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As-salaam alaykum,
On Christmas day, I was flying for DC back to LA with my family.
When we landed, I got a text message from my friend Joe:
I'm in the ER with Joseff. He just died.
My buddy Joe is notorious for using Siri voice commands, so I told myself that it must be a typo. No way, his son Joseff is dead. He's 25 years old, healthy, and I was with him just a few days ago.
I quickly called him.
"Talk to me, Joe"
"He's gone. Joseff is gone"
In that moment, I lost two people: My friend Joseff who died, and my fried Joe who will never be the same.
Grief is a strange experience. You never know how long it takes to hit and how long it will linger.
My grandfather passed a way 3 years ago. Although I was sad at the time. It took a while for the grief to hit. One night, several months after his passing, I woke up in the middle of the night crying as I realized in my dream that my grandfather was gone.
On Monday (MLK day) we celebrated his life. Although he didn't leave behind a charitable foundation, or a book, or a well, there were 100s of people at his service. There was no room in the church to sit. People from all religions and walks of life came to celebrate his life.
I made a song in his memory using some of his TikToks and it was played at the service. Give it a listen.
The song I made in the memory of my friend Joseff
As I heard one person after another share how Joseff impacted their life, it made me reflect on the meaning of legacy. In the Muslim community we often think of legacy as the things we leave behind including "beneficial knowledge" but here's the spiritually intelligent reframe:
Legacy is more than just what we leave behind, it's also about what we inspire in people.
The Two Types of Legacy
There's the legacy that appears in Forbes. And there's the legacy that appears in hearts.
One is measured in valuations, masjids built, or donations made. The other in transformations.
One dies with you. The other continues through those you've touched.
Many Muslims are so focused on the first, they never consider the second.
Joseff didn't leave behind an estate but he did inspire many.
The Prophet's Portfolio
The Prophet ﷺ died without wealth. No gold. No silver. His armor was mortgaged for barley.
By conventional metrics, a failed legacy.
Yet 1,400 years later, billions follow his guidance. His principles shape civilizations. His wisdom guides decisions from people who have never met him.
That's legacy. Not what you accumulate, but what continues beyond the material.
The Compound Effect of Character
Every interaction is a legacy deposit.
The junior employee you mentored becomes a CEO who mentors hundreds.
The principle you upheld inspires someone to uphold their own.
The kindness you showed in a forgotten meeting shapes someone's leadership style forever.
I meet many Muslims who seek "financial freedom". When I ask why, they tell me: "so I can leave a legacy". Real legacies require no money. They require we show up in integrity and leave the rest to Allah.
The Three Circles of Legacy
Circle 1: Personal Legacy
What you achieve for yourself.
Your wealth. Your position. Your recognition.
This circle is important but limited. It ends when you do.
Circle 2: Transferred Legacy
What you build for others.
Companies that employ thousands. Products that solve problems. Wealth that supports families.
This circle is broader but still bounded. Companies fail. Products become obsolete. Wealth dissipates.
Circle 3: Transcendent Legacy
What you inspire in others.
Values that get passed down. Principles that get practiced. Character that gets replicated.
This circle is infinite. It continues beyond calculation. It transcends physical and material legacies and requires no wealth, no titles, no degrees.
The Sadaqah Jariyah Principle
In Islamic thought, there's a concept called "Sadaqah Jariyah" (continuous charity). Actions whose rewards continue after you're gone.
The Prophet ﷺ identified three types:
- Knowledge that benefits
- Righteous children who pray for you
- Continuous charity (like building a well)
Notice what's missing? Job titles. Stock options. Board positions. Accumulated wealth.
We all know this hadith but the trap that we are stuck in is that we spend all of our time chasing promotions, wealth, influence under the guise that we will use them to achieve a "sadaqah jariyah" legacy.
What if you could build this legacy before you achieve material influence. What if, you run out of time and don't grow your startup or make it to the C-suite? Then what?
The Modern Application
What's your Sadaqah Jariyah in the business world?
Knowledge that benefits: The frameworks you develop that others use. The wisdom you document that guides future decisions. The mentorship that shapes next-generation leaders.
Righteous offspring: Not just biological children, but professional progeny. The leaders you develop who develop other leaders. The culture you create that self-replicates.
Continuous charity: The systems you build that keep serving. The problems you solve that stay solved. The opportunities you create that keep creating opportunities.
The Legacy Audit
Look at your calendar for next week. For each commitment, ask:
- Will this matter in 10 years?
- Will this continue after I'm gone?
- Will this multiply through others?
If you're spending more than 50% of your time on things that won't outlast you, you're building a resume, not a legacy.
The Fear of Insignificance
Many of us have this silent fear. The fear that none of it mattered.
That the deals, the wins, the accumulated success, it was all just motion without meaning.
This fear is valid. Most of what we obsess over truly doesn't matter.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Your Legacy Pivot
Starting tomorrow, add one legacy lens to every decision:
Before hiring: Will this person carry forward something worth continuing?
Before strategic planning: Does this strategy build something permanent or just profitable?
Before any meeting: What principle can I model that's worth replicating?
Building a legacy isn't something we put off until we have accumulated a certain amount of wealth. Building a legacy can start now, but simply living in alignment.
The Eternal ROI
The Quran states:
"Whatever is with you will be exhausted, and whatever is with Allah will remain" (16:96).
Your bank account will be exhausted. Your equity will be exhausted. Your positions will be exhausted.
But the character you build in others remains. The problems you solve for humanity remain. The principles you embed in organizations remain.
This isn't about choosing between profit and principle. It's about pursuing profit through principle, knowing that principle outlasts profit.
The Ultimate Measure
At your funeral, two conversations will happen:
One about what you had. The other about who you were.
One about what you achieved. The other about what you inspired.
One will last a few minutes. The other will last generations.
Which conversation are you preparing for?
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