore places economic activity within a relationship of accountability. Khilāfah refers to the human responsibility of acting as a steward or vicegerent on earth. In the context of entrepreneurship, this concept encourages the responsible use of abilities, time, materials and wealth. An entrepreneur who uses artistic talent to create a lawful service is using an ability that should be developed responsibly rather than wasted. Entrepreneurship can therefore become part of a purposeful Muslim life when it is directed towards lawful ends. A calligrapher may earn income, support a family, employ assistants, provide useful services and contribute to the community while maintaining obedience to Allah. This does not mean that every profitable activity is automatically Islamic. Profit alone is not sufficient to establish the legitimacy of an enterprise. The nature of the product or service, the method of obtaining income, the treatment of customers and workers, and the overall conduct of the entrepreneur must also be considered. Figure 1.1: Islamic framework for entrepreneurial activity
A conceptual diagram showing how faith, lawful activity, ethical conduct, value creation and accountability combine to guide entrepreneurship in Islam. Entrepreneurial activity guided by this worldview can therefore combine economic initiative with moral responsibility. A calligraphy enterprise should seek income without treating income as the only measure of success. Fill in the blank: The Islamic concept that highlights human responsibility as stewards or vicegerents on earth is known as __________. 1.1.3 Legitimate pursuit of livelihood and wealth Islam recognises the legitimate pursuit of livelihood. The Qur’ān describes people dispersing through the land and seeking Allah’s bounty after the Friday prayer, while also commanding remembrance of Allah. This provides an important principle for understanding the relationship between worship and economic activity: seeking lawful livelihood is not presented as inherently incompatible with religious commitment. Similarly, Qur’ān 28:77 presents a balanced approach to worldly resources. It instructs people to seek the Hereafter through what Allah has given them while not forgetting their share of this world, and it connects material resources with doing good rather than causing corruption.
For an entrepreneur, this balance is important. A business should not become an excuse for neglecting obligatory acts of worship or ethical duties. At the same time, religious commitment should not be understood as a command to abandon all lawful economic activity. The Muslim entrepreneur seeks a livelihood while remaining conscious that wealth is a means of responsible living, not an object of worship. Consider a student who starts a small calligraphy service while studying. If the student organises the work responsibly, charges lawful prices, fulfils customer agreements and continues to meet academic and religious responsibilities, the enterprise can serve both economic and developmental purposes. Fill in the blank: Qur’ān 62:10 connects seeking Allah’s bounty with remembering __________. Pilot Questions 1.1 1. Which of the following best describes an entrepreneur? A. A person who avoids all financial risk B. A person who identifies an opportunity and organises resources to pursue it C. A person who only works for a government organisation D. A person who seeks wealth without considering ethics 2. In the Islamic worldview, entrepreneurship should be separated completely from moral responsibility. A. True B. False 3. The Islamic concept of khilāfah emphasises human responsibility as: A. Owners of everything without accountability B. Stewards or vicegerents on earth C. Consumers of all available resources
D. Competitors in the marketplace 4. Which Qur’ānic verse explicitly mentions dispersing through the land and seeking Allah’s bounty after the Friday prayer? A. Qur’ān 2:183 B. Qur’ān 4:29 C. Qur’ān 62:10 D. Qur’ān 112:1 5. A calligrapher who identifies customer needs and organises materials, pricing and services is demonstrating: A. Entrepreneurial behaviour B. Religious withdrawal C. Passive consumption D. Unlawful speculation 1.2 Qur’ānic and Prophetic Foundations of Enterprise Islamic guidance concerning economic life is found in both the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. These sources do not present economic activity as a purely material matter. Instead, they provide principles concerning lawful earning, trade, consent, effort, responsibility and the proper use of wealth. For the Muslim entrepreneur, these principles provide a framework for making business decisions. A person may ask questions such as: Is the product permissible? Is the transaction transparent? Have both parties consented? Is anyone being deceived? Has the
This is the opening of the note. Read the full note or download the PDF to continue.
