Values — Bashir LuCas Samson Lukman

I went through my bio written by a platform I’ll be speaking on — “Making Ethical Decisions” — during their Summer Camp, and my eyes caught where it says:

“Lukman builds ethical, secure, and impactful digital solutions guided by ISLAMIC VALUES.”

That line took me back to something that happened a few months ago.

A friend and brother contacted me for a job. As a cybersecurity expert, he had been contracted to protect the digital assets of a client, which involved stopping an ex-employee from publishing blackmail content about the client on social media platforms. I was to work on the social media part of it for $1,400 or so. I quickly set up a small team for that purpose.

It became concerning when the client not only wanted to “protect his digital assets” but also flag — and if possible, close — the adversary’s account. While I nursed that thought, my friend who brought me on the job raised a critical point:

What if this client is actually the oppressor and has employed us to bully and silence the victim?

Given my background in investigative journalism, I used the data supplied by my friend and spoke to different individuals across the USA, Mexico, and Colombia. In my report to him, it was evident the client’s hands were not clean.

This same friend had, at one time, furiously resigned from a 7-figure (naira) paying job at the crypto company Patricia when their scam became obvious. He told me:

“Lucas, we cannot continue with this.”

He immediately submitted a report citing why we could not proceed with the project. Prior to that, I had already informed my team to pause until I concluded my investigations.

After some weeks, he was eventually paid $700 for the hours spent on the investigation. Upon informing me, I told him not to bother about my pay. He declined and insisted on giving me 70% of the amount, which he did — and I used it to pay the team for their efforts.

Oftentimes, Muslims and non-Muslims alike who live by some values run into this kind of moral dilemma. It is important to state that those values are still noble.

I would like to end on this note:

I, my friend, and the team are satisfied with whatever we got at the end. It is the will to perform the good act that matters — not the reward that may follow. This is important because there are those who do good and do not find satisfaction until Allah replaces what they ‘lost’ with something better.

A good heart finds satisfaction in the exercise of good, not necessarily in the reward that follows.

— Bashir LuCas Samson Lukman