Prof. Imad Benjelloun

Imad Benjelloun

September 4, 2023

Welcome to Success! May God Almighty make this a highly valuable learning that will help you achieve, sustain, and advance in your success in this life and the next.

 

Key Questions

 

  1. What does it mean to be successful?
  2. What is true success?
  3. What are the three levels of success in this life?
  4. What are the three major successes in the next life?
  5. How to achieve success?

 

1. What does it mean to be successful?

 

Being successful means to do that which pleases your Lord and get you closer to Him Almighty. Anything else is a waste and failure.

 

2. What is true success?

 

Success in this life (which is very short) is true success only if it leads to success in the next life, the everlasting one. So, for example becoming an IT professional, journalist, teacher, surgeon, lawyer, senator, film maker, police officer, FBI agent, or the president is a success in this life only if it leads to success in the next life; meaning that it is done the proper way with the sincere intention to please your Lord Almighty.

 

3. What are the three levels of success in this life?

 

The three levels of success in ascending order are: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan; which are the same levels of the Islamic Faith.

 

1st level is Islam [basic but fundamental level]: to establish its five pillars which are: (1) professing the testimony of faith, (2) performing the 5 obligatory ritual prayers, (3) paying zakat, (4) fasting during Ramadan, and (5) performing hajj if able physically and financially. So, the most basic level of success is to be saved from the eternal torment of Fire by becoming/being and dying as a Muslim. A higher level of success is to be saved from hellfire, ever, by being a practicing Muslim!

 

2ndlevel is Iman: to build on the 1st level by acquiring the 77 branches/virtues of faith, the highest of which is to say laa ilaha illallah (there is no god except God), and the lowest is to remove harm from the road. Examples include: loving God Almighty and loving His messenger, and highly honoring, respecting, serving, listening to, and obeying your parents.

 

3rd level is Ihsan [top level]: to build on the 2nd level by advancing in piety, service, and perfection

 

  • Piety means to worship God as if you see Him; if not, then be aware that He sees you.
  • Service means to serve your parents, family, community, country, and creation
  • Perfection means to perfect and excel in what you do

 

4. What are the three major successes in the next life?

 

Top success in the next life is to achieve the following:

 

  1. Seeing the Face of God Most High [the top of these three!]
  2. Earning the love and satisfaction of God Most High
  3. Winning the highest place in Paradise called al-firdaws

 

5. How to achieve success?

 

Some of the essential ways to be successful in this life for the next include:

 

  • Make the righteous people of God your best friends and join them within an organized community
  • Repent: God Almighty says, “And turn to God in repentance, all of you together, O believers, that you might succeed.” Quran 24:31
  • Perform your 5 obligatory ritual prayers on time. Recall that part of the statement of adhan (call to prayer) is: “come to prayer, come to success.”
  • Purify your heart: God Almighty says, “Successful indeed will be the one who purifies it.” Quran 91:9
  • Remember your Lord a lot: God Almighty says, “And when the prayer is finished, disperse in the land and seek God’s grace, and remember God frequently, that perhaps you may be successful.” Quran 62:10
  • Don’t be greedy or stingy: God Almighty says, “And whoso is saved from his own greed and stinginess, such are the successful.” Quran 64:16 and 59:9
  • Study hard and be an outstanding student who is always at the top of their class; do it for the sake of pleasing your Lord!