WINNERS & LOSERS: Allah has drawn the line!

 

Winners & Losers:

Allah Has Drawn The Line

Believers with good deeds, who follow and

promote the Truth & Patient Perseverance,

are the winners (successful).

Everybody else is a loser!

(M. Javed Naseem)

وَٱلْعَصْرِ إِنَّ ٱلإِنسَانَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ

إِلاَّ ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّالِحَاتِ

وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِٱلصَّبْرِ

By (the Token of) Time (through the ages),

Verily Man is in loss, except such as have Faith,

and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in

the mutual teaching of Truth, and of

Patience and Constancy.

(al-Quran 103:1-3)

In today’s material world, success is measured by money. Anybody who is wealthy and who owns buildings, is considered ‘successful’ while the poor are labeled as losers or failures. Money is the yardstick used to measure people’s success. But, as they say, money is not everything. And it is true too. You can buy a lot of things with money and make your life more comfortable with wealth, but the true wealth is not measured with the yardstick of money or material. Your righteousness, your love, your sincerity, your honesty, your wisdom, your knowledge and your sense of justice are a lot more valuable than money.

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Jesus said:

“Be on your guard against all covetousness,

for one’s life does not consist in the

abundance of his possessions!”

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Man is a social animal who cannot live alone – by himself. He needs others and that makes us a community and a society. It is up to us if we want to make it a material society or balance it with spiritual and sentimental feelings. For that, the rules and regulations have been laid out. There are man-made rules and then there are God-made rules or laws that the Almighty Creator has conveyed to us through His Messengers or Prophets. While a man judges other people’s success on material wealth, the Almighty has declared His own criterion. God judges us on the scale of righteousness or piety and commands us to do the same.

“Successful indeed are those

who purify themselves.”

(al-Quran 87:14)

Success is in the obedience to God Almighty. Success is in the pleasure of Allah. Success is to surrender unconditionally to the Will of God. Successful are those who live by the Book of Allah, as per the rules & regulations prescribed by Allah, the Supreme Creator.

The Quran says:

“Let there arise out of you a band of people

inviting to all that is good, enjoining what

is right, and forbidding what is wrong.

Such are they who are successful.”

– (al-Quran 3:104)

“The answer of the Believers, when summoned

to Allah and His Messenger, in order that

He may judge between them, is no other than

this: They say, "We hear and we obey".

And such are the successful.”

– (al-Quran 24:51)

“But any that (in this life) had repented,

believed, and worked righteousness,

will have hopes to be among

the successful.”

– (al-Quran 28:67)

“So fear Allah as much as you can;

listen and obey; and spend in charity

for the benefit of your own soul; and

those saved from the covetousness of

their own souls, they are the successful.”

– (al-Quran 64:16)

The scriptures tell us that the most successful people are those who are closer to God because they fear Him, respect Him and love Him too. They obey God’s commands and stay within the limits prescribed by the Creator. In return, God is pleased with them because of their obedience and righteousness; and raises their status. In truth, they are the people who are really successful. They are the winners.

The Bible says:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well.”

– (Matthew 6:33)

“For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh,

the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not

from the Father but from the world. The world and

its desires pass away, but whoever does the will

of God lives forever.”

– (1 John 2:16-17)

“He holds success in store for the upright;

He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.”

– (Proverbs 2:7)

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you

may be careful to do according to all that is written in it;

for then you will make your way prosperous,

and then you will have success.”

– (Joshua 1:8)

“Commit your actions to the Lord,

and your plans will succeed!”

– (Proverbs 16:3)

I started this article with Surah al-Asr (Chapter 103) of the Quran and I would like to finish it with the same, as this is one of my favorites. In this Surah (Chapter), the Most Merciful Lord draws the line between success and failure, between the winners and the losers. He makes it very clear, without any confusion or ambiguity, that whosoever does the following four deeds, is the winner or the successful. Everybody else is a loser or a failure! Those four deeds are:

1) Faith or belief in Allah’s sovereignty.

2) Deeds of Righteousness.

3) Practicing and promoting the Truth; and

4) Practicing and promoting patient perseverance.

This is the yardstick by which the entire humanity would be judged by Allah on the Day of Judgment. If we have not performed those four acts; didn’t live our lives according to those four fundamental principles, we would be the real losers in the Hereafter – an eternal life that really matters!

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