Success is something that all human beings try to reach. In this world, some people are known to be successful. Others try to become like one of those successful people. And some people, who could never become like any of the successful characters, become depressed for the rest of their miserable, hopeless life!

People keep reading books about “how to become rich”, “how to become famous”, “how to become a great manager”, etc. And they define a successful person, as a person who is wealthy, popular and famous. But there are only a few people in the millions of world population who are well-known because of their wealth, eminence, and power, great scientific or athletic achievements. So, the majority of people are experiencing an unsuccessful, unhappy life. But is that the right definition of success?

In this article, I would like to share with you my understanding of success according to Islamic teachings. I will portray a description of success, without having to be a millionaire, a champion or a celebrity.

Quran and Success for All

In the Holy Quran, the Arabic word for success “Falaah”. Falaah is translated as salvation because the person who attains success, has escaped and recovered from obstacles on the way to success. Having in mind the Quranic description of success, it is time to see what the Quran teaches us to become successful. Allah says in the Holy Quran “Certainly, the faithful have attained salvation” (23:1). And to describe one of the characteristics of those felicitous people, He says: “There has to be a nation among you summoning to the good, bidding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. It is they who are the felicitous.” (3: 104)

However, an overall conclusion of all the Quranic verses about success could be defined in this Quranic phrase: “... and be wary of Allah so that you may be felicitous. (3: 200)

Also in chapter Baqarah Allah introduces the felicitous as those “who believe in the Unseen, maintain the prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them; and who believe in what has been sent down to you (prophet) and what was sent down before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. Those follow their Lord’s guidance, and it is they who are the felicitous.” (2: 3-5)

According to what we have said so far and what we are going to discuss, it would be better to classify some of the characteristics of successful people and some suggested methods for becoming successful.

Characteristics of a Successful Person according to the Quran

In chapter Mu’menoon, Allah describes the characteristics of the successful or felicitous people as follows:

Successful People Watch out For Their Prayers

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ ﴿2﴾

“Those who are humble in their prayers.”(23:2)

 وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ  ﴿9﴾

“And are watchful of their prayers” (23: 9)

Not only in this chapter, but also in many other chapters, Allah emphasizes the on-time and humble prayer as a way to achieve success.

Apart from all the spiritual impacts of prayers on the human soul, practicing to pray on time and thus, to plan our daily routine based on our prayer time will help us have a disciplined program. Having the willpower to wake up at dawn for morning prayer is what distinguishes between successful and ordinary people.

Avoiding Vain Behavior

 وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُون   ﴿3﴾

“And avoid vain talk.” (23:3)

By having a quick look at the life of almost every successful person, we can realize that they do not spend much time on useless things. “Vain talk” as mentioned in the Quran may refer to watching TV, hanging around on the Internet, unnecessary chats with friends and acquaintances, gossiping and following the uncertain and useless news. Of course, people who have a certain goal and are trying to reach it would avoid vain talk. 

Strong and Stable Family Life

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿۵﴾ إِلَّا عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ﴿6﴾

“And guard their private parts, (except their spouses or their slave women, for then they are not blameworthy” (23: 5,6)

Since human beings find comfort in their soulmates, successful people preferably find their soulmates and shape a family instead of wasting their time flirting with the real or virtual opposite sex. Being committed to family life is another way to keep one’s life disciplined.

Honesty and Trustworthiness

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ ﴿۸﴾

“And those who keep their trusts and covenants” (23: 8)

Being honest with people in the society is an important characteristic of a successful person. But more important than that is to be honest with one’s self. To become successful, we have to be able to trust ourselves. If we make a plan between God and us, we have to fulfill it. This can be a promise to read a page of the Quran every day, or to do daily exercise, etc.

But what makes people successful is to be consistent with their covenants.

Having Trust in God and Giving Charity

In many Quranic verses giving charity is one of the main characteristics of the felicitous; those who “spend out of what We have provided for them…” (2: 4) What is the secret in giving charity? How could spending out wealth, enrich people?

In another verse of the Holy Quran, the two important habits that can bring calmness and abundance into one’s life is to be wary of Allah, and to put trust in Him:

“…Whoever is wary of Allah, He shall make for him a way out [of the adversities of the world and the Hereafter], and provide for him from whence he does not count upon. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Indeed Allah carries through His commands. Certainly, Allah has ordained a measure [and extent] for everything.” (65: 2, 3)

Popular Believers

Allah (SWT) gives us a hint of becoming popular among other people;

“Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds—the All-beneficent will endear them [to His creation].” (19: 96)

No pain, No Gain

One may say that these descriptions are all related to the afterlife. And if we keep praying all the time and stick to spirituality, we will have no improvement in this life.

But it is important to note that Allah does not say that praying, giving charity, being modest, and respecting the values and morals are the only things that we must do in our lives. Rather, Allah emphasizes the importance of hard work and effort to achieve human goals;

“nothing belongs to man except what he strives for” (53: 39)

The characteristics of the felicitous as described above, are additional characteristics. Human beings should have them alongside their hard work to fulfill their worldly mission. Some other characteristics of a real believer as described in chapter Tawbah are as follows: “[The faithful are] penitent, devout, celebrators of Allah’s praise, wayfarers, who bow [and] prostrate [in prayer], bid what is right and forbid what is wrong, and keep Allah’s bounds…” (9:112)

How to Become Successful in this World and the Hereafter?

Being successful in this world is not good enough for a human to be recognized as a good servant of God. Many successful people in the world, who are being admired by their fans, are not successful in the eyes of God.

“Say, ‘Shall we inform you who are the biggest losers in their works? Those whose efforts are misguided in the life of the world, while they suppose they are doing good.” (18: 103, 104)

It is important that which ways we choose and go through to meet our goals. Do we consider all the morals and ethics in our path to success? Or we ignore some values to meet our goal?

So, in every successful situation that we gain or are about to gain, we have to open our eyes. And see if this achieved success is true according to Islamic teachings. Or it is only true according to the capitalist viewpoint.

Self-purification

If a person tries to gain all those characteristics, he/ she starts the process of purifying him/ herself. And purifying the self makes the soul a prepared field, in which every human talent can be planted and bloomed.

“Felicitous is he who purifies himself. And celebrates the Name of his Lord, and prays.” (87: 14).

In fact, there is only one secret to become successful, powerful, popular and wealthy. And the secret is to obey the rules of Allah and to completely submit to His orders. The point is that if one can fulfill all his/ her duties towards Allah, then as a natural rule he/ she will see the result of his/ her actions: “Whoever brings virtue shall receive [a reward] better than it.” (27: 89)

In conclusion, I would like to mention this divine narration: “My servant! Obey me, and I will make you lordly. I am the lively who will never die, and I will make you lively, so you never die. I am the wealthy who will never be poor, and I will make you wealthy, so you never become poor…” [1]

References:

1. Al- Jawahir al-sunniyah, p. 709

• As many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared - from 135 million to 345 million - since 2019. A total of 49 million people in 49 countries are teetering on the edge of famine. (1)
•    More than 400,000 people die from homicide each year. (2)
•    An average of roughly 65,000 killings every year were related to organized crime and gangs over the period 2000–2017, and up to 19% of all homicides recorded globally in 2017 were related to organized crime and gangs. (3)
•   By 2030, almost half a billion people will still live on less than $1.90 per day. (4)
•   8.9 million deaths are attributed to ischemic heart disease (IHD), the world's leading cause of death, in 2019. (5)
•   The total mortality from Covid-19 is 6,642,618 people worldwide. (6)

These approximate statistics show that the world today is experiencing many problems that solving them is so difficult that they seem almost impossible to solve. People are and have always been suffering from hunger, poverty, violence, war, physical and psychological disorders or diseases, and the like.

The question is, “What does Allah Almighty do about all these?”

Evil proves that Allah doesn’t exist

Some people may ask “If Allah Almighty exists and He is omnipotent and loves his worshipers, why do people suffer while He can prevent all these problems?” 

Those believing in Allah Almighty mostly argue that the discipline in the world and the harmony between its parts prove that there is a God who has made all these. On the other hand, those who disbelieve in Allah Almighty respond that the world is full of evils, as well, and the difficulties in the world are uncountable and unbearable.

In return, the believers say that the discipline of the world is a sign of the existence of Allah Almighty whether some evils exist or not. They don’t say that to prove the existence of Allah Almighty we should prove the whole world is disciplined but there is an adequate amount of harmony in the world that proves there is a Creator.  

The Holy Quran and the Shiite Imams have answered the problem of evil in various ways.

The evils are the way to achieve the better good

We know that Allah is pure good, but He sometimes lets us suffer because through enduring these sufferings and hardships, we can achieve something better which couldn’t be possible to achieve without experiencing those difficulties. 

Sometimes, Allah tests us with hardships and difficulties, so He sees how we react and if we do well, we will be worthy enough to be rewarded by Allah. If Allah doesn’t test us, how can we show our worthiness?

The Holy Quran says,

We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure* — who, when faced with a disaster, say, “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.”* They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided. * (2:155-157)

In this regard, Imam Sadiq (AS) says,

Indeed, there is a [high] place in the heavens that no one can reach except with enduring hardships regarding their bodies. (7)

Also, Imam Ali (AS) says about the advantages of difficulties,

Remember that the tree of dry plains is the best for timber, while green twigs have soft bark, and the wild bushes are very strong for burning and slow in dying off. (8)

Now we can understand why the believers are suffering from their issues more than the disbelievers. Allah wants to give us greater rewards in the hereafter. Imam Sadiq (AS) says,
Among people, the prophets suffered the most, and after them the ones who are like them. (9)

He also says,

Believers will suffer as much as their righteous deeds. Therefore, if they have a true religion and do good deeds, they will suffer from so many difficulties. This is because of the fact that Allah hasn’t created this world as a reward for the believers and not as a punishment for the disbelievers. (10)

Our Imams, especially Imam Hussein (AS), are the best examples of what Imam Sadiq (AS) says. If you study their history, you would see that they lived in the hardest circumstances. 

What we don’t like is not necessarily evil

The Holy Quran says,

Fighting has been made obligatory upon you ˹believers˺, though you dislike it. Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know. (2:216)

Imam Sadiq (AS) says,

The ones who disgust by the hardships of this world are like the kids who disgust by the bitter medicines and get angry when it is forbidden for them to eat some delicious food (which is harmful to them). (11)

For instance, imagine someone getting fired. This would make them so sad and they would think that Allah has forgotten about them. However, when they search for a new job, Allah gives them a better job opportunity which makes them understand getting fired was actually a gift because it made them go for another job. Notice that sometimes we think some event is bad but actually is a gift. 

Difficulties remind people of Allah Almighty

Our needs are mostly the only things that make us think about God. When everything is good and we have no problems in our lives and everything is just as we want, most of us forget about Allah and that He is the one who has given us all these gifts.

The Holy Quran says,

Indeed, man becomes rebellious * when he considers himself without need. (96:6 - 7)
It also says,

And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.* And when they board a ship, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion [i.e., faith and hope]. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him.* So that they will deny what We have granted them, and they will enjoy themselves.

But they are going to know.(29:64-66)

Allah almighty clarifies why he sometimes let people suffer,

We will certainly make them taste some of the minor torment ˹in this life˺ before the major torment ˹of the Hereafter˺, so perhaps they will return ˹to the Right Path˺. (32:21)

It means that Allah punishes us in this world because of forgetting about Him and committing sins and by this punishment, He tries to make us understand that we should stop and repent. This way Allah protects us from the greater punishment of the hereafter. 

The existence of evil is because of the humans

Every evil in this world is not always because of the will of Allah but it is sometimes the consequence of humans’ deeds. The Holy Quran says,

Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea as a result of people's actions, so He will make them taste [the consequences of] some of their actions so that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].  (30:41)

Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much. (42:30)

Allah gave humans free will and would not force us to do or not to do anything. Therefore, humans must face the result of their actions. 

Take World War I and II as examples. Many people were killed and butchered by soldiers of the opposite party. Were these wars by the will or order of Allah? If one refuses to study and work hard while young, he/she will have to work hard and suffer from poverty in the future. It is the consequence of his/her deeds not the will of Allah.  

Resources 

1. https://www.wfp.org/global-hunger-crisis 
2.  https://ourworldindata.org/homicides#in-some-countries-homicide-is-one-of-the-leading-causes-of-death 
3.  https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/murder-rate-by-country 
4.  https://worlddata.io/portfolio/world-poverty-clock 
5.   https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates 
6.  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 
7.  Vasa’il ash-Shia, Sheikh Hurr al-Ameli, vol.3, pg.261
8.  Nahjul Balagha, Letter 45
9. Vasa’il ash-Shia, Sheikh Hurr al-Ameli, vol.3, pg.261
10.   The same
11.   Tohid, Mufazzal ibn Umar, pg.168