HAPPY LABOR DAY!

LABOR DAY is an annual holiday celebrated in the United States of America on the first Monday in September to commemorate the hard labor of those in the workforce and is basically considered a day of rest in our modern times.

Brief History of Labor Day:

The early history of Labor Day is in some dispute among scholars, but most agree that Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor was the first to propose such a celebratory holiday in May of 1882 after witnessing an annual labor festival in Canada. Oregon was the first state to recognize this holiday and started the campaign to make it a legal holiday in 1887. By 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed the law into effect to make Labor Day a national holiday six days after the Pullman Strike, which resulted in a number of deaths. Desperate to reconcile the dispute and fearing further conflict, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday. The September date was orginally chosen by the CLU (Central Labor Union) of New York to distinguish it from the May 1 International Workers' Day (a labour movement of the late 1800's in commemoration of the Haymarket Affair in Chicago). Today, the national holiday is observed in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and all US territories (that have made it a statutory holiday). 



A Biblical Aspect of Labor Day:

Such values as perseverance and diligence in our everyday labor [of work] is a characteristic often praised in the Bible. The Scriptures tell us that work is honorable, no matter what your occupation may be. It is said that hard work results in success and a satisfying life, whereas laziness never fulfills our needs.

 

"In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." - Proverbs 14:23

 

Therefore, honest toil that is done in a joyful spirit is like a prayer unto the Creator. On the other hand, work can also cause a great deal of frustration. In such a scenario the Bible can help put those bad times in perspective, as well.

 

"Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him:  because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto." - Deuteronomy 15:10

 

and

 

"And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:" - 1 Corinthians 4:12

 



Taken from: Bible Verses About Work - http://christianity.about.com/od/Bible-Verses/a/Work-Bible-Verses.htm

 

In Islam, the Qu'ran states similar verses and depicts the state of those who refuse to follow the path of success and instead choose the path of failure. Such outcomes will result in being rewarded accordingly [for it will be known who succeeded and who failed].

 

[al-Haaqqah 69:25-29]

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, decreed a good life in this world for the one who follows the path of success, He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”

 

and

 

[Shifa’ al-‘Aleel 37-38]
 

"With this thinking one can overcome every obstacle and every failure, and there is nothing that he cannot achieve; there will be no limit to his hopes and no end to his ambition and resolve.  Rather he will realize that failure is a sign of someone who is striving, because the one who strives is the one who may fail, but the one who does nothing and is lazy will neither fail nor succeed. Effort must inevitably lead to success one day, even if it is a long way off. So he should take failure as a step towards success, learning from it the causes of shortcomings, and trying to overcome them and set them straight, so that he becomes stronger than he was before, until he attains the success for which he is striving. The door of repentance which Allah, may He be exalted, has opened to those who make mistakes and fail is another incentive to overcome failures and attain success, especially if the one who falls short learns from his experience. One of the salaf said: A sin that generates humility and regret is better than an act of obedience that generates self-admiration and arrogance. Finally, with all these motives for attaining success and overcoming failure, there remains no excuse for being inactive or lazy. The way is easy and all it requires of you is some determination, will power and wisdom."

 

Taken from: Islam Question and Answer - http://islamqa.info/en/ref/85362

 

In Conclusion:

 

While Labor Day was originally organized to celebrate various labor associations' strengths and contributions to the United States economy, it was also intended to mark the end of the Summer season. Many envisioned this to be a day filled with parades, festivals, and family gatherings. Those early pioneers who tiredlessly campaigned to make this a national holiday would be happy to discover their efforts were not in vain as we [as a nation] continue to honor the labor of the working force 118 years later.