Outline
Introduction
Alhamdulillah… Infinite praise and thanks are due to the Almighty Allah, the Bestower of prosperity. Complete blessings and salutations go to the most prosperous man, the first to step feet in to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection, Sayyidinā Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path.
If there’s that one thing you always wish for your loved ones, I guess that will be prosperity. To put it differently; if you’re presented with a few options of goodness and asked to choose one and only, I strongly assume you will choose prosperity. This is because prosperity is something that’s ought striving for. However, we often attach prosperity with material wealth and worldly possessions. No doubt, material wealth and anything that comes with it are significant to be prosperity, only when prosperity is viewed from the angle of this temporal life. However, the truth is, prosperity is attained when you succeed in winning Allahs’ blessings, regardless of how much you’ve accumulated from material possessions.
In this article, I’m sharing with you seven fundamental keys to prosperity, all of which are mentioned in the Qur’an. The good news is, the verses that highlight these fundamental keys are familiar to most of us, and we read them very often. With that, I hope it will be easy for us to digest them, and hopefully be able to internalize them in a way that will help us put them into practice, inshā Allah.
But before we dive into the seven fundamental keys of prosperity, let’s agree or in other words, let’s put prosperity in context. Are you ready? Here we go!
What’s Prosperity?
The English Dictionary defines prosperity as “a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respect or good fortune.” Antonyms to prosperity include deficiency or inadequacy, which mean failing or shortcoming.
In Islam, prosperity is not defined by possessions or good fortunes. It’s rather defined by actions. Thus, good fortune, for instance, can contribute in your attainment of success (prosperity) if you use it in a good and righteous cause.
Furthermore, if we look at the life story of Qārūn, the right hand man of Fir’aun, we find that he had the equivalent of wealth, which can be argued that none has had that much till today. Yet, the Qur’an classifies him as a failure. Yes, people of his time wished to be like him; as per their wrong perception of prosperity. But the Qur’an never recognizes Qārūn as a prosperous or successful person.
On the other hand, we have others who have used their good fortunes for good causes, and thus, attained with it prosperity. A good example includes Sayyidatunā Khadījah, and Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, raḍiya Allaāh ‘anhumā. (To see how they used their good fortune to attain prosperity click here.)
Again, the common thing between Qārūn on one hand and Sayyidatunā Khadījah and Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhumā on the other hand, is that each of them had a great deal of a good fortune. But what distinguishes between both of them and Qārūn is that they used their good fortune to successfully secure the real prosperity.
This is to say, a good fortune a tool and means that can be used to attain the true prosperity. Unfortunately, Qārūn looked at it as the end target, and hence, he was not bothered by the need to secure the fundamental keys that lead to the real prosperity.
The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not pass on until he gave glad tidings to many of his companions that they had successfully secured their keys to the real prosperity [read: paradise]. When you look at the life stories of these companions, you find that a significant number of them had a great deal of good fortune. And the remaining majority led a relatively financially poor life.
The 7 Fundamental Keys to Real Prosperity
Every destination has a key. Sometimes, it requires more than a key. The more sophisticated the place, the more keys and sophisticated access codes you need. The wise does his homework, paperwork, and whatnot, just to ensure he doesn’t obtain the wrong key to the right destination. Therefore, since we’ve come to an agreement on the definition and concept of prosperity, which you and I should be determined for, let’s move on to the fundamental keys we need for our prosperity.
#1: Allah-Consciousness
Likewise in any significant and meaningful endeavour that the Muslim seeks to undertake, fearing Allah is the first requirement you should fulfill if, truly, you’re determined to attained prosperity that is recognized and blessed by Allah, the Almighty.
There are numerous verses that highlight fearing Allah as one of the keys to prosperity. Each of them ends with the following phrase with some addition in one.:
وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٨٩﴾ـ
“Fear Allah, so that you may prosper.” (See Al-Baqarah, 2:189; Āl ‘Imran, 3:130; Āl ‘Imrān, 3:200; and Al-Mā’idah, 5:100, ).
The command in the above verses vary from one to another, and adhering to them implies our full submission to Allah. And that’s what makes a Muslim. However, one may be physically engaging in executing those commands, but lacks the fear factor. And that fear factor is what leads to attaining the intended prosperity.
This goes without saying that the moment God-consciousness is achieved, sincerity has automatically been achieved.
Moreover, when God-consciousness settles in your heart, it doesn’t matter what you possess. If your possession happens to be money, it will guide you to spend it righteously. If it happens to be knowledge, you’ll use it in and for good causes. If it happens to be power or position, you’ll be guided to use it responsibly in the best interest of the Ummah.
#2: Striving for Allah’s Cause
Once Allah-consciousness is achieved, striving for His cause become easily achievable. Yes, it’s easily achievable, but one must plan and work towards achieving it, for it to happen. Therefore, you must devote some time out of your busy schedule to do something solely to attain His approval and acceptance. This is understood from Surah al-Mā’idah, 35, where Allah says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ وَٱبْتَغُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾ـ
“Believers, fear Allah and seek ways to come closer to Him and strive for His cause, so that you may prosper.” (Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 5:35).
Striving for Allah’s cause eases your life, and eradicates your pains. It also helps in cleansing your heart. This is because you can’t do to it without selflessness. And selflessness is one of the effective ways in purifying the heart. Real happiness is when your heart is clean and your mind is at peace.
#3: Abstaining from Intoxicants, Gambling and Idolatory
The next thing you have to do to secure your keys to prosperity is to make a firm decision and stick to it. That is to abstain from intoxicants, gambling and idolatory. Allah says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْخَمْرُ وَٱلْمَيْسِرُ وَٱلْأَنصَابُ وَٱلْأَزْلَـٰمُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ فَٱجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٩٠﴾ـ
“Believers, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are abominations devised by Satan. Avoid them, so that you may prosper.” (Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 5:90).
One can see, that intoxicants, gambling, and idolatory are three different things, but they mostly come together, and they’re usually practised and or consumed together. When one is involved in idolatory, it’s difficult to not find him involved in drinking and or gambling. And vice versa.
Moreover, look at how Allah describes them as filthy, abhorred, and shameful habits that should be avoided. This is because any of them serves as a contamination to your will power and determination. Already, idolatory nullifies your faith if you’re involved in it. What good then will you achieve from your other deeds? Similarly, intoxicants will affect your mind and decision-making when you need them most. Gambling will lead you to addiction and possible depression and family instability. And mind you, we’re searching for the right keys to the real prosperity.
If you’re not involved in any of them, thank God for that. But ensure you maintain the distance. If, however, you’re tested with any of them, it’s not too late. Perhaps, this is your chance, since you’re reading this. So, let’s take the challenge. You can do it!
#4: Appreciating for Allah’s Bounties
Your fourth fundamental key to prosperity is gratitude. You must learn, if you don’t do that already, to sing Allah praises for His abundant favours. This is exactly what Sayyidunā Hūd ‘alayhi al -salām advised and reminded his people about…
أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَن جَآءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنكُمْ لِيُنذِرَكُمْ ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمْ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ بَصْۜطَةً ۖ فَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ ءَالَآءَ ٱللَّـهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٦٩﴾ـ
“Do you find it strange that a Message should come from your Lord, through one of your own men, to warn you? Remember how He made you successors of Noah's people, and increased you greatly in stature. Remember the favours of Allah, so that you may prosper.” (Sūrah al-A’rāf, 7:69).
My friend, gratitude makes you a person of courtesy. The good news is, Allah bestows even more and greater amount of His bounties upon people who show gratitude and gratefulness (to read more about appreciation and gratefulness, click here). So don’t miss out!
#5: Remembering Allah Very Often
Dhikr, dhikr, and dhikr… Enough has been said and written on this, here on GSalam.Net and elsewhere. But I have to pen it down, because an immerse indulgence in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) is one of the fundamental keys you need to attain true prosperity.
وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٠﴾ـ
“and remember God much, so that you may prosper.” (Sūrah al-Jumu’ah, 62:10).
Remembering Allah will put your heart to ease and at comfort. It will also entitle you for closeness to Him. The only thing is that, it requires that you make it a habit (with intention and sincerity) of yours. Let it be part of your breath and sweat. (You may be interested in Dhikr: Your Most Effective Means for Stress Relief and Secrets of Dhikr Which Many of Us Have Overlooked.)
#6: Doing Good Works
Doing good. Showing kindness. Being helpful. Do good and be non-calculative about it; and you’ll own the sixth key to prosperity, insah Allah. This is understood from Sūrah al-Ḥajj, where Allah says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟ وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ وَٱفْعَلُوا۟ ٱلْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴿٧٧﴾ـ
“Believers, kneel and prostrate yourselves, worship your Lord and do good works, so that you may succeed.” (Sūrah al-Ḥajj, 22:77).
One of the easiest way to experience real happiness is to render yourself, wealth, knowledge or service helpful to others. Doing good will only beget you good. It will never leave you in regret.
#7: Repenting to Allah
Your seventh and last fundamental key to real prosperity is genuine repentance to Allah. Unconditionally!
وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١﴾ـ
“Believers, turn to God, every one of you, so that you may prosper.” (24:31).
No matter how much we put in, as human beings, we’ll remain with shortcomings and imperfections. No matter how much we remember God, we fall short in His remembrance. No matter how much good work we offer, we fall short to been grateful enough for His abundant bounties. Above all, we sin more than we ever think we do.
This, if not for anything, is worth that we constantly repent to Allah, subḥānahū wa ta‘ālā. And doing that will secure you the seventh fundamental key to prosperity. In Sūrah al-Nūr, Allah commands all believers, to repent to him, so they will attain prosperity.
Conclusion
There’s no life in the absence of prosperity. Again, prosperity in the context and perspective of Islam. In fact, even in the perspective of materialism, life is miserable in the absence of prosperity. What more in the eternal life?
One more important thing to note is that the actions needed to be taken to secure the seven fundamental keys to prosperity don’t require that you have a good fortune. In other words, you’re not deprived from attaining real prosperity until you deprive yourself.
One can see that, each of the seven fundamental keys highlighted in this article requires a certain extent of devotion and selflessness. Although by observing them, one is seeking more of the eternal, it’s worth emphasizing that observing them returns to you with a lot of worldly gains and benefits. Think about peace of mind. Think about a clean heart. Think about enjoying sound sleep without the influence of drug or having any form of anxiety.
My best prayers for you is that Allah grants you prosperity. I also pray that He guides you in securing the 7 fundamental keys and any other keys that may be needed to attain real prosperity in reality. Amin!
To receive updates from GSalam.Net delivered right to your inbox, click here. I will be glad if you join the discussion on Facebook.
Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂
Be the first to comment on "Determined for Prosperity: 7 Fundamental Keys to Real Prosperity"