Success in the Quran

 

Everyone wants to be successful. But what is true success? The criteria for success may differ from person to person, hence we need the criteria from the Creator, who truly knows what success really is. Success has been described as achieving one’s desires and attaining happiness. 

The Qur’an mentions two types of success: falah (success in this life, mainly) and fawz (ultimate success in the next life). Fawz has been described as:

Al-Fawz-ul-Adheem (triumphant success), Allah says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ‏

Indeed Allah has bought from the faithful their souls and their possessions for paradise to be theirs: they fight in the way of Allah, kill, and are killed. A promise binding upon Him in the Torah and the Evangel and the Quran. And who is truer to his promise than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made with Him, and that is the great success. (At-Tawbah:111).

In this beautiful analogy, Allah Almighty has likened those who fight in His way to those who are selling their wealth and lives, and Allah Himself is the buyer of these. The price and worth that He gives them in return is heaven.

in another verse from Surah Al-Ahzab, Allah says:

يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا

He will rectify your conduct for you and forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Apostle will certainly achieve a great success. (Al-Ahzab:71)

The key to our deliverance and success is to obey Allah and tHis Messenger  (peace be on him and his household).

Another trait to achieve al-Fawz-Atheem is by being truthful. Allah says:

قَالَ اللَّـهُ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ ۚ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ رَّضِيَ اللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

Allah will say, ‘This day truthfulness shall benefit the truthful. For them there will be gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them forever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is the great success.(Al-Ma'ida: 119)

The verse explains that Allah is not only pleased with the truthfulness of those who are honest, but also pleased with them as a whole.

Allah is only pleased with someone who has achieved the goal and purpose for which he has been created. As indicated above, the purpose of creation is to worship Allah alone. And therefore, Allah is pleased with him who is the finest example of servitude.

 Al-Fawz-ul-Mubeen (evident success),

فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فَيُدْخِلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْمُبِينُ

As for those who have faith and do righteous deeds, their Lord will admit them into His mercy. That is the manifest success. (Al-Jathiya:30)

On the Qiyamah, people are either miserable or happy. The happy are those who believed in Allah and performed good deeds and their reward is heaven. The miserable are those who disbelieved and were arrogant and sinful.The mercy mentioned here refers to Allah's kindness and whoever receives this will be prosperous and happy. One of the outcomes of this mercy is to be blessed with heaven.

The believers who do good receive this mercy and they are the ones who have achieved a manifest and clear success.

Al-Fawz-ul-Kabeer( Great Success)

  إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment. (Al-Buruj:10)

The Quran also mentioned that true success is when one delivers himself from fire

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ 

فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ

Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion. (Al-Imran:185)

The succesful according to the Quran are those who believe, migrate, and strive against one's own desire. As Allah says:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُون

Those who have believed and migrated, and waged jihad in the way of Allah with their possessions and persons have a greater rank near Allah, and it is they who are the triumphant. (at-Twbah:20)

Allah will reward the believers who are patient in this world in the face of persecution, ridicule, and the bitter words of others.

إِنِّي جَزَيْتُهُمُ الْيَوْمَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ

Indeed I have rewarded them today for their patience. They are indeed the triumphant. (Al-Mu'minoon:111)

Other verses, Allah mentinned the word Falah (Success) wich means to succeed in what is desirable and be saved from what is dreadful. The great and outstanding scholar Shaykh As-Sa'di interpreted the Saying of Allaah (which means): {They are on (true) guidance from their Lord and they are the successful.}[Quran 2:5], by saying: 'Al-Falaah means succeeding in what is desired and wished for, and be saved from what is dreadful.

وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

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. (Al-Imran:104)

Mufliḥūn (مفلحون) comes from falāḥ (فلاح) which means victory and attaining one’s goal and purpose. The truly victorious and successful are those who feel for the society and not those who are indifferent to its problems and pains.

A person cannot attain one’s goal and victory simply through individual salvation; rather, the success and growth of others is also one of the conditions of victory.

Remembering Allahs Blessings Leads to Success in the Quran

أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَن جَاءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنكُمْ لِيُنذِرَكُمْ ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِن بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمْ فِي الْخَلْقِ بَسْطَةً ۖ فَاذْكُرُوا آلَاءَ اللَّـهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

So remember Allah’s bounties so that you might succed. (Al-A'raf:69)

The secret to salvation and success is remembering Allah's blessings because this leads to love which in turn leads to obedience which results in salvation and success.

The word ālāʾ (آلاء) is more comprehensive than neʿmah (نعمة) even though both words mean blessings. However, the former includes internal and external blessings as well as material and spiritual ones.

أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O you who have faith! Be wary of Allah, and seek the means of recourse to Him, and wage jihad in His way, so that you may be felicitous. (Al-Ma'ida:35)

According to this verse, there are three ways one can attain salvation and success:

1-Piety

2-Choosing a means of closeness to God or a wasīla (وسیلة)

3-Striving in His way.

Repentance is one way that can lead to success as Allah says:

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ 

…And turn to Allah all of you, O believers! So that you may be successful. (An-Noor:31)

The word tawbah (توبة) means to turn back to God and obey His commands and stay away from what He has prohibited.

By spending wealth, seeking Allah's pleasure is another way to be among the successful:

فآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

Give the relative his due, and the needy and the traveller [as well]. That is better for those who seek Allah’s pleasure, and it is they who are the felicitous. (Ar-Rum:8)

وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ۚ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُون

[They are as well] for those who were settled in the land and [abided] in faith before them, who love those who migrate toward them, and do not find in their breasts any privation for that which is given to them, but prefer [the Immigrants] to themselves, though poverty be their own lot. And those who are saved from their own greed—it is they who are the Successful. (Al-Hashr:9)

The word shuḥ (شحّ) means stinginess accompanied by greed. According to a narration stinginess and faith cannot exist together in the heart of a Muslim.

If we want to attain success we must get rid of this trait as a stingy person will not attain salvation. According to this verse, one can get rid of it through God’s help.

The Quran also mentioned the purification of soul leads to success

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ

Felicitous is he who purifies himself. (Al-A’la:14)

The word tazakkā (تزکّی) means to seek purification. Purification here means:

-To purify oneself from the taint of material attachment that diverts and deters a person from the Hereafter

-Return to Allah and repentance is one of the things that prevents a person from sinking into materialism

-Charity in Allah’s way because this also purifies the heart from financial attachments.

These are some extract verses about success and also Allah gave detailed explanation of successful believers on the opening of Surah Al-Mu'minoon (1-11). Islam and success in the Quran show us that true success is in achieving the purpose that Allah has set down for us which is worshipping Him.