HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS WORLD (DUNIYA) AND IN THE HEREAFTER

As Salaam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh fellow monotheistic brethren in Islam.

Trust we are all in goodness, auspiciousness and taqwacious state tonight??😊

Alhamdulillah alaa kulli haal

Wasolaat wasalaam alaa manlaa Nabbiyu badahuu wab'ad

Our Topic tonight is about

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS WORLD (DUNIYA) AND  IN THE HEREAFTER (AAKHIRA)

5 Ways To Be A Winner Both In Deen & Duniya

Let's see if we can digest these five steps together

In Shaa Allah

Bismillah

Rabbi Zidnee Ilman

”My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”

Part of being a Muslim involves having long-term goals. We don’t just plan for this world, but rather our work should involve extending preparations for the hereafter; our eternal life. For this reason, when Allah speaks about life within the Qur’an, within many single verses, he mentions the life of this *Dunya and the Akhirah* together. Through His infinite mercy, he has given us the key to achieving both.

1. Know your objective

Success always involves having an objective ; a goal that is set to be achieved. Without an objective, there isn’t a clear path to stride upon. Accountants, engineers, doctors, Imams and other professions all require having an objective. Before deciding as student which pathway to choose, every person has an objective and with that objective, a path is outlined eg. To become a doctor, a person has to study medicine and so they’ll enrol at Med school. Likewise, this same principle applies to us muslims. What is our objective? Our Prophet (peace be upon him) stated,

 

“ The highest of them (levels of Paradise) is Firdaws and the best of them is Firdaws. The Throne is above Firdaws and from it springs forth the rivers of Paradise. If you ask of Allah, ask Him for Firdaws.”

[ *Sunan Ibn Majah No. 4331]

Do not aim only for Paradise; aim for the best of it!  2. Dua

When speaking about attaining goodness, there are two verses that really stick out. *Allah says,*

 

 فَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ رَ‌بَّنَا* *آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَ‌ةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ

“And among the people is the one who says, ‘Our Lord, give us in this world,’ and they will have in the Hereafter no share.”

{Surah Baqarah 2: Ayaah 200}

This verse is then succeeded by,

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَ‌بَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَ‌ةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ‌

“But among them is the one who says, ‘Our Lord, give us in this world good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’”

{ *Baqarah 2: Ayaah 201}

Just by analysing these two amazing verses, Allah teaches us not to only focus on worldly matters ( *i.e* . *wealth* , *fame, power)* but the hereafter also has a right upon us to be sought. At the same time, we shouldn’t neglect this Dunya as Allah mentions,

 

وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّـهُ الدَّارَ‌ الْآخِرَ‌ةَ ۖ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا

“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world.”

{Surah Qassas 28: Ayaah 77}

Just don’t make your main priority the *Dunya because it will fade away.* What will remain is the afterlife. Make dua for it is one of the strongest connections a believer has with their lord.🧕🏻✍🏻

3. Strive

Anything worth achieving will always require determination. Just take a look at the most successful people of today, they are where they are because of hard work. They didn’t allow anyone to tell them they couldn’t do it. But Allah has something better in store for those who believe and do righteous deeds. At the beginning of Surah Muminoon, a passage I’m sure nearly all of us are familiar with, Allah speaks about attaining goodness,

 

 قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

“Certainly will the believers have succeeded”

{ *surah Muminoon 23: Ayaah 1}

I will take roll call after the presentation

 

 

Whipping of buttocks time

Who are these people that have already succeeded?* Their characteristics are mentioned within the next few verses:

• They who are during their prayer humbly submissive

• And they who turn away from ill speech

• And they who are observant of zakah

• And they who guard their private parts

• And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive

• And they who carefully maintain their prayers

{ *Surah Muminoon 23: Ayaah 2-9}

 

 ُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِ‌ثُونَ

“Those are the inheritors”

{ *Surah Muminoon 23: Ayaah 10}

 

What will they inherit?

 الَّذِينَ يَرِ‌ثُونَ الْفِرْ‌دَوْسَ هُمْ* *فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

“Who will inherit al-Firdaws. They will abide therein eternally.”

{ *Surah Muminoon 23: Ayaah 11}

Allah has made this Dunya a training ground to carry out the criteria mentioned at the beginning of Surah Muminoon. By striving and struggling, the muslim achieves  in the Dunya and Akhirah.

4. Being Optimistic

The life of this world will not always go according to what you want nor will you get what you want. Allah will test you with many trials and difficulties to purify you for the next life.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

 

“There is no Tiyara (evil omen) and the best is Fa’l (optimism)” They asked, “What is the Fal?” He said, “A good word that one of you hears (and takes as optimism).”

[ *Sahih Bukhari No. 5754]

 

How do remain positive in times of struggle? *By being optimistic in Allah and knowing that these trials will eventually come to an end.

5. Seeking protection

It will only be your enemies who will not want good for you and the greatest enemy to muslims is the Shaytan as *Allah warned us within the Quran,

 

 إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ* *فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ

“Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.”

{Surah Fatir 35: Ayaah 6}

 

Shaytan will do his utmost to get you to stray from your path. He will* *preoccupy you with the Dunya to the extent that either* *he’ll make you forget about the Akhirah, or he will* *trick you with the Dunya at the cost of* *the Akhirah and unfortunately, you* *will find muslims who are indulged in* *haram just to* *make a few extra pounds regardless* *of thinking whether Allah is pleased with them or* *not* .Allah says,

 

 *بَلْ تُؤْثِرُ‌ونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا*

“But you prefer the worldly life,”

 *وَالْآخِرَ‌ةُ خَيْرٌ‌ وَأَبْقَىٰ*

“While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.”

{ *Surah A’la 87: Ayaah 16-17}

The Akhirah will always have precedence over the Dunya because it is worth more in the sight of Allah and better for us as Muslims. This Dunya is a mere transitional phase that we will all pass through and for this reason, *the famous Tab’i; Imam Hasan* *Al-Basri* ( *Rahimahullah* ) would say,

✍🏻🧕🏻

“O youth! Seek the hereafter, for we often see people pursuing the hereafter and finding it as well as the Dunya, but we have never seen anyone pursue the Dunya and gain the hereafter as well as the Dunya.”

[ *Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Zuhd Al-Kabir*

Wosollallaahu alaa Nabiyyina Muhammad wa alaa aalihi wasohbihil ahyaar wasallama tasleeman kaseerah