In Islam, with its own method of doing business as stated in the Quran and Hadith, entrepreneurship is part of everyday life. In Islam, determining a person's intentions and personality traits when starting a business largely depends on his intentions. This study attempts to cast an Islamic perspective on Muslim business owners in Pakistan regarding the concept and element of business intent. A survey of over 250 Muslim business owners in Pakistan was conducted to collect primary data on the motivations and characteristics of Pakistani Muslim entrepreneurs, such as their reasons for deciding to pursue a career. According to previous studies, the two main characteristics of business intentions in Islam are honesty and worship of Allah (functions of a spiritual, personal, and socio-economic nature). This research shows that all human behavior, especially that related to entrepreneurship, has been consistently driven by the effects of five key traits on entrepreneurial personalities: amanah, tabligh, fathonah, istiqomah, and saddiq.
Top1. Introduction
Entrepreneurship is widely recognized as the engine of economic growth. It may have contributed to development by opening employment opportunities, increasing income and wealth, and linking economic growth to the global market (Davis et al., 2013). Essentially, religion is defined as a set of guidelines governing how people should relate to God, others, and the world around them. According to (Gümüsay et al., 2015), religion may have contributed to the economy. Although the advancement of technology, investment, and environmental assets were considerations that influenced the community's economic growth, religion was seen as a crucial element in shaping the community's work rate. Furthermore, it has been claimed that religion plays an important role in influencing a country's economy. According to (Hassan et al., 2014), Protestant morality has a significant impact on the economic development of many regions of Asia and the United States under the capitalist system. A further study by (Muhammad et al., 2020), which also noted that Tokugawa's religious ideology was a crucial pillar for the growth of Japanese capitalism, also found evidence of the importance of perseverance in achieving success. Furthermore, he believes that Chinese entrepreneurs have grown and thrived within the Chinese Confucian faith. A person's choice to become an entrepreneur, his entrepreneurial skills, the style of running his business and his network with other entrepreneurs are all factors that religion can have an impact on (Anggadwita et al., 2015).
Islam in general and in particular is a religion that supports entrepreneurship (Fozia et al., 2016). In Islam, the primary intention is a crucial element in determining a person's qualities and driving forces in starting a business. Ambition is therefore very important in Islam. According to the Prophet Muhammad, every action and every deed is influenced by a specific intention. Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad said: “The reward for actions should be based on the specific intention and each person will receive the reward in accordance with what he has willed” (Hadith Bukhari), while Allah SWT said in the Quran: “That, whoever does justice, male or female, as one who believes We will grant him a comfortable life.” We will encourage them according to their better knowledge of what they have done before. “[Quran: Al-Nahl 16:97]. Despite this, Muslims currently have a low level of motivation and commitment to start their own business and implement business ethics in line with Islamic principles.
Among the benefits of entrepreneurship is the creation of jobs that increase the well-being of Muslims in particular, as well as all individuals in general. In recent years, questions about corporate intent have swirled among many legislators, academics, and professionals. According to (Ahmed et al., 2008), an intention is a driving force that influences behavioral patterns and shows how preparatory efforts are made to accomplish a task. In fact, behind any human behavior, there is always at least one intention. An important approach that considers additional internal, external and contextual variables is primarily responsible for influences on entrepreneurial intention (Ratten et al., 2017). Internal influences on an individual's entrepreneurial behavior include socio-demographic variables, personal characteristics, and many more, such as age, gender, work history, and marital status (Harizan et al., 2020). Environmental components and the environmental context are examples of external influences. According to (Adham et al., 2012), one of the most important predictors of becoming an entrepreneur is an individual's intention to start their own business. In summary, entrepreneurial behavior is a commitment to actively participate in generating new ideas and achieving something new or unique, with the ultimate goal of generating income for people and strengthening the community (Abras et al., 2022).