Jannah, our ultimate abode, has been described in various places in the Qur’an; its pleasure, inhabitants and mind-blowing landscapes. A great number of verses in the Qur’an and ahadith illustrate that Jannah is entitled to those who are successful. Brothers and sisters, every time you read the verses and ahadith which depict the reward for those who are successful, don’t you get that burning desire to be amongst them? To be with those whom Allah 
is pleased with? This hadith describes the traits of successful people, traits which we should strive to attain daily:
‘Amr b. al-‘As reported Allah’s Messenger 
as saying:
“He Is successful who has accepted Islam, who has been provided with sufficient for his want and been made contented by Allah with what He has given him.” 1
It is a great misconception of our time that people pair success with the number of materialistic goods a person has. Success is not about accumulating products that will never give fulfillment or satisfaction; rather it is a combination of a few characteristics which instill happiness and contentment from within.
Success is not about accumulating products that will never give fulfillment or satisfaction; rather it is a combination of a few characteristics which instill happiness and contentment from within.
1. The Gift of Islam:
It doesn’t matter if one has gained worldly wealth or is known for superior knowledge and expertise because in the sight of Allah , this is not success. Embracing Islam raises a person’s status and allows them to be successful. Therefore, we should strive to be good Muslims and not just Muslims by name in order to please Allah so we could enter Paradise, in sha Allah.
2. Sufficient Provision:
It is not about having valleys of gold or mountains of estates as these are but worldly pleasures; it is about having enough to sustain life. The word ‘sufficient’ suggests adequate or enough provision, that which will enable us to carry on with our daily tasks without any difficulty. But why is this so important, you may ask. It is because having more than what’s necessary can lead to distraction and diversion from our main objective which is to reach Jannatul Firdous.
It is not about having valleys of gold or mountains of estates as these are but worldly pleasures; it is about having enough to sustain life.
Our smartphones, x-boxes and surplus money cause us to be indulged in this life and they intensify our love for it, hence, we forget that we need to be working for our akhira (hereafter). Our precious time should not be dedicated to such trivial, useless matters; rather we should manage our time wisely so that we may gain as great of a reward as is possible! Sufficient provision allows us to focus on our main goal without distractions, as that would be our means to success. This dunya should not hold us back from progressing to Jannah.
This dunya should not hold us back from progressing to Jannah.
Prophet Mohammed used to ask Allah for sufficient provision because he knew that having a surplus is of no benefit, thus, we should follow his example in that:
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger
3. Contentment
Regardless of how much a person owns, they will never attain happiness and true peace of mind until they are content with what Allah has decreed for them. This is because we are unfortunately living in a world where the majority of people are only concerned about accumulating wealth and property, to the extent that others start feeling self-conscious about their own position, and the never-ending comparison and competition leads to one never being satisfied. This is an *incorrect* approach to success. Our objective in this life is not to acquire more than others, rather it is to please Allah .
Our objective in this life is not to acquire more than others, rather it is to please Allah .
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah
This is also linked to the attitude of gratitude. We have to appreciate everything that Allah wills for us to happen will happen, and we have to thank Him for both the blessings and tribulations as they are all a test from Him . They strengthen our faith and we will eventually be rewarded in the hereafter. This is the true formula for contentment; to accept and appreciate Allah’s bounties upon us.
Allah says:
“And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor of Allah , you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.” 5
Are these reminders not enough to warn us and wake us up from our heedlessness?
Tip:
- In the matters of this life, always look below you (those who have less) and you will be more grateful and content
- In the matters of the akhira (hereafter), always look above you (those who have worked harder than you) so that you will strive harder to attain Allah’s pleasure.
After reading and understanding this hadith, it becomes obligatory upon us to implement its teachings in our lives. Become a true Muslim, have sufficient provision and be content with what Allah has blessed you with because it is definitely for the best.
May Allah instill contentment within our hearts and make us successful in both worlds. Ameen
Reference/Further watching:
- How to be successful in life- Sheikh Assim Al Hakeem-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOQtMrqOQjQ
- Sahih Muslim http://sunnah.com/muslim/12/163 ↩
- Sahih Muslim http://sunnah.com/muslim/12/164 ↩
- Surat At-Takāthur, 102:1 ↩
- Jami` at-Tirmidhi http://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/36/70 ↩
- Surat ‘Ibrāhīm, 14:34 ↩
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3 replies on “Who Are The Successful?”
Allahamdulilah,
continue in future also
Best of luck
May Allah Bless us all
Ameen.
May Allah reward you sister! I found the article very much educative May Allah guide us to the right path!
I have to seek advice, you know every body have some dreams especially people like me teenagers, but sometimes I feel I have to stop dreaming because all my plans are ending up in a direction different from the one I am aiming at! So I feel may be it will be better for me to stop dreaming and leave everything for Allah to decide. I really want to be successful but in which way? I don’t know.
Ameen.
Akhi do not stop dreaming and making plans. Rather, dream and plan but always keep in mind that: “You plan, I plan, but Allah is the best of planners.” This means that if things do not go the way you want them to, then no doubt, it is for the best. Allah knows what is best for each and every one of us. We may be upset when things don’t work out the way we want them to but this is life and Allah gradually directs us to what is best for us because He knows while we don’t know. We may think that something is good for us but we are only human beings and we cannot see what will happen in the future. Maybe what we want will cause us problems hence Allah protects us from that by giving us what is best for us, we must always believe in that; wholeheartedly. Allah subhanahu-wa-ta’ala says:
“…But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.”
He also says:
“…perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.”
Success comes from pleasing Allah the All-Mighty. Make that the utmost priority in your life: depend on Him, worship Him, read the Qur’an with understanding, do things for His sake, strive and struggle to please Him.. that is the way forward in sha Allah.
What I have mentioned in this article is only one hadith, but there are many others as well as verses from the Qur’an which address success as well.
I hope I have been able to somehow answer your questions.
May Allah make easy all your affairs, Ameen.
1.(Surat Al-Baqarah; 2:216)
2.(Surat An-Nisā’; 4:19)