What comes to mind when you think about success and productivity? For me, like probably most people today, the first thing that comes to mind are the billionaires and entrepreneurs that are household names. I mean, clearly they must be doing something right with their time if they made it this far in life.
But of course, that's because our world today defines success based on fame and wealth. The more money you want, the more productive you have to be. I'd like to think that as Muslims we can agree that our lives are not defined by these goals. And before we talk about tips to implement good habits,
we've got to reorient the purpose we're here for. One of the most powerful sayings of the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, that really captures not simply our purpose in life,
but the direct and immediate role Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has in facilitating our affairs, is one in which he states, man kaan fil aakhiratu hammahu that the person who makes the next life their primary concern, hammahu, their goals, their desires, ja'alallahu ghinaahu fee qalbihi
Allah will place wealth or abundance in their hearts. wa jama'a lahu shamlahu and He will organize this person's affairs. wa atithu al-dunya wa hiya raaghima and this world will come to them whether it, here meaning the world, wants to or not.
This is incredibly profound because it puts our lives into so much perspective. When we revolve our decisions and actions around the intention and the constant goal of pursuing God's pleasure in the next life, all of the doors of this world will open right before your eyes.
Allah promises us that the world, no matter how corrupt we humans make it, the world will still come to you, the believer seeking everything but the world. wa jama'a lahu shamlahu Such an incredible promise. Translating it as Allah will organize this person's affairs
doesn't do the statement justice. Imagine an endless list of tasks that you have to get through. Some are work-related, some family, some personal. Some need hours of attention, while others require running countless errands. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, says that Allah will
jama'a lahu shamlahu it means that all of those endless tasks that seemed scattered and required so much time will effortlessly come together. And you'll suddenly find yourself accomplishing multiple tasks quickly and with ease. In other words, the person who keeps her eyes on the prize
and truly defines her life based on the purpose they were created for will not only be blessed in their time and work, but most importantly, ja'a lahu ghinahu fi qalbihi Allah will fill their heart with a sense of abundance, accomplishment, and true fulfillment
that very few people in this world experience. The hadith, however, doesn't stop there. On the flip side, we learn of the consequence of those whose sole focus in this world, the intention behind which they build their goals and habits, is in pursuit of this world alone
and the fame and riches it offers. Allah says in regard to these people, they will only get exactly what has been decreed for them. No more, no less. Meaning that they are entirely deprived of any form of barakah
or blessing in one's time, efforts, health, family, you name it. And on top of that, farraqa aw shattada alayhi shamlahu their affairs will be scattered. Think back again to that endless list of tasks you need to accomplish.
Think of each task as a paper stacked on your desk. You've got a pile to get through. When the Prophet says Allah will scatter their affairs, imagine that huge pile of papers on your desk flying in the wind and scattering in every direction. You're then left running to chase after each task,
making everything that much harder and more time consuming. And at the end of the day, the one who is looking only to find happiness in this world, ja'a lahu faqrahu bayna aynayhi that Allah will stamp poverty, a lack of success, that sense of emptiness between that person's eyes.
Which is to say that such a person, no matter how hard they try, will never gain a true sense of accomplishment in this world. Real achievement is far from the lives of the multi-million and billionaires we're so familiar with today. Our lives have meaning so much greater than that.
And only by living in hopes of fulfilling our true purpose will we experience our peak productivity and success.