By Dr. Norlain Dindang Mababaya 

We praise and thank Allâh I (Subhanahu ta'ala) from Whom we ask help and pardon, and in Whom we take refuge from the evils within ourselves. Verily, he whom Allâh I guides has no one who can lead him astray, and he whom He leads astray has no one to guide him. I testify that there is no god but Allâh, and I testify that Muhammad r is His servant and Messenger.

Introduction

Islâm means peaceful and complete submission to the Will of Allâh  and obedience to His Law ¾   the Shari’ah.   The Islamic Law or the Shari’ah  is based on the Qur’ân and the Sunnah (the Prophet's Tradition) and the right deductions from the two.   Islam as the revealed Religion from Allah is the perfect religion (Qur’ân 5:3) and the best way of life for all.  Islam guides mankind in all aspects of life ¾  physical, economic, social, cultural, educational, political, legal, religious and spiritual.  It serves as the best solution to all sorts of problems no matter how perplexing they are.  It provides rational answers to all kinds of questions that everyone in the humanity may ask.  One practical question that is commonly asked is: “How can we attain success?” People want to know how they can be successful in their studies, fields of specialization, works, businesses, marriages, family lives, and the like.  In short, they aspire to be successful in almost all aspects of life.  They, however, differ in the magnitude and quality of aspirations for success.  For instance, there are those who would aspire to successfully have sufficient income, a comfortable house or a decent life; and there are those who would wish to become rich, and richer.  There are those who aspire for the attainment of the highest quality of material life; and there are those who go for higher learning. There are those who go for fame and popularity by all means.

Different people, therefore, aspire for different kinds and levels of success.  Some aspire for worldly success, while others for eternal success in the next world. Islâm is unique as it truly guides people to succeed both in this world and the world Hereafter.  It teaches us the authentic knowledge of attaining real success in the everlasting world to come ¾  a fruitful success indeed in terms of the underlying eternal rewards.  Allâh the Almighty says in the Qur’ân:

“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good (i.e., Islâm), enjoining what is right (Islâmic monotheism), and forbidding what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief, etc.): they are the ones who are the successful.”  (3:104)  

“But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness.  We shall soon admit them to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, to dwell therein forever.  Allâh’s promise is the truth, and whose word can be truer than Allâh’s?”   (4:122)

“The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another.  They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil.  They observe regular prayers practice regular charity and obey Allâh and His Messenger.  On them will Allâh pour His mercy: for Allâh is Exalted in power Wise. Allâh has promised the believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss.  But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allâh: that is the supreme success.”  (9:71-72)

“Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allâh: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find satisfaction. For those who believe and work righteousness is (every) blessedness and a beautiful place of (final) return.”  (13:28-29)

“The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allâh and His Messenger to judge between them is they say: ‘We hear and we obey.’  And such are the successful.  And whoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger, such are the successful.”   (24:51-52)

Verily, the Righteous (they will be) in a position of Security, among Gardens and Springs; dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade they will face each other; and We shall join them to Companions with beautiful big and lustrous eyes. There can they call for every kind of fruit in peace and security; nor will they there taste death except the first death.  And He will save them from the Torment of the Blazing Fire as a bounty from your Rabb!  That will be the supreme success!”  (44: 51- 57)

From the above Qur’ânic Ayât (Verses) we can conclude that the successful are those (men and women) who believe and do righteous deeds. They are the righteous believers who call people to Islâm (i.e., enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong).  They are those who obey Allâh I and His Messenger r (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam).   They will be saved from the torment of the Hell-Fire and dwell in Paradise forever. They will have the greatest bliss to see Allâh I. In line with the above Qur'anic verses are the following authentic Ahadîth, which guide us to the right ways of attaining success:

Abu Hurairah t (radhiallahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet r said “Whoever believes in Allâh and His Messenger r, offers prayers perfectly and fasts (the month of) Ramadan then it is incumbent upon Allâh to admit him into Paradise, whether he emigrates for Allâh’s cause or stays in the land where he was born.”  They (the companions  of the Prophet r) said “O Allâh’s Messenger r! Should we not inform the people of that?”   He said “There are one-hundred degrees in Paradise which Allâh has prepared for those who carry on Jihad in His Cause. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between the sky and the Earth.  So if you ask Allâh for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus, for it is the last part of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise, and at its top there is the Throne of Beneficent, and from it gush forth the rivers of Paradise.”   (Bukhâri  9/519)

Abû Hurairah t (or Abû Said Al Khudri t) narrated that … Allâh’s  Messenger r remarked, “I bear testimony that there is no god but Allâh and I am the Messenger of Allâh. The man who meets his Rabb without harboring any doubt about these two (truths) will never be kept away from Paradise.”   (Muslim 42)   

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Ayyub t that a man came to the Prophet r and said “Direct me to a deed which draws me near to Paradise and takes me away from the Fire (of Hell).”  Upon this he (the Prophet r) said “You worship Allâh and never associate anything with Him, establish prayer, and pay Zakat, and do good to your kin. When he turned his back, Allâh’s Messenger remarked: if he adheres to what he has been ordered to do, he would enter Paradise.”    (Muslim 1/13)

Abdullâh  ibn Amr ibn Al’As t narrated that Allâh’s Messenger r said “He is successful who has accepted Islâm, who has been provided with sufficient for his want and been made contented by Allâh with what He has given him.”  (Muslim 2293)  

Abû Dharr t narrated that Allâh’s  Messenger r said “He has been successful whose heart Allâh has made sincere towards faith, whose heart He has made free from unbelief, his tongue truthful, his soul calm, his nature straight, whose ear He has made attentive and his eye observant. The ear is a funnel and the eye is a repository for what the heart learns. He is successful whose heart is made retentive.”    (Tirmidhî 5200,  Ahmad and Bayhaqi)

The quoted Ahâdîth  clearly tell us that the successful are those who sincerely believe in Allâh I  and His Messenger r and do righteous deeds.  In other words, the successful are those who faithfully follow Islâm as a religion and a complete way of life. Thus, only authentic knowledge of the Qur’ân and the Sunnah provides explicit and perfect guidance to attaining eternal success.  This is because Islâm is the true religion from Allâh, the Only God and Creator of the Worlds. Allâh the Almighty tells us in the Qur’ân:

“Truly the Religion before Allâh is Islâm (submission to His Will).  Those who were given the Scripture (the Jews and the Christians) did not differ except out of mutual jealousy, after knowledge had come to them.  But if any denies the Signs of Allâh, Allâh is swift in calling to account.”    (3:19)

As the true religion, Islâm tells us that the only true guidance is the guidance of Allâh I. It is Allâh I Alone Who guides people to the Truth and the Right Way:

 “...Say: ‘True guidance is the is the guidance of Allâh ... All bounties are in the hands of Allâh.  He grants them to whom He pleases.  And Allâh cares for all and He knows all things.”   (3:73)

“This is the Guidance of Allâh.  He gives that guidance to whom He pleases, of His servants if they were to join other gods with Him, all that they did would be vain for them.”   (6:88)

 “Those to whom Allâh wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islâm.  Those whom He wills to leave straying, He makes their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies; thus does Allâh lay abomination on those who refuse to believe.”   (6:125)

“Whom Allâh does guide, he is on the right path.  Whom He rejects from His guidance, such are the persons who lose.”   (7:178)

Allâh’s Guidance, therefore is the key to success both in this world and the life Hereafter.  To be successful, we must know how to seek Allâh’s Guidance and the best way to attain this is to have authentic knowledge of Islâm.  We have to have sufficient knowledge of the Qur’ân and the Sunnah so that we know how to practice Islâm wholeheartedly and share it to others for the sole pleasure of Allâh I.  This is imperative so that Allâh I will reward us success both in this world and in the life Hereafter. In order to inspire us more to acquire ample and authentic knowledge of Islâm for our success, let us know the following reasons why mankind needs to know authentic knowledge of Islâm: