Commentsry | Lamin Darboe, UK |
If you ask 1000 people what is success. I bet you will receive hundreds of different answers, I guess the commonest answer will be, money, big cars, good house, good business good health, etc.
Brethren what is use of huge wealth when one does not have peace in the house. Peace from his wife and children, who despite huge wealth and comfortable life, heap so much anguish and stress to him or her
Bethren why would a billionaire throw himself from 29th floor of his building to a certain death. That means he did not have peace in the heart and feel there is nothing to live for. With a certain belief that death will relieve his anguish, that means there is more to life than wordly material success.
Durable success is not defined by shallow materials endowment but the state of the heart and the richness of life a person live.
From the religious perspective, ultimate sucess and triumph is safety from the fire and admitted into jannah as the Quran stateted:
Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 185:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).
Let's all remember that we shall meet Allah and everyone shall be given his or her book of records where all our deeds good or bad are compiled. A person is wretched, if his or her book of deeds show a long line of witchedness, waste of time on pursuits of the desire, abusing and defrauding others and many more vices.
Brethren, shall a man be happy to read in his book of records, if his or her record read like this,
from 5pm to 7pm, listening to music, chatting politics to friends,
From 9pm to 11pm, watching movies or
From 5pm to 6pm helping the weak, teaching children etc, 9pm to 11pm, reading Quran and serving family.
Brethren will anyone love that, while listening music, watching movies, engaging in fruitless talk, suddenly the angel of death knock his or her door. What gurantee is there that angel of death will not visit us unexpectedly at a time, we are engaged in amusement and other entertainment of our desires.
He is blessed and eternally successful, a person who received his book with the right hand, he will read his book with bliss and confidence, with a long list of:
1.selflessness,
charity and graciousness to others,
2. magnificent characters,
3. honesty and teuthfulness.
What a supreme triumph to be told, paradise is yours to abide in eternal happiness, nay you will live for infinity without sickness, stress, tiredness and troubles rather live in comfort of unimaginable entertainment, magnificent and lofty castles with a million times the glory of worldly Kings.
Brrthren reflect on this, how many great Kings, business tycoons, oligarchs, president, famous stars today lie motionless under the earth, they built masons, established empires and fiefdoms on the samw land thanking they not go.
And how many men and women that had their statues hoist on lofty pillars, that had their image plasteried on walls, in newspapers or digital media.,
How many people of global fame had their tombstones engraved with gold, are today forgotten by the world but entombed in loneliness and adject solitude.
They used to live in magnificent houses with peagentry and very attractive trappings but today lie in a grave of darknes, forgotten as if they never existed in this world.
Casually we say to them rest in peace but in no peace such souls dwell because their lifes had not been a source of peace for their relatives, neighbours and humanity at large.
Some lived flamboyant life styles at the expense of others, they built their fortune on a mountain of oppression and misery of others.
Other built their nations on oppression and suppression of many others. They think their victims deserve to die for their selfish happiness to endure. Their mantra in life was, our happiness on other's misery and our triumph and development on others anguish and underdevelopment.
What was the ultimate end of all these life adventures, nothing but damnation and eternal chastisement. This alone is a valid argument that there is life after for justice to exist in the universal order of things.
Some left a legacy of brutal suppression and oppression, some in life of exploitation of others to reach the top, others thought beauty and living life to the full would guarantee success.
Nay today some people lay motionless with worms, in darkness, solitude and desolation. Their past glories deserted them. Their assets they took pride in, are inherited by others who never worked for thise assets.
There wives have remarried, enjoying with some other consorts, hardly remembering their previous husbands sacrifice and generosity.
Is that what we call success, a hundred years in temporal glitter of this world but billion years in damnation in the hereater. It make no sense brethren.
To achieve ultimate success, we have to connect to our maker in our various ways and abilities. First know who is God and do His bidding by staying away as much as possible from forbidden things.
Don't create your own halal and haram, what is forbidden and acceptable is within the power of Allah alone, the owner of JANNAH.
Stay truthful and honest, build a good character and harm no one or be a source of harm for anyone
Leave useless talk and manage your time in pursuit of beneficial things. Serve your parents and be sources of peace and grace for humanity.
Be patient and grateful to others for little good they do to you or leave the property that does not belong to you.
Abuse not the right of others especially legitimate rights. Also show humblenes in all your endeavours and achievements.
Know that a house built on injustice, abuse of others and dishonesty is a house primed to crumble.
Appreciate the little you have and love to share with others less fortunate than you, for many tried harder than you but could not pull what you pulled.
Remember the grace of God on you in terms of good health, good wife and family, good neighbours and thank HIM abundantly for those graces.
May Allah bestow on us the good of this world snd the good of the Hereafter ameen.
L Darboe
Leicester
UK
Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Verse 7:
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ
Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand,
(English - Mohsin Khan)
Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Verse 8:
فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا
He surely will receive an easy reckoning,
(English - Mohsin Khan)
via iQuran
Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Verse 9:
وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا
And will return to his family in joy!
(English - Mohsin Khan)
via iQuran