| Answer: You see we
must turn to the Qur’an for the definition of the word
success. One’s own conception of success is of course no
yardstick in religion.
The Qur’an is firm
that real success is the success in the Hereafter:
فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ
الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ (٣:١٨٥)
So, he who is saved from Hell and admitted
into Heaven indeed attained success. (3:185)
This world is just a
transient prelude to the real life to come. The Qur’an says
that this world in reality has not been made for rewarding a
person for every good deed or punishing him in this world for
a bad deed in his span of life. It is only in the Hereafter
that results will truly be in conformity with the deeds done.
A person who is a sincere seeker of the truth, whether he is a
Muslim or a non-Muslim, will attain success in the world to
come.
The other thing that
needs to be understood is that Islam wants its adherents to
live a profound life in this world by doing whatever they can
for its betterment. However, they must always give priority to
the requisites of the Hereafter. If they have to choose
between good and evil, they must always strive to choose good.
Other than this, they must strive to contribute to make this
world a better place by producing good scientists, engineers,
doctors, lawyers and the like to become leaders of the world
in technology. All this is inherent in the urge found in human
nature. Islam does not curtail it; it only directs man to live
with the priority of the Hereafter while contributing to this
world through his skills and abilities. In short, one must
strike a balance between one’s struggles and efforts to
achieve material success, which must not override the
requisites of the life to come.
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