The Principles of Success in the light of the Seerah
It
is a well-known fact that the Prophet of Islam (saw) has been the supremely
successful man in human history. But he was not just a hero, as Thomas Carlyle
has called him. According to the Qur'an, he was the best example for all
mankind. He has shown us the way of achieving supreme success in this world.
By
studying the life of the Prophet (saw), we can derive those important
principles which were followed by the Prophet (saw). Indeed, the Prophet of
Islam (saw) was a positive thinker in the full sense of the word. All his
activities were result-oriented. He completely refrained from all such steps
as may prove counter-productive.
This
principle is well explained in a saying of Aishah (ra). She said:
"Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted
for the easier choice." (Al-Bukhari) To choose the easiest option means
to begin from the possible, and one who begins from the possible will surely
reach his goal.
In
the early days of Mecca, there were many problems and difficulties. At that
time, a guiding verse in the Qur'an was revealed. It said: "With every
hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease." (94:5-6).
This
means that if there are some problems, there are also opportunities at the
same time. And the way to success is to ignore the problems and avail the
opportunities.
This
principle is derived from the Hijrah. Hijrah was not just a migration from
Mecca to Medina. It was to find a more suitable place for Islamic work, as
history proved later on.
The
Prophet (saw) of Islam was repeatedly subjected to practices of antagonism by
the unbelievers. At that time the Qur'an enjoined upon him the return of good
for evil. And then, as the Qur'an added, "You will see your direst enemy
has become your closest friend" (41:34).
It
means that a good deed in return of a bad deed has a conquering effect over
your enemies. And the life of the Prophet (saw) is a historical proof of this
principle.
After
the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as the prisoners of
war. They were educated people. The Prophet (saw) announced that if any one of
them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed.
This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students
were Muslims, and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank. Here I shall
quote a British orientalist who remarked about the Prophet of Islam (saw): He
faced adversity with the determination to writing success out of failure.
When
Mecca was conquered, all of the Prophet's (saw) direst opponents were brought
before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the word. But the
Prophet (saw) did not order to kill them. He simply said: "Go, you are
free." The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately
accepted Islam.
In
the famous Ghazwa of Muta, Khalid bin Walid decided to withdraw Muslim forces
from the battlefield because he discovered that his army was
disproportionately outnumbered. When they reached Medina, some of the Muslims
received them by the word "O Furrar (O deserters!)" The Prophet
(saw) said "No. They are Kurrar
(men
of advancement)."
Those
Medinan people were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or retreating. The
Prophet (saw) said no. There is also a third option, and that is to avoid war
and find a time to strengthen yourself. Now history tells us that the Muslims,
after three years of preparation, advanced again towards the Roman border and
this time they won a resounding victory.
This
principle is derived from the Ghazwa of Hudaibiyya. At that time, the
unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, because obviously
they were in an advantageous position. But the Prophet (saw), by accepting
their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact. It was a ten-year peace
treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non- Muslims had
been on the battlefield. Now the area of conflict became that of ideological
debate. Within two years, Islam emerged as victorious because of the simple
reason of its ideological superiority.
This
principle is well established by a hadith of Al-Bukhari. Aishah (ra) says that
the first verses of the Qur'an were related mostly to heaven and hell. And
then after a long time when the people's hearts had softened, the specific
commands to desist from adultery and drinking were revealed in the Qur'an.
This is a clear proof that for social changes, Islam advocates the
evolutionary method, rather than the revolutionary method.
During
the writing of Hudaibiyya treaty, the Prophet (saw) dictated these words:
"This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God." The Quraysh delegate
raised objections over these words. The Prophet (saw) promptly changed the
word and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah.
These
were the principles through which the Prophet of Islam (saw) gained that
success which has been recognized by historians as the true success.
This
article has been reproduced on the Islamic
Management Net website with the permission of Maulana Wahiduddin
Khan. Please, send any feedback to: Maulana@alrisala.org
Address
your correspondence to:
Maulana
Wahiduddin Khan, President,
The
Islamic Centre, 1,
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