The Way to Success -- Having Correct Belief and Correct Practice

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says,

....وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ

And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow... [Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:25]

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَو‌ٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَو‌ٰةَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿٢٧٧

Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give zakah will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (277)  [Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:277]

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ ۙ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٩

Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds [that] for them there is forgiveness and great reward. (9) [Quran, Al-Ma'ida 5:9] 

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ طُوبَىٰ لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَـَٔابٍ ﴿٢٩

Those who have believed and done righteous deeds - a good state is theirs and a good return. (29)  [Quran, Ar-Ra'd 13:29]  

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala joins 'those who believe' and 'righteous deeds' numerous times in the Quran. This is to stress the importance of belief and righteous deeds for success in this life and the hereafter. The ideal situation is to have correct belief and correct practice.

The way of Islam is a balance between the outward and a balance between inward-- the balance between mind, body and soul; Islam, Imam and Ihsan;  Shari'ah, Tariqah and Haqiqah. All these different breakdowns is to help us understand our Deen but belief is at the heart of everything we do. And so no matter how many times someone says the first part of the testimony of faith (la ilha illallah) but he doesn't say the second part (Muhammadur Rasulullah) the faith is not going to be accepted. No matter how much deeds they do but they don't have correct belief, their deeds are not going to be accepted.

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱلله

lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh muḥammadur rasūlullāh

(There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God)

So the first obligation, after uttering the faith, is to correct our belief. 

From the bounty of Allah, our creed is simple and also the key whereby all knowledge that can be known by human being is to be known. By the bounty of Allah, we have transition into the modern world with our fundamental belief intact. Now we must correct and protect our belief. We need to adorn our heart with correct belief. We protect it by learning what it is we need to know as we live life so we can protect ourselves from things that can blemish the correct belief. To protect it we have to do our outward duty, which is continue to learn, and inward duty which is to direct our hearts to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

At the same time we have to recognize that we have no power nor strength except through Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah

لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله

To the degree that we realize and actualize this reality, that we are powerless, is to the extent Allah will give us the ability while we are here on earth.

May Allah guide us on the straight path and grant us the ability to worship Him with excellence, and grant us ease and success in all that we do and aspire to do and grant us success and happiness in this life and the next. 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