Wasabih, Why This Name?

…We have made you [believers] an upright community…

For those who are just discovering, Wasabih is an online Community for professionals and organisations in the global Halal Economy.

As a muslim, I always believe that in life, in any relationship, any business, one should follow the principle of equilibrium, fairness, balance, sustainability and never go to an extreme.

Islamic religion, like other beliefs, teaches about the importance of being fair, “just”, “median”.

I got inspired by a well-known verse in the Qur’an that states the following:

And so We have made you [believers] an upright community so that you may be witnesses over humanity and that the Messenger may be a witness over you.

1. i.e., moderate, balanced, and outstanding.

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran (translation)

The word “Wasatan” here is translated as “upright”, as in moderate and balanced. That is where the WASA of Wasabih got its essence. We aim to create a business community where relationships are balanced, where people can make business in respect to ethical and universal teachings of Islam that are accepted and followed by muslims and non-muslims who hold an interest in doing business in the Halal Economy.

One important aspect of the verse above mentions about “ummatan” (a community), yes, Wasabih is a Community.

Now, what are the letters “BIH“? It is straightforward, Business, Islam, Halal. The purpose of Wasabih is to do business with Islamic universal values, focusing on the Halal Economy.

Why does it sound like the Japanese’ “Wasabi”?

That was the other part of the intended outcome, I wanted the name to sound easy to remember but also exotic to “Arab” language to remind that Islam is not only for Arab people and goes far beyond, in this case, goes up to the far East, Japan. It is well-known that some of the most prominent muslim scholars and inventors were not Arabs (i.e. Al Bukhâri, Umar Khayyâm). Islam is universal and open to anyone who seeks to find a path to his/her Lord. Muslims also have been true business people, traveling around the world, this is how many people build strong relationships with them and some even decided to join Islam after they dealt with muslim business travellers (i.e. Indonesia). Back in Japan, “Wasabi”, refers to one of the most well-known condiments served with Japanese cooking, most commonly served with sushi. I learnt to like Sushi and Japanese ancient culture.