Are certain professions prefered by Allah?

Question

If the main purpose of life is to worship Allah why should you choose a secular profession like being a lawyer.

Why shouldn't you become a nurse, doctor, biologist, a teacher or an Imam instead? Those are all professions where you can directly execute the tasks Allah loves and you even paid get for it.

As a nurse you take care of sick or elderly people and as a doctor you cure sick people. What could there be anything better you could do for your deen? As a biologist you learn about the creation of Allah. As a teacher you teach people which is highly respected in Islam.

Answer 1

Allah ordered Muslims to work and earn a living to gain their provisions. A man has the right to work in all fields including agriculture, industry, trade, medicine, or teaching, to obtain his provisions and gain lawful property. No one has the right to prevent him from doing so.

There is no problem with your job unless you gain halal income. And also you have to care that all your halal money is not yours according to this verse 107:1-3

“Have you considered him who belies religion? Such is the one who treats the orphans with harshness, and does not urge (others) to feed the needy.”

Answer 2

If you mean there are preferred professions yes there are, but why do you think being a lawyer is a secular profession?

You are true only if you are living in a country with secular politic but where I live, Iran, our laws are obtained from Islam so a lawyer is one who defend the Islamic rights of people. Yes, every lawyer can abuse the shortcomings in laws (even though the laws are extracted by the scholars from the religion but the set is not always perfect in practice and has gaps) but being lawyer by itself isn't a secular profession. To me many jobs like being actor (though not for worthwhile movies and theaters), being professional sportman or woman, joker, many of those who build computer games and etc. have more secular professions, mainly when Allah says His creation is not for playing and wasting time but people usually treat the life of Dunya (world) as it is ...

Anyway, all return back to intention of the person that get a job, he may become a joker to help orphans less suffer from their heartbreaking pains, and things like that, then they will be granted blessing by Allah for their intention. On the other hand, one may become a biologist to get fame and misguide a whole group of educated people for centuries and announce funny things like the Evolution Theory. Will he be granted with blessing from Allah? I guess not. Those teachers or Imams that they are themselves misguided will be worst in punishment at the Day than many others:

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ‌ ...

And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire ... [Al-Qasas, 41]

Answer 3

When God created first human (Adam) and his woman then God chose garden of Eden to be the place where humans were supposed to live forever. God didn't ask them to work there for a living but Garden of Eden provided a habitat with all of its natural food. But then after humans disobeyed God then there was a threat to peace and harmony of the garden of Eden. Humans had to descend on earth and prove that they can live in the garden of Eden in peace. To check humans God created the earth like a paradise, full of nature, with different living beings living in it (just like Garden Of Eden).

God says in the Quran:

[30:30] "No change in creation of God, that is the correct religion but most people do not know"

[6:38] "And there is no creature on the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered."

[67:2] "He (God) created death and life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds."

6:165 "And He it is Who has made you vicegerent in the land and raised some of you above others by (various) grades, that He might try you by what He has given you; surely your Lord is quick to requite (evil), and He is most surely the Forgiving, the Merciful."

4:117-120 [For] they call upon instead of Him none but female [gods], and they [actually] call upon none but a rebellious Satan, whom God has cursed. For he had said, "I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion. And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of God." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of God has certainly sustained a clear loss. Satan promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion.

As many humans have followed satan and corrupted God's creation then I think the best work to do would be to restore God's created natural earth and as a vicegerent or representative of God on earth, our work is to make sure everything stays right. Stop transgressors who destroy and inflict sufferings on God's creation. For example working against hatred and wars between humans, deforestation, animal testings in labs, genetically modifying living organisms etc. Working for a world where life is balanced with peace and harmony and a place where all living beings have right to live in their habitat is what I mean. Those who will prove themselves in this temporary word meant for a test, I think they deserve to live in the garden of Eden which is full of peace and harmony and people who seek corruption have no place in that garden.