By: Dr. Md. Wasay Zafar
Abstract
Each
and every individual wants to become successful in his life. Nobody wants to be
a failure. We all have set certain goals to achieve and we are all striving for
it. We believe that by achieving the set goals we will attain success. In fact the
desire for success is the key factor behind all human endeavors. But the
fundamental question which requires to be answered in this concern is; “What
makes a man successful?” People differ considerably over the answer of this
question. The persons having idealistic frame of mind have quite different
concept about the “success” in comparison to the persons enjoying materialistic
philosophies. In fact, the approach with which man views the ‘success’ depends extensively
on his philosophy of life which in turn exercises profound impacts on
his philosophy of education. The Holy Qur’an claims itself to be the
divine and comprehensive source of guidance for the humanity. Islamic scholars
are of the view that it offers a complete philosophy of life as well as the
philosophy of education. Therefore, in this paper, the researcher has tried to
explore the answer of the abovementioned question in the light of the Holy
Qur’an and to work out its educational implications.
Key Words: Man, Success,
Islam, The Holy Quran.
The Context:
The concept of man’s success is generally associated with the
present worldly life. In the previous centuries it was viewed as embracing a
good character, being reliable, honest, and trustworthy. But nowadays every
concept including the all-important concept of success is shaped basically by
the prevailing materialistic worldview. Persons having riches, material
resources in abundance, gadgets of comforts, tools of enjoyment and things of
decoration etc. are considered as successful. It doesn't matter how they got it.
Power and popularity are the other important parameters on which successfulness
of a person is determined. The materialistic philosophy has engulfed our thinking
so much that there seem to be no other criteria which can influence our
decision. Everybody is running after the mirage of worldly success, gazing for
things transient and in the deal lost sight of everything that stood for
permanence and eternity. This mad race has changed the very equations of human
relations, which threw the whole society into disarray. The family structure has
been dismantled that left man feeling such insecure and isolated as he has
never felt before. The loss of perennial values has made everything
indeterminate. This flawed concept of success has eaten away the roots of human
character and opened the doors to all sorts of corruption. We observe today
quite helplessly that the humanity is sinking in this sea of corruption which
is unfortunately man's own creation. Every individual and society is crying for
peace but peace seems to elude all. A deep analysis of this crisis reveals that
the basic cause underlying all this is the wrong atheistic concepts regarding
man and life. It is believed that man’s existence in this world is by chance
and there is no ultimate purpose attached with his creation. This concept gives
man an opportunity to decide his own purpose of life which leads him to
deviations from the desired path. Since the success is measured by the extent
of the achievement of one's purpose, to realize the true concept of success,
man has to understand first his true position in the universe and the purpose
of his creation. He has to realize that his existence on this earth is not just
a matter of chance but rather it is the outcome of a very wise plan of the
Creator of this universe Who has also attached some definitive purpose with his
creation. This is why Islam seems to be the only savior of the humankind in
this situation of crisis as it gives the very consistent philosophy of man and
his life. Consequently the Qur’anic conception of success is quite different
from the materialistic thought of success which is based on hedonism. But
before going through this concept, it seems necessary to discuss first, the
philosophy of life as propounded by the Holy Qur’an considering that it will
help in the full realization of the issue under discussion.
The Qur’anic Philosophy of Life & Death
The Qur’an reveals its philosophy of life and death in the following
verse in a very precise but distinct manner.
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ
وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿67:1﴾ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ
وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ
الْغَفُورُ ﴿67:2﴾
“Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He over all
things hath Power; He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you
is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.”[1]
A number
of truths have been revealed in these verses but the researcher’s focus is only
on the reflections of the second verse which is connected with life and death:
At the first place, Allah is the creator of life and death. He gives life and
death to each and every creature including human beings; no one else can grant
life nor cause death. Secondly, neither the life nor the death of a creation
like man, which has been given the capacity to do both good and evil, is
purposeless. Allah (s.w.t) has created him in the world for the test. So life
is for him the period of the test and death means that the period allotted for
the test is over. Thirdly, for the sake of this very test the Allah (s.w.t) has
given every man an opportunity for action, so that he may possibly do good or
evil in the world and practically show what kind of a man he is. Fourthly,
Allah alone will judge who has done good or evil; it is not for the human
beings to propose a criterion for the good and the evil deeds. Therefore,
whoever wishes to be successful in the test, will have to determine first what
is the criterion of a good deed in the sight of Allah. The fifth point is
embedded in the meaning of the test itself, that is, every person will be recompensed
according to his deeds because if there is no reward or punishment, the test
would be meaningless. This philosophy of life and death, and the world being
the testing ground is further supported by the following verse:
كُلُّ
نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً
وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿21:35﴾
“Every
soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of
trial and to Us must ye return.”[2]
The verse says that each and every existence will have to face the
death and return to his Lord for final recompense of his deeds. This verse
along with the previous one also indicates that death is not the total
destruction of the existence of man, instead it is simply returning of the soul
to the Almighty. Death proves to the human beings that their lives are never in
their control. It is gift of Allah to all mankind which He takes back when the
fixed term is over. This world is a
testing ground and Allah is always putting human beings to test and trial both
through adversity and affluence. Material prosperity, children, things of enjoyment
and possession of power, all are but means of test and trial. These are to
judge whether prosperity and power make them proud, cruel, miser, luxurious and
slaves of their lusts or they become grateful to Allah, follow His commandments
and adopt a virtuous life. Other verses which support this viewpoint is:
إِنَّمَا
أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ
عَظِيمٌ ﴿64:15﴾
“Your riches and your children may be but a trial: whereas
Allah, with Him is the highest Reward.”[3]
وَهُوَ
الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ
دَرَجَاتٍ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آَتَاكُمْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ
لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿6:165﴾
“It is He Who hath made you the inheritors of the
earth: He hath raised you in ranks, some above others: that He may try you in
the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is
indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”[4]
Similarly hardships and sufferings also come in the life of a man
as tests and trials. Allah (s.w.t.)
sometimes inflicts adversities upon the people in order to test the patience
and the steadfastness in submitting oneself to divine Will and also to see
whether they remain within the specified and lawful limits or become low-spirited
and down-hearted. The Holy Qur’an gives tidings of grace and blessings to those
who keep patience in those trials and hardships abstain from ingratitude and
make these sufferings a source of remembrance of Allah (s.w.t.).
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ
الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ ﴿2:155﴾
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا
إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ ﴿2:156﴾
“Be
sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods,
lives and the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who
patiently persevere, Who say, when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We
belong, and to Him is our return".[5]
A wise person therefore should not be deceived by affluence and
adversity, but should keep their trial element in view and try to pass through
it agreeably and gracefully. The verse 35 of surah Al-Anbiyaa, cited above also
reflects that man should not consider this life as permanent and enduring; this
life is a temporary and uncertain life as nobody knows about the time of his
death, the real life is life of the hereafter. The Qur’an also says:
وَمَا هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا
إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآَخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ
كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿29:64﴾
“What is the life of this world but amusement and play?
but verily the Home of the Hereafter,- that is life indeed, if they but knew.”[6]
The verse reveals that though the human life in this world is real but
it is not ultimately real. It is very brief and uncertain. The reality of
it is no more than the children's engagement in a sport and pastime for a
while, and then returning home. The ultimate
and everlasting life is the life of the hereafter. However, the present life is
essential and extremely significant. It is essential because it is the gate-way
to the hereafter, and it is significant because its shortness is destined to
end in eternity and its pains and hardships are destined to culminate in lasting
joys and comforts. It serves as a prelude to the infinitely vast world to come
and the only passage to the blissful Paradise. Therefore a man should not
strive for material resources, worldly comforts and physical pleasure; his
exploitation of the material resources should be restricted to his satisfaction
of the minimum needs of life. The material pleasures and comforts sought
exclusively can never bring the eternal bliss which Allah (s.w.t.) wish to
bestow upon man. The worldly efforts may be considered merely as stepping
stones in the way of getting to the ultimate goal. The Qur’an reveals the
reality of present life, its material prosperity and comforts in its numerous
verses. For example:
..... قُلْ مَتَاعُ
الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالْآَخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِمَنِ اتَّقَى وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ
فَتِيلًا ﴿4:77﴾
“Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world: the Hereafter
is the best for those who do right: Never will ye be dealt with unjustly in the
very least!”[7]
وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ
فَمَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتُهَا وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ
وَأَبْقَى أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿28:60﴾
“The (material) things which ye are given are but the
conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof; but that which is with Allah
is better and more enduring: will ye not then be wise?”[8]
اعْلَمُوا
أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ
وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ
يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ
شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا
إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ ﴿57:20﴾
“Know
ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and a pastime, adorement and
mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and
children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth,
delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow
yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a chastisement
severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good
Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah.. And what is the life of this world, but
goods and chattels of deception?"[9]
In
all the verses the truth that has been imprinted on the human mind is: The life
of this world is a temporary life; its pleasure as well as its pain is
temporary, its happiness and sorrow are both short-lived, there is much here to attract man but this,
in fact, consists of dishonorable and insignificant things which man because of
his superficiality of mind regards as great and marvelous and is deceived into
thinking that in attaining them lies the highest success. The fact however is
that the highest benefits and means of pleasure and amusement that one can
possibly attain in this world, are indeed insignificant and limited to a few
years of temporary life, and can be obliterated by just one turn of destiny. In
contrast to this, the life hereafter is a glorious and eternal life: its
benefits are great and permanent and its damages too are great and permanent.
The one, who achieves Allah's forgiveness and His good pleasure there, will
indeed have attained the endless bliss beside which the entire wealth of the
world and its realm become trivial and insignificant. And the one who is
apprehended in God's torment there, will come to realize that he had made a bad
bargain even if he had managed all that he viewed as great and marvelous in the
world.
The Criterion of Success
The
Qur’anic concept of success is based upon its philosophy of life, death and the
world hereafter. According to Qur’an the
person who ensures eternal happiness and enjoyment in the life hereafter and
secures himself from the eternal sufferings is really successful in the view of
the Qur’an. The Qur’anic concept of man’s success has been portrayed in the
following verse very precisely and unambiguously:
كُلُّ
نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ
وَمَا
الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا
مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ ﴿3:185﴾
“Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on
the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is
saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have succeeded: For the
life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.”[10]
The verse clearly reveals that every living being shall have to
taste of death meaning thereby again that the present life is not permanent
one. This does not mean that life will end once and forever. At the end of this
life another life begins which is eternal life. Since man is created for some
bigger purpose and he is also accountable to Allah, he has to face full
recompense of his deeds on the Day of Resurrection (Qiyamah) because this world
being the testing ground is not fit place for giving the full reward or the
punishment of the human deeds. In the life hereafter there are only two places
for reward and punishment which are successively called as Jannah (الجَنّۃ) - the Paradise and
Jahannam (الجَہَنّم) - the Hell. The
righteous one will be placed in the paradise and the evil one will be placed in
the Hell. This verse unambiguously declares that entering the Paradise and
staying away from the Hell is the real success. Thus, success and failure depends
upon the ultimate result. The Quran further declares that the temporary
comforts and decorations of the world are but things of delusion. Some of the
foolish fellows are fascinated with the illusionary charms of the worldly life
and become unmindful of the Hereafter, whereas the real success of man is that
he should ponder over the end of this life and do such deeds which may save him
from the chastisement of Allah and lead him to Paradise, the house of Allah’s
good pleasure. As far as the comfort and discomfort experiences of this world are concerned, they fade away, with the relevant
changes in circumstances and if no change takes place during the lifetime, it
is sure that everything will end with death. But in the Hereafter, there shall approach
the reward and punishment of deeds which will be severe and protracted as well.
Therefore, worrying about the short-lived chains of comfort and discomfort of
this life should not become the chronic concern of a wise person. One should, rather,
have concern for what will happen after death.
The Qur’an pronounces that the believers (the Muslims) will be
rewarded by Allah (s.w.t) in the hereafter by bestowing them a blissful and
eternal life in the Paradise. May be this happens at the very beginning as
would be the case with the most righteous servants of Allah. Or, it may come to
pass after having faced some punishment as would be the case with sinning
Muslims. But, Muslims - all of them - will finally have their deliverance from
Hell due to their Iman (faith) and the blessings of Paradise will become theirs
forever as reported in some authentic traditions. For example Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri (r.a.):
Allah's
Apostle said, "When the people of Paradise have entered Paradise, and the
people of the (Hell) Fire have entered the Fire, Allah will say; 'Take out (of
the Fire) whosoever has got faith equal to a mustard seed in his heart.' They
will come out, and by that time they would have burnt and became like coal, and
then they will be thrown into the river of Al-Hayat (life) and they will spring
up just as a seed grows on the bank of a rainwater stream." The Prophet
said, "Don't you see that the germinating seed comes out yellow and
twisted?"[11]
The Qur’an says:
وَعَدَ
اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا
الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ
وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿9:72﴾
“Allah hath promised to Believers, men and women,
gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in
gardens of everlasting stay. But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of
Allah. That is the supreme triumph.”[12]
This will be contrary to what will happen to disbelievers - Hell
will be their eternal resting place.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أُولَئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ ﴿98:6﴾
“Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the
Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally
therein. Those are the worst of creatures.”[13]
There is one more point remarkable in the verse 72 of
surah Tauba cited above regarding the success of the believers. The verse
announces that Allah has promised to the believers to place them in the
paradise in which He will bestow all kinds of material and spiritual bounties
and enjoyments. But the greatest bounty will be the everlasting good pleasure
of the Real Beloved (Allah). It is also reported in authentic tradition that
Allah will bestow the everlasting good pleasure to the people of the Paradise
which will be His greatest bounty. Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri that Allah's
Apostle said;
"Allah
will say to the people of Paradise, 'O the people of Paradise!' They will say,
'Labbaik, O our Lord, and Sa'daik!' Allah will ask, 'Are you pleased?"
They will say, 'Why should we not be pleased since You have given us what You
have not given to anyone of Your creation?' Allah will say, 'I will give you
something better than that.' They will reply, 'O our Lord! And what is better
than that?' Allah will say, 'I will bestow My Good pleasure and contentment
upon you so that I will never be angry with you for-ever'."[14]
Thus in the light of the above verses it can be said
that man’s greatest success lies in achieving the permanent good pleasure of
Allah in the life hereafter. But the question is; how can it be achieved and
what should a man do in the present life to achieve that level of success? From
the above discussion one point is very clear that “affirmation of faith” or “having
belief in Allah and His Messenger” is the basic criterion for achieving success
eternally. At another place the Qur’an describes this criterion of success in a
very precise manner using a beautiful and comprehensive terminology. It says
that it is Tazkiyah-e-Nafs (purification of the self) which will
enable a man to achieve success and the good pleasure of Allah in the
hereafter. This the sense of the following verse of surah Ash-Shams:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ
زَكَّاهَا ﴿91:9﴾ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا ﴿91:10﴾
Tazkiyah means to purify, develop and cultivate. The purification and rectification of Nafs signifies that the
power of lust (Quwwat-e-Shawiyah, قوت شہویہ) and the power of rage
(Quwwat-e-Ghazabiyah, قوت غضبیہ) should be subjected and subordinated to the power of wisdom
(Aql) and the wisdom should be made subservient to the Divine Shariah, so that
both spirit and heart should be illuminated by the Divine Light (تجلی الٰہی) . When a man purifies
himself from the internal and external filthiness and from the perceptible and
imperceptible defilement, and decorates his heart and body with the right
beliefs, excellent morals and righteous deeds, he becomes able to achieve this
success.[16]
Thus Tazkiyah-e-Nafs (purification of the self) is a
very comprehensive word which includes purification of Heart (faith), Mind
(thoughts & morals) and Behaviour (deeds). It is worth mentioning here that
Allah (s.w.t) has placed in the human beings tendencies, inclinations and
motives to both good and evil so as to test them. However it is His blessing
that He bestowed them with the senses and the faculties of thinking and
reasoning so that they can differentiate between the two. Moreover, through the
process of ilham (inspiration), He also accorded the human beings, the
understanding of what is Fujoor (فجور) (wickedness or evil),
and what is Taqwa (تقویٰ) (piety or goodness), as
says the verse 8 of Surah ash-Shams (91). The man, who purifies himself, uses his
faculty of understanding, controls the evil instincts, embraces the right faith
renouncing disbelief and polytheism, adopts good morals disowning the evil
morals, and performs good deeds giving up the evil deeds. Thus, according to
the Qur’ān, the person who purifies his self of Fujoor and develops it
to the level of Taqwa and cultivates in it the virtues, will attain the
eternal success whether worldly prosperity accompanies it or not. The Qur’an
gives emphasis upon Taqwa besides the Iman (faith) as the important
criterion of success in this world and the world hereafter. It says:
أَلَا
إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿10:62﴾
الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ ﴿10:63﴾ لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى فِي الْحَيَاةِ
الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ هُوَ
الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿10:64﴾
“Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall
they grieve; Those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil;- For them
are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change
can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme Triumph.”[17]
Besides these criteria, one more criterion that whoever obeys Allah
and His Messenger becomes successful, can be traced in the numerous verses of
the Qur’an. For example following verse of surah Al-Ahzab can be quoted.
وَمَنْ
يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا ﴿33:71﴾…..
“He that obeys Allah
and His Messenger has already attained the great victory.”[18]
Here it can be said that there is no controversy in the criteria
mentioned in this verse and the criteria of success described in the preceding
pages. In fact this criterion contributes to the criteria mentioned above. Only
those people who obey the commandments of Allah and His Messenger in all the
walks of life can develop his self to the level of Taqwa which is necessary
stage in the process of Tazkiyah-e-Nafs. Taqwa and Tazkiyah-e-Nafs are the
prerequisites to qualify for the heaven of eternal bliss, al-Jannah. But
if one thinks about the basic factor on which Taqwa and Tazkiyah-e-Nafs depend
then he will infer that obedience to the commandments of Allah and His
Messenger is behind all these endeavors. Thus obedience to the commandments of
Allah and His Messenger is the ultimate factor which causes a man to be
eligible to enter into the Paradise. On the basis of the same analogy it can
also be said that disobedience to the commandments of Allah and His Messenger
is ultimate factor which causes a man to be eligible to enter into the Hell.
This conception is supported by the following verses of the Qur’an:
تِلْكَ
حُدُودُ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي
مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
﴿4:13﴾ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ
نَارًا خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَلَهُ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ ﴿4:14﴾
“Those are limits set by Allah: those who obey Allah and His
Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide
therein (for ever) and that will be the supreme achievement. But those who
disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a
Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.”[19]
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَنْ
يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَا
ذَلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿9:63﴾
“Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger,
is the Fire of Hell?- wherein they shall dwell. That is the supreme disgrace.”[20]
Therefore, Qur’anic proclamation that he, that obeys Allah and His
Messenger, has already attained the highest success is justified and in
congruence of the theory of greatest bliss that is the good pleasure of Allah. Furthermore,
in view of the fact that the most comprehensive understanding of success is
possible if we understand it in contrast to failure, the Qur’an describes the
criteria of success at another place in the following way.
وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿103:1﴾
إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿103:2﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا
وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا
بِالصَّبْرِ ﴿103:3﴾
“By the Time, Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and
do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual enjoining of Truth, and
of Patience and Constancy.”[21]
The above verses reflect that all of us are failing unless we
fulfill these four requirements: Faith, Righteous Deeds, Exhortation to Truth
and Exhortation to Patience.
Thus after synthesizing all the criteria mentioned above one can
conclude that Tazkiyah-e-Nafs (purification of the self);
Virtuous Faith (Right Beliefs), Righteous Deeds (Obeying Allah and His
Messenger’s commandments in all fields of life), Taqwa (piety) i.e. restraining
oneself from disobeying Allah and His Messenger or from committing sins,
Exhortation to Truth and Exhortation to Patience are the criteria according to
the Qur’an which make a man eternally successful.
Now at the end of the discussion one more question required to be
answered is; does the Holy Quran completely ignore the present life of its
believers or it ensure some rewards of the desirable attributes in the present
life as well? The answer is, the Holy Qur’an ensures many rewards to the true
believers in the present world also. To be precise on having virtuous faith and
righteous deeds, Allah (s.w.t)
guarantees the believers in this world a very peaceful, pure and happy life
[An-Nahl 16:97] in which they will receive mutual love and affection (Maryam
19:96], true respect and honour [Al-Munafiqun 63:8] , abundance of sustenance and
provisions [AI-Ma'idah 5:66, At-Talaq 65:2-3], Allah’s help in all worldly
affairs [Al-Hajj 22:40, Muhammad 47:7], acceptance of prayers [Ghafir 40:60], blessings
from the heavens and the earth (Al-A`raf 7: 96), more strength to the existing strength." (Hud 11: 52), victory
and dominance over enemies [Ali Imran 3:139], and even power of governance on
this earth [An-Nur 24:55]. These are the real success in terms of the present
world which cannot be purchased by material wealth but can only be realized
through obeying the commandments of Allah and His Messenger in all walks of
life.
Conclusion:
One can realize and appreciate that the Qur’anic concept of success
is very logical one. It is based on the Qur’anic worldview and teaches man to
perceive the results of all endeavors in ultimate sense. It focuses on human
deeds and character as the basic elements of success. It induces man to purify
his self; to acquire the Virtuous Faith & Righteous Deeds, to follow the
way of Taqwa (piety), and also to exhort to Truth and stick to Patience because
these are the values that can save him from the chastisement of Allah at the
day of judgment and lead him to Paradise, which according to the Qur’an is the
final criteria of being eternally successful. It discourages the mad race of
accumulation of wealth since according to it the present worldly success as
described in the preceding paragraph also depends upon these values not upon
the material resources. Therefore, if accepted and practiced the Qur’anic
concept of success can bring mental peace in man, can improve the human
relations and also, can make the society free from all sorts of corruption and evils.
Following educational implications can be drawn from the above discussion:
1. A child must be made aware of both the lives; the present life and the life hereafter. He must be taught that the present life is limited and temporary but the life hereafter is ultimate and endless. Ultimate success is that success which is achieved in the life hereafter not in the present life.
2. It must be inculcated in a child that ultimate purpose of life
has already been decided by the almighty Allah, so a man cannot change his
ultimate purpose rather he can set the proximate goals according to needs and
circumstances.
3. It should also be inculcated in the children that material
resources cannot be the criteria of success in life rather it should be human
deeds and character which has been set by the creator. This will prevent them
from running after the material wealth and from all possible kinds of
frustration and will ensure the mental peace.
4. Children must be indoctrinated that commandments of Allah and
His Messenger are very important. They must be followed in order to achieve
success in this world and in the life hereafter. Personal desires must be
suppressed when confronted with Allah’s and His Messenger’s commandment, and
finally
5. Tazkiyah-e-Nafs (purification of the self) must be the prime
goal of education in individual perspective. Inculcation of right faith,
training in right conduct (modification of behaviour) and the development of a
spirit of Taqwa (piety) must be the prime concern of education at all level.
Notes & References:
[1] . The
Holy Quran: English Translation of the Meanings & Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (Revised & Edited by
The Presidency of Islamic Research, IFTA, Call and Guidance), The Ministry of
Hajj and Endowments, K.S.A., King Fahad Holy Quran Printing Complex, Al-Madinah
Al- Munawwarah , 1413 AH., Al-Mulk 67:1-2.
[2] . Ibid, Al-Anbiyaa 21:35
[3] . Ibid, At-Taghabun 64:15, See also Ta Ha 20:131.
[4] . Ibid, Al-An’am 6:165
[5] . Ibid, Al-Baqarah 2: 155-156
[6] . Ibid, Al-‘Ankabut 29:64
[7] . Ibid, An-Nisa 4:77
[8] . Ibid, Al-Qasas 28:60
[9] . Ibid, Al-Hadid 57:20 See also
Ali Imran 3:14- 15, Yunus 10: 24-25, Ibrahim 14:18, AI-Kahf 18: 45-46, An-Nur
24:39 etc.
[10] . Ibid, Ali-Imran 3:185, See also Al-Hashr 59:20 & Al Hadeed
59:20
[11] . Al-Bukhari, Muhammed Ibn Ismaiel Sahih
Al-Bukhari (Eng. Tr. by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan), Dar-us-Salam Publishers and
Distributors, Riyadh, K.S.A., 1997, Vol. 8, The Book of Ar-Riqaq, P. 300, Hadith
No. 6560.
[12] . Ibid, At-Tauba 9:72
[13] . The Qur’an: English Meanings, Revised and Edited by Saheeh
International Jeddah, Abul-Qasim Publishing House, 1997 & Al-Muntada
Al-Islami, 2004, Al-Baiyinah 98:6, see also Al-Baqarah 2:39.
[14] . Al-Bukhari, Muhammed Ibn Ismaiel Op.
Cit., Vol. 8, The Book of Ar-Riqaq, P. 297, Hadith No. 6549.
[15] . The
Holy Quran: English Translation of the Meanings & Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Op. Cit., Ash-Shams 91:9-10, See also Al-A’la 87:14.
[16] . Usmani, Shabbir Ahmad The Noble Quran (Tafseer-e-Usmani), Vol.
3 (English Translation by Mohammad Ashfaq Ahmad), Idara Isha’at-e-Diniyat (P)
Ltd., New Delhi, 1992, Note 8 of Ash-Shams, P. 2582 & Note 12 of Al-A’la
(87), P. 2564.
[17] . The Holy Quran: English
Translation of the Meanings & Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Op.
Cit., Yunus 10: 62-64
[18] . Ibid, Al-Ahzab 33:71. See also An-Noor 24:51-52, An-Nisa 4:13.
[19] . Ibid, An-Nisa 4:13-14
[20] . Ibid, At-Tauba 9:63
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