Success: the contemporary notion

Humans have been always chasing Success since their existence. It is a word that is full of diversity, meaning differently for different people. For some, it is just the accomplishments of exams; for some, it means acquiring high status in society; for many of us, it is achieving high standards of life and having high wealth. For numerous, standing on a high fame-spot. Putting simply, this notion is beyond the imagination of those whose candle of mundane life have extinguished.

You might have too heard in your get together the so-called success stories of many. The list of the words popping out in your mind may be so: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Angelina Julie or Gautam Adani, Tom Cruise and many more. Has the sound ever vibrated your ear drum that Abubakar, Umar, Usman and Ali or Fatima, Ayesha RA were successful from your Mom and dad, friends and families and nears and dears? Undoubtedly not it all, because the people who surround lack the real definition of it. The contemporary concept even fails the companion of the prophet Muhammad PBUH. Painfully to say, the prophet himself gets unsuccessful. Is not it wondering and crying?

Let’s start from our own houses, your brothers who earns and spends even taunt you when you learn, you talk about evil or good, truth and false, honesty and dishonesty. To your friends, making money and acquiring high state of authority are all what the meaning of life is. If you talk it, they slander you as Molvi, a much taunting word. If I had heard these concepts from any western philosophers, thinkers and capitalists, I would have just turned a blind eye, but it itches my inside and stings my heart when I hear it from the people I surround.

Just focus on yourself, do not care about the people, you are just you, let the people go to hell. There is only you that matters. All these selfish and egoistic clichés pass you out from motivational speakers, teachers and sympathizers. Quran mentions the story of those who help others.

But they give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful. (Al Hashar :09)

Globally, the economy has surpassed $100 trillion but the graph of morality has plummeted down the earth and it is whipping it more ferociously as the time goes on. To me, the deceptive, immoral, wicked an jealous Muslims’ attitude have damaged Islam and Muslims more than the rest of all. They are enough to rot it and this is the field where they are successful in. When boats are holed from within, its sinking ability enhances by thousand times. The rich perform umrah and hajj, the prayers only pray and the seekers only ask like paralyzed. No matter how they exploit the rights, disrespect and dehumanize others. We the 21^st century Muslims only do those deeds that suit or satisfy ourselves. If there is some sort of harsh command or painful neeki, we run out from doing it because it haunts us. Is this Islam upon which Hussain RA gibbeted and tens of thousands others have perished their lives? No brothers and sisters this is only the Pakistani or contemporary version of Islam.

You would think that impoverished life style is being promoted. I disagree. I am trying to deliver the real concept of success, making money and purpose of life. Let’s talk about money in the Caliphate of Umar RA, the second caliph of Rashida Caliphate. The battle of Qadisiya, Yarmouk and many more were fought and the heaps of booty were so many that could have never imagined. Thousands of dinars were distributed upon the whole of the population and no body was left non-paid.