Success

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.

- Benjamin Franklin

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Success is not something to be taken lightly. And, yes, we all have different perceptions of success. Much has been made of collecting trophies. And the old saying: “nobody remembers the one who comes second” is a damning attitude and certainly impacts most people negatively and very few positively. It is easy to say that someone who does not have a positive attitude is a loser. The reality though is this attitude of winning at all costs is creating losers as they are marginalised. But then there is also the majority who refuses to compete lest they become losers and these are the real losers for they have made no contribution except that perhaps the largest amount of criticism that generally emanates from this group.

I am not bashing trophy-hunting – rather there is certainly a need for excellence and competition – but the damning issue is winning at all costs – and this happens on all fronts – sports, politics, business, education, and even in civil society (the old adage “keeping up with the Joneses”).

But what about caring and sharing – what about striving for excellence unselfishly. What about encouragement – what about the idea of participation rather than exclusion – what about rewarding real effort as opposed to only achievement. What about collective achievement drawing upon the efforts of all.

It for this reason that Allah spells out in Quran what success is and that simply is those who strives, those who put in effort to improve – those are the successful ones.

Quran: 23:1-11

1. Successful indeed are the believers.

2. Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.

3. And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden).

4. And those who pay the Zakat.

5. And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts).

6. Except from their wives or (slaves) that their right hands possess, - for then, they are free from blame;

7. But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors;

8. Those who are faithfully true to their Amanat (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants;

9 And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) Salawat (prayers) (at their fixed stated hours).

10. These are indeed the inheritors.

11. Who shall inherit the Firdaus (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.

We are all generally weak and so we get measured on what we achieved as being a success or a failure. But the successful one is one who gets up after he/she has missed the mark and continues in their efforts to improve and to be a benefit to their families and society at large. Yes, we may falter – but the success is in continuing to put at least a 100% effort in everything of good we do and to turn our backs and negativity, to turn our backs on laziness, to turn our backs on complacency, to turn our backs on gossip, evil, and falsehood.

Success is in being positive and putting effort into building up rather than breaking down.