Key to Success-Falah

 

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

What is Falah? How and from where can it be obtained?

Success is really attained by the believers - 23:1.

*Key to success* 

Just linked these two together for the first time and not sure if everyone knew this and I'm just now figuring it out or what, but when the Athan (Muslim's call to prayer) is called, it says " *Come to success* ". Then in Surah Almuminoon, chapter 23 of the Quran, the first verse says " *The believers are successfu* l", and the very next verse describes them as being *humble* in their *PRAYERS* ! So here in these two examples are two correlations between *prayer and success.* When you are so hungry for success but are struggling to attain it, look at your prayers.

There's the *key to your success*

 *رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ* 

" *O my Lord! make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also raise such among my offspring, Lord, and accept my Prayer* ". 

The word falah (translated above as 'success' ) has been used in the Qur'an and Sunnah on numerous occasions. The call to prayers invites every Muslim towards falah five times a day. The word signifies the attainment of all desires as well as protection from all misfortunes. (Qamus). It is so comprehensive in its connotation that it may be regarded as the acme of one's desire - but the total falah, where no desire remains unfulfilled or complete immunity from the vicissitudes of fate exists, is not granted even to great kings or to the most revered prophets of Allah. In any case there is an ever-present fear of a decline in or loss of good fortune, or the apprehension of an impending disaster, and no living person can claim to be free from it.

Thus it is evident that total falah cannot be achieved in this world which is a place of pain and suffering, where nothing is everlasting and everything must ultimately perish. However this priceless commodity will be available in another world, namely the Paradise and it is there that people will achieve all their wishes very promptly وَلَهُم مَّا يَدَّعُونَ (They have all that they call for - 36:57). 

In that world there will be no sorrow, no distress, and everyone will enter there with the following words on his lips:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ إِنَّ رَ‌بَّنَا لَغَفُورٌ‌ شَكُورٌ‌ الَّذِي أَحَلَّنَا دَارَ‌ الْمُقَامَةِ مِن فَضْلِهِ

Praise belongs to Allah who has put away all sorrow from us. Surely our Lord is All-Forgiving, All-Thankful, who of His bounty has made us to dwell in the abode of everlasting life -35:34, 35.

This verse also suggest that in this world there is nobody who at some time or the other has not been afflicted by pain and anguish. Therefore, on entering the Paradise people will say that they have been delivered from all sufferings. In Surah al-A` la while the Qur’ an says that falah may be obtained by purifying oneself against sins (قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ), it also says that total falah may be achieved in the Hereafter only. A Person who aims at falah must not succumb to the temptations of this world:

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُ‌ونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَ‌ةُ خَيْرٌ‌ وَأَبْقَىٰ

Nay, but you prefer the present life; and the world to come is better, and more lasting. - 8.7: 16, 17

In brief, while total falah may be obtained in the Paradise only, Allah grants falah to his servants in this world also in the narrow sense of the word i.e. he grants them prosperity and relief from pain. In the present verse Allah has promised falah to those believers who possess the seven attributes mentioned therein, and it includes the total falah which can be achieved in the Hereafter only in addition to whatever falah may be obtained in this world.

Here one may ask that while the promise of total falah in the Hereafter to the believers who possess the seven attributes mentioned in this verse is understandable, the common experience is that in this world the recipients of falah (prosperity and success) are generally the infidels and the impious persons. On the other hand the prophets and other reformers have, in all ages, suffered privations of life. The answer to this is that since total falah is to be achieved in the Hereafter only, it is inevitable that everybody in this world, whether he is a good and a pious man or whether he is a wicked person and an unbeliever, must face a certain measure of pain and hardship. Similarly every person, good or bad, has some of his wishes granted in this world. In these circumstances how is one to decide as to which of these two categories is the recipient of falah. The answer to this question can only be provided by the fate which awaits them.

Human experience and observations provide sufficient evidence that although the pious people who possess the seven attributes mentioned above may at times face hardships and tribulations in this world, yet very soon they are released from all distress and they achieve their wishes. They command the respect of the whole world as long as they live and then after their death their memory is cherished and revered by all.

The seven attributes of a perfect Believer on the basis of which he has been promised falah in this verse both in this world and in the Hereafter

The first and most important attribute which is fundamental and basic to everything else is that a person should be a true believer. The other seven attributes mentioned in the verse are discussed below.

The first attribute is خُشُوع Khushu` (translated in the text as being concentrative) during prayers. The literal meaning of this word is "calmness", but in religious terminology it means "to bring about a state of perfect concentration in the heart" so that he does not knowingly allow any thoughts to enter his heart other than the remembrance of Allah. It also means that during prayers a person must abstain from moving his body and limbs unnecessarily (Bayan u1-Qur'an). He must, in particular, avoid those movements of the body which have been forbidden by the Holy Prophet ﷺ and which the jurists have compiled under the general heading مَکرُوھَات (things which are disliked during prayers). Tafsir Mazhari quotes the above definition of خُشُوع (Khushu`) from Sayyidna ` Amr Ibn Dinar ؓ . Other scholars have given different definitions of this word, but they are in fact further details of what the serenity of the heart and the body means. For instance, according to Sayyidna Mujahid, casting down one's eyes and keeping the voice low is خُشُوع whereas Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ said that خُشُوع is to refrain from casting sideways glances obliquely. Sayyidna ` Ata' says that the word خُشُوع means "not toying with any part of the body". There is a hadith from Sayyidna Abu Dharr ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said, "Allah keeps an eye over His servant during prayers so long as he concentrates his attention on Allah, but when he turns his attention elsewhere and glances obliquely sideways, Allah also turns away from him." (Mazhari) The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have directed Sayyidna 'Anas رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ to keep his eyes fixed at the spot which he touched with his forehead when performing sajdah (prostration) and not to look right and left during prayers.

Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Holy Prophet ﷺ saw a man praying who was toying with his beard and remarked لو خشع قلب ھٰذا لخشعت جوارحہ (If this man had Khushu` in his heart, his body and limbs would have remained calm).

How important is Khushu' during prayers?

Imam Ghazzali, Qurtubi and some other scholars are of the view that Khushu` during prayers is obligatory and a prayer offered without total Khushu` will be deemed not to have been performed. However there are others who believe that while Khushu' is the essence of prayers and its absence deprives the prayers of their true purpose, yet it cannot be regarded as an indispensable condition for the prayers to be valid and its absence will not render it necessary to repeat performance of the prayers.

Hakim ul-Ummah has written in Bayan ul-Qur'an that while Khushu' is not a necessary condition for the validity of the prayers, yet it is an essential element for the acceptance of the prayers by Allah and from this point of view it is obligatory. Tabarani in his book al-Mu'jim al-Kabir has related a hadith on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Darda' ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "The first thing that will be taken away from this Ummah is Khushu' so much so that a time will come when no one will be left to practice Khushu"'.

The second attribute of a good Muslim is that he abstains from frivolous and vain things. لَغو (Laghw, translated in the text as 'vain things' ) means useless talk and action which do not bring any religious reward and in its extreme form it may include sinful acts that are positively harmful and must, therefore, be avoided. And in its mild from laghw is neither useful nor harmful but it is very desirable to give up this habit. There is a hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ said من حسن اسلام المرأ ترکہ ما لا یعنیہ (It is a part of one's being a fair Muslim that he gives up all that is useless for him). For these reasons guarding oneself against useless acts has been described as an attribute of a good Muslim in this verse.

The third attribute is Zakah which, literally means "to purify" but in religious terminology it means giving in charity a portion of one's wealth subject to certain prescribed conditions and the word has been generally used in the Qur'an in this sense. This meaning of the word can be applied in this verse also. However this meaning of the word in the present context has been questioned by some scholars on the ground that this verse was revealed in Makkah when Zakah was not made obligatory. (Zakah was made obligatory after Hijrah to Madinah). Ibn Kathir and other commentators have answered this objection by claiming that Zakah was in actual fact made obligatory in Makkah as will be evident from Surah Al-Muzzammil, which is by consensus a Makkan Surah, in which the words وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ (and pay zakah) occur alongside of the words أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ. However arrangements for its collection and details regarding the determination of wealth liable to Zakah .(nisab) were settled after Hijrah to Madinah. According to this interpretation of the verse Zakah was made obligatory in Makkah but rules prescribing its various details were formulated in Madinah. As regards those scholars who hold the view that Zakah was made obligatory after Hijrah to Madinah, they believe that the word must be interpreted here in its common literal sense i.e. to purify one's own self. There is an indication in the verse itself which supports this meaning of the word. It will be observed that wherever obligatory Zakah has been mentioned in the Qur'an the words used are لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ ، یوتون الزَّكَاةِ and اُتوا الزَّكَاةِ (which refer to the 'payment' of zakah) whereas here the words used are لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ (who are performers of zakah) which clearly indicates that in this verse the word has not been used in its technical meaning. Besides, the word فَاعِلُونَ (performers) is related to فعل (performance) and technically Zakah is not an act but a portion of wealth and the use of the word فَاعِلُونَ for this portion of wealth needs suitable explanation. If the technical meaning of the word Zakah is adopted, then its being obligatory and binding on all Muslims is undisputed and if the word means purification of soul then that too is obligatory and to cleanse one's soul of impurities and sins such as polytheism, hypocrisy, vanity, jealousy, hatred, greed, miserliness is called تزکیہ (tazkiyah). All these things are forbidden and are major sins and it is obligatory to purify one's soul from them.