Reframing True Success

Early Morning Reflections

Surah Al-Baqarah: My Protection

ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ٣

“Who believe in the unseen establish prayer, and donate from what We have provided for them,” (2:3)

Allah explains three types of people in these Ayahs: the Muttaqin, the Munafikeen, and the Kaafireen.

• When Allah opens up His Qur’an, He breaks the preconceived notions we have of success, which are illusionary.
• Success is often thought of as external factors that bring one joy.
• Yet, in the court of Allah, the believer is successful in who they are, not what they do.
• Those who are truly successful are those who are in the guidance of their Rabb.

Success is in Taqwa, but there are qualities to this success:

Belief in the Unseen

To be of the God-fearing, one has to have ‘Iman, which is the complete certitude in Allah’s Word and His promises. Iman is the believer fulfilling Allah’s Command with the certainty that Allah will take care of them; it is total trust and belief in Him.

• The test of ‘Iman is believing in not what is evident to one’s senses, but is promised to them in the Qur’an. Barakah is an example of this, which is an unseen bounty from Allah. 
• ‘Iman is moving away from reasoning and logic, and yielding to this unseen.

Establishing Salaah

These people work hard to fix the condition of their hearts, so that their Salaah becomes a powerful spiritual connection to Allah.

Spending in the Way of Allah

It is not only spending what is obligatory; such as Zakah; but also the Sunnah and Nafl acts of spending.
One has to divorce themselves from the understanding that the money they earn is theirs. It is provided by Allah. And what they spend, they spend it in the path of Allah.
“Infaaq” (‘spending’) has to be that even when you have nothing, it is never a mindframe of being without anything.

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ٤

“And who believe in what has been revealed to you O Prophet and what was revealed before you, and have sure faith in the Hereafter.” (2:4)

A certainty of the Muttaqin is certainty in the Hereafter.
Allah describes the Hereafter many times in the Qur’an to make the believer understand there are worlds that exist after this one. This is to understand the why; the focus of one’s purpose in this world.

• To be of the Muttaqin, one has to strive to undo the concepts of success deeply rooted in culture and society.
• A focus on the now is targeted to take the believer away from their true purpose.
• The believer should dismantle these modern concepts of success, and instead focus on the true success that is Allah’s Word.