Why Seek Success?
These days with so many distractions around us — laziness, heedlessness and wasting
of time are traps that we as humans beings are easily guilty of falling into. These
elements of unproductivity should be dealt with seriousness given the deep
consequences they can provoke in the long term. Our lives have not been created
to be wasted. Every moment counts. As Muslims, we need to devote our lives to
seek real success while avoiding sins and the traps of unproductivity as much
as possible. The life of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon) was
filled with initiatives and we should strive to do the same. Not only is
seeking success critical at an individual level, but important for the Ummah to
grow and flourish. One day we will be
standing before our Lord, held accountable for our deeds and how we spent our
lives. The present world is a fertile soil for us and a means to cultivate fruits
of success. We need to understand how to take care of this fertile soil before
it is too late.
What is Success?
To be able to understand
real success , it is imperative for us to understand the purpose of our
existence. It is clear that mankind has been
created with the purpose of worshipping Allah alone.
“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and
mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]
We are asked to believe in Allah, to submit to Him, to love
Him and to obey His Commands. The Straight Path defined by our Lord is the only
path that will nurture the fruits of success in both this world and in the
Hereafter.
“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)”
[al-Nahl 16:97]
“But those who believe, love
Allaah more (than anything else)”
[al-Baqarah 2:165]
'Success' does not lie alone in the path towards material
resources nor does it lie alone in commonly pursued desires such as honor and
prestige. Allah swt tells us that true and eternal success can be obtained by loving
Allah more than anything else and by following His Straight Path through
righteous deeds which He has prescribed for us clearly in the Quran and the
Sunnah. Righteous deeds are those acts of obedience that have been enjoined on
us and should be done purely for the sake of Allah swt. They are either
obligations or commendable actions outlined in the Quran and the Sunnah.
Hence our ultimate goal should be to believe in Allah and
His Oneness, to love Him more than anything else and to worship Him alone with
humility whereas our daily actions should originate from this belief. Our faith
should not be something that is detached from our realities or something that
vanishes once we finish our salah or leave the masjid. Rather it should be incorporated
fully into our lives. We need to develop the understanding and knowledge that will
enable us to see how each action in our lives can bring us closer to Allah. Through
such alignment, we will begin to perceive the value of each deed based on how it
draws us closer to Allah. Such an alignment can give us the ability to realize
our full potential and to be productive no matter what the circumstances. Building
our identity around the love for Allah can give rise to motivation and actions
that are righteous and pleasing to Allah —
hence setting the grounds for true success.
To elaborate on this, let's look at a brief example. Suppose
someone goes to work every morning but experiences tiredness and laziness with little
motivation. Instead of maintaining such an approach, that person should immediately
think of how that very action can bring him/her closer to Allah. There are many
ways to look at this particular situation. Perhaps that person should try to be
more patient for Allah's sake even when things get difficult and stressful. He/she
could also develop an intention to spend their salary on their family and
others who are in need as an act of charity. Furthermore, as an employee, that
individual is entrusted with the employer to do their job right and to get things
done. Given the mutual agreement, that person should fear Allah and maintain the
trust with the employer. They should be honest and committed in their work and
remember the following hadith - Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Allaah loves, when one of you does a thing, that he should do it well.”[1]
Thus
we should try our best to seek the reward from Allah swt through our
daily activities as much as possible. Endeavouring to adapt such a mindset can
open doors to real accomplishments, productivity and eternal success. Choosing
our actions according to what pleases Allah can give us the ability to grasp
the essence of life and discover inner peace. It can allow us to taste the
sweetness of faith and worship while adhering to the remembrance of Our Creator.
Allah says (intepretation of the meaning):
Say:
"Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are
(all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds
[Al- Anaam 6:162]
May Allah make us amongst those
who are successful in this world and in the Hereafter.
References
Islam QA
Lecture Series 'Faith Based
Intelligence' by Sheikh Moutasem Al-Hameedy
"Enjoining Right &
Forbidding Wrong" by Ibn Taymiyya
[1]
Narrated by Abu Ya’la (7/349) and classed as hasan by
al-Albaani on the basis of corroborating evidence in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah
(1113)
