What does the word success mean to you? According to Oxford Dictionaries (2013), success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. While in archaic term, success is the good or bad outcome of an undertaking. As we can see, people nowadays are prone to misunderstanding of the actual meaning of success. Most of them when asked, will simply answer that success is the precious time when they manage to conquer the prosperity of this world. Either the success in their studies, or career, in form of wealth!
It is undeniable that everyone in this miraculous world wants to succeed. Nevertheless, as Muslims, we should understand the actual meaning of ’success’ in Islam. Islam treats the term of ’success’ in a much deeper and vast meaning than simply attaining something as temporary as wealth, fame or position. Instead, Islam treats these as distributions of the bounty of the Allah S.W.T The Most Merciful to any amongst his servants His slaves He pleases, NOT a barometer of success.
What is the life of this world but play and amusement? But best is the home in the hereafter, for those who are righteous. Will ye not then understand?
[Al-An’am, 6:32]
In Islam, we have to strike a ’boom’ in both the world and hereafter. Achieving the prosperity in the academic or corporate world does not mean that we can be delinquent in our duties to attain His maghfirah and mardhatillah. Certainly, the journey to reach our finishing line is a hard-fought battle. Attaining His pleasure is not a simple task. We have to be obedient to Him, and the most important thing, be sincere to Allah.
Sometimes, though we have reached the ‘high’ in achieving our goals, we still feel that we are unsatisfied, and not in peace. We feel like our life is desolated. Why? Reflect back to our intention in life. For what reason do we live for? Why do we struggle in this counterfeit world? For whom? Is it true that we live for Allah?
Let us perceive this verse :
"I have only created
jinns and men,
that they may serve Me."
[Az-Zariyat, 51:56 ]
that they may serve Me."
[Az-Zariyat, 51:56 ]
