By: Tamim Abu Daqqa

In the late 1990s, I was working within a consortium of two engineering companies—one of the largest engineering firms in Jordan and the other a globally renowned American corporation. These collaborations typically handled major water engineering projects, usually supported by USAID.

This consortium included Jordanian engineers alongside senior experts and engineers, mostly from the United States. The project manager was a British engineer named Robert, who came from the UK branch of the American firm. I was responsible for a specific section of the project, managing a team of junior engineers.

Frankly, I didn’t find Robert particularly outstanding or brilliant in engineering to justify his managerial role. Later, I realized that American companies often appoint British or Irish managers not due to competence, but because they’re more cost-effective than Americans. Robert seemed to operate with a strange mindset, perhaps a remnant of British colonial mentality. He appeared intent on sowing division within the team, ensuring no one developed loyalty to any superior. He would incite my engineers—both men and women—against me, aiming to embarrass me, and put me in trouble, particularly during deliverables. He made them feel like he was on their side, validated their complaints, and even added his own criticisms. This emboldened them and increased their defiance. Simply put, he wasn’t focused on productivity or fostering a healthy work environment—he just wanted to maintain control, believing he was pulling all the strings.

I was well aware of these actions, and so were the rest of the staff. Yet, I didn’t confront him, not even in private meetings. Some even thought I was oblivious to the schemes. One day, a concerned female engineer approached me (I later became close friends with her family, and she eventually became an Ahmadi Muslim). She warned me: “Be careful. Everyone sees how they’re conspiring against you with Robert and feels sorry for you.” I replied, “I know. But I place my trust in Allah and leave the matter to Him. I’m confident He will support me because of my trust in Him. And I quoted: ‘Indeed, whoever fears Allah and is patient – then indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.’ “

“What’s the worst that can happen?” I continued. “That I lose my job? My provision is in Allah’s hands—He is the best of providers. I always see such schemes as opportunities to earn divine support, provided I act in a way that pleases Him. In times like these, I delegate my affairs to Allah, Who is the Best of Planners. If I try to handle it myself, I might win once and lose the next. But if I remain patient, then surely the outcome is for the righteous.”

Soon after, I received a job offer from another American company—better conditions, double the salary. I praised Allah, accepted the offer, and submitted my resignation, planning to serve the one-month notice period as per labor law. When the resignation reached Robert, he panicked. I managed a critical section, and it wouldn’t be easy to replace me without a proper handover or training period.

I was at the printing office collecting design prints when Robert spotted me behind the glass, waving the resignation letter. “What’s this?” he asked. I replied calmly, “I’ll come to your office after I’m done here.”

When I visited him, he asked, “What’s the problem?”
I said, “I’ve received a better offer, and honestly, I wasn’t comfortable with the work environment.”
He pressed, “Why?”
I replied, “Because, unfortunately, you contributed most to making it uncomfortable. Instead of facilitating my work and encouraging the engineers to cooperate, you listened to their complaints, sided with them, which put me under pressure as their supervisor. It seems your management style follows the ‘divide and rule’ policy, which you believe brought Britain its former glory.”

He responded, “I listened to them only because I didn’t want them taking their complaints to the Americans—they’re emotional and easily swayed.”
I replied, “There was a better approach: just instruct them to cooperate. That would’ve been best for all. Instead, you spoiled them.”
He said, “I know they’re manipulative. I didn’t believe their words, but I feared if I didn’t listen, others would. Still, if you want, I can fire any of them now!”

I answered, “No, I don’t want anyone fired.”
Then he said, “You always told me that Earth turns (meaning that we may meet again and need to work together somehow). So, I hope you’ll reconsider your resignation. We can fix things.”
I replied, “I’m heading to Aqaba (A port city 350kms from Amman the Capital) tomorrow for a week for our project. When I return, we can talk. But remember, my new offer is double the salary, and I’ve been asking for a raise for months without results. Maybe we can reach a solution after I’m back. Let’s pause here.”

When I returned from Aqaba, I found a letter on my desk from the finance and admin department. It thanked me for my service, confirmed acceptance of my resignation, and invited me to settle my dues once the notice period ended. I thought to myself, “So, he made his decision. That’s fine—I won’t be late for my new job.” I didn’t follow up with Robert and continued my remaining three weeks as planned.

A few days later, Robert’s secretary entered my office. Her face showed signs of emotion and tension. She politely asked to close the door. I agreed.

I had barely spoken to her before—just brief greetings. Honestly, I even felt shy around her; she was elegant and beautiful, and not particularly conservative in dress, but she wasn’t vulgar either. She was a competent, professional executive assistant.

She began: “First, I want you to know that I value integrity. I’ve worked in many companies and never breached confidentiality. But I’ll be resigning soon, so this won’t be a breach. I need to tell you something.”

I appreciated her ethical foresight—how she anticipated that I wouldn’t want her to betray her position, even if it benefited me.

She continued: “A few days ago, I was with Robert, as I usually read Arabic documents to him. I told him this was a letter from HR confirming your resignation. As soon as I said it, he exploded with rage, grabbed the letter, and rushed to the department. He stayed there for a while and came back visibly upset.”

I asked, “What happened?”

She explained: “He had forwarded your resignation to HR with a note saying ‘FYI’. They interpreted it as acceptance and issued the confirmation letter. He stormed in to argue, claiming he hadn’t accepted it.”

I said, “Glory be to God! How He made Robert write with his own hand what protected me and preserved my rights—foil to his scheming.”

She added, “Robert is cunning—perhaps the most cunning manager I’ve worked with. We all saw how they conspired against you and felt sorry. But it seems God has taken revenge on your behalf.”

I thanked her and asked, “So, what will you do next?”
She replied, “I’m done with this kind of job. I’m resigning to stay home.” Then she quoted: ‘And stay in your homes.’ (Quran 33:33)
“I don’t need this life or this kind of work.”

I thanked Allah for the entire episode—how He fulfilled His promise and granted me victory in His own extraordinary way because I placed my trust in Him. I was even more grateful that this woman—whom I had never lectured—believed so deeply in professional integrity, enough to resign before revealing to me the incident. And I praised God that she independently came to believe that a woman’s true dignity can be in her home—not that women shouldn’t work, but that work shouldn’t come at the expense of family or moral values. True success for a woman isn’t necessarily in her career advancement, but in being a loving wife and nurturing mother—creating a home filled with love and peace.

A few days later, she indeed left her job before I did. I haven’t seen her since and don’t know where she is now, but I pray that she found peace and dignity in her home, won Allah’s pleasure, and lives a calm, fulfilling life.