In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
If you believe success is simply making (or having) a lot of money, you may be setting yourself up for failure. The whole world and its comforts which we term signs of “success” were created as mere tools for pursuing true success. The only one who has a right to define true success is Allah, our Creator.
وَٱلْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْحَقُّ ۚ فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٨[Quran, Al-'Araf 7:8]
And the weighing [of deeds] that Day will be the truth. So those whose scales are heavy – it is they who will be the successful.
Then Why All These Comforts?
If following the guidance of Allah is the only way to success, and if success is in the Hereafter, why then did Allah put in us this drive to earn worldly luxuries, to achieve worldly success? We do love to wear beautiful clothes and to live in big comfortable houses with our beloved ones. We love to eat exotic food at posh restaurants. And all this is natural – it’s part of our humanness. We learn from the Sunnah that it’s alright to wear good clothes:
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “He who has, in his heart, an ant’s weight of arrogance will not enter Jannah.” Someone said: “A man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?” Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty. Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people.” [Muslim]
Enjoy the Blessings
We learn from the Quran that it’s perfectly fine to eat good and tasty food. When the People of the Cave woke up from their 300-year-long sleep, they said:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَـٰهُمْ لِيَتَسَآءَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَآئِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۚ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَٱبْعَثُوٓا۟ أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَآ أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿١٩[Quran, Al-Kahf 18:19]
And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you. (19)
But Don't Become Lazy
In times when the Muslims were in hardship--when they were living in poverty and being attacked, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) predicted to the Companions that in the future Allah will sprout forth blessings of the land, that they would gain great wealth, and this was what he feared for them the most--WEALTH.
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al−Khudri, Allah be pleased with him: Once the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, sat on a pulpit and we sat around him. Then he said,
"The things I am afraid of most for your sake (concerning what will befall you after me) is the pleasures and splendors of the world and its beauties which will be disclosed to you." Somebody said, "O Allah's Apostle! Can the good bring forth evil?" The Prophet remained silent for a while. It was said to that person, "What is wrong with you? You are talking to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he is not talking to you." Then we noticed that he was being inspired divinely. Then the Prophet wiped off his sweat and said, "Where is the questioner?" It seemed as if the Prophet liked his question. Then he said, "Good never brings forth evil. Indeed it is like what grows on the banks of a water−stream which either kill or make the animals sick, except if an animal eats its fill the Khadira (a kind of vegetable) and then faces the sun, and then defecates and urinates and grazes again. No doubt this wealth is sweet and green. Blessed is the wealth of a Muslim from which he gives to the poor, the orphans and to needy travelers. (Or the Prophet said something similar to it) No doubt, whoever takes it illegally will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied, and his wealth will be a witness against him on the Day of Resurrection."
[Bukhari]
The concerns of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) came true in Andalus, Muslim Spain. The great Muslim empire began here. Muslims came in Andalus, prospered and became lazy and fat. So they lose everything. When there is no sense of self sacrifice and well wishing for others everybody fight to take their piece and self destruct. We have become a nation of buying and hoarding stuff.
Remember...
ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا ﴿٤٦[Quran, Al-Kahf 18:46]
Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope. (46)
Comfort is the Road to Success— Not Success Itself
On a different note, Allah has put a special mercy in the hearts of our parents, which makes them give their children the best food while they themselves happily go hungry. They install in their child’s room an air conditioner, while they sleep in the heat. They give their children every comfort they can afford, according to their means, so that they can study well and achieve worldly success.
Now imagine what the parents would feel if their child became so comfortable with these luxuries that he doesn’t feel like studying anymore. He uses the computer to play games or surfing the internet aimlessly or wasting his time on social media. He watches movies all day while enjoying his air conditioner and cool drinks from his refrigerator, thinking that if this comfort will last forever, why study?
In fact, what he has done is what you and I do every day– he imagines that the tools to success are success in themselves.
The Ultimate Success
Allah has given us comfort on this earth so that we can have the time and energy to do our real work– obeying Allah and His Messenger and establishing tawheed (Oneness of God) on this earth. We imagine that all this comfort will last forever, and thus we forget our ultimate goal– success in the Hereafter.
How to achieve success in the Hereafter? Allah gives us the formula, in Surah al-Baqarah, when He introduces us to the Quran:
الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٣﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٥
Alif, Lam, Meem. (1) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2) Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, (3) And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. (4) Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful. (5) [Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:2-5]
May Allah grant us true success and tawfiq (success) to the highest station. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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