For those who are just discovering, Wasabih is an online community for professionals and organisations in the global Halal economy.
As a Muslim, I have always believed that in life, in any relationship, any business, one should follow the principle of equilibrium, fairness, balance, sustainability, and never go to an extreme. Islam, like other traditions, teaches the importance of being just, fair and median.
The name was inspired by a well-known verse in the Qur’an:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا
“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.”
Wasaṭan is translated as “upright”: moderate, balanced, outstanding.
Breaking down the name
Two roots, one community
WASA
From Wasaṭan (وَسَطًا): balanced, just, median. A community where relationships are balanced and business is conducted with respect for ethical and universal values.
BIH
Business · Islam · Halal: doing business with Islamic universal values, focused on the Halal economy.
And of course, ummatan: a community. Wasabih is, above all, a community.
Why does it sound like the Japanese “Wasabi”?
That was intentional. The name should be easy to remember, yet a little exotic to the Arab ear: a reminder that Islam is universal, far beyond the Arab world, reaching as far East as Japan. Some of the most prominent Muslim scholars and inventors were not Arabs (Al-Bukhārī, Umar Khayyām).
Muslims have always been travellers and traders, building bridges across the world. That is how entire regions, like Indonesia, came to embrace Islam through trusted business encounters. And in Japan, “Wasabi” is one of the most iconic condiments served with sushi, a small detail of a culture I have come to admire.
One morning…
Until then, I had been sharing the idea pronounced like “wasabi”, without the “h”, to keep it sounding Japanese. Then one morning, still searching for a name that would truly resonate with worldwide professionals of the Halal economy, my mind landed on the Arabic expression:
وَسَبِّحْ
Wa sabbiḥ
“And glorify [Him]” · “And exalt [Him with praise]”
This powerful expression appears in many verses of the Qur’an, calling believers to glorify their Lord. That was it. The name was found.
Occurrences in the Holy Qur’an
Where وَسَبِّحْ appears
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةًۭ ۖ قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَـٰثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًۭا ۗ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ كَثِيرًۭا وَسَبِّحْ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِبْكَـٰرِ
“He said, ‘My Lord, make for me a sign.’ He said, ‘Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt [Him with praise] in the evening and the morning.’”
Surah Āl-ʿImrān 3 : 41 · Saheeh International
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱلْحَىِّ ٱلَّذِى لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِۦ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِۦ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًا
“And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt [Allah] with His praise. And sufficient is He to be, with the sins of His servants, [fully] Aware.”
Surah Al-Furqān 25 : 58 · Saheeh International
فَٱصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّۭ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنۢبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِبْكَـٰرِ
“So be patient, [O Muḥammad]. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.”
Surah Ghāfir 40 : 55 · Saheeh International
فَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ ٱلْغُرُوبِ
“So be patient, [O Muḥammad], over what they say and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting.”
Surah Qāf 50 : 39 · Saheeh International
وَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا ۖ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ
“And be patient, [O Muḥammad], for the decision of your Lord, for indeed, you are in Our eyes [i.e., sight]. And exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord when you arise.”
Surah Aṭ-Ṭūr 52 : 48 · Saheeh International
But wait, is Wasabih only for Muslims?
No.
Wasabih is a professional community platform for all individuals with an interest in the Halal economy, a multi-trillion-dollar industry. At the world’s largest Halal trade show in Malaysia, around 80% of exhibiting companies are non-Muslim. And that is logical: the Halal industry is an industry like any other, with its own defining rules, and as long as those rules are met, it is an open and growing market.
Wasabih is not an “Islamic” community. It is a community for professionals, regardless of belief, who help each other succeed within shared, respectful rules.
Author
Mamadou Ndiaye
Founder of Wasabih
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