Islam is a religion of progress and success. God has provided Islam to individuals and communities so that they all may achieve growth and success in life. Those who, according to the divine plan, cultivate their talents will be guided by God to His paradise, and He will illuminate the path to paradise for them in this world. Those who do not use their talents, misuse them, or use them minimally will be guided to hell, and He will show them the path to hell from this world. Success is attainable through planning and acting according to the plan. Every success in this world and the hereafter belongs to God. Those who receive special help from God, no one can overcome them, and if God wills someone to be wretched, no one can help them.......

Which path are you on? The path of truth or falsehood? Success and misery are two sides of the coin of life. All individuals and societies either walk the path of success or the path of misery. A divine life is a journey on the highway of success and ascension, while a non-divine or satanic life is a journey on the path of misery and downfall. Talking about success and misery is essentially talking about life. Success is the only path of divine servitude, and misery is the only path of non-divine or satanic servitude. Those who walk the path of divine servitude are among the most successful individuals and societies. Those who walk the path of success become the best servants of God. On the other hand, those who are not on the path of God's servitude are not successful and must...

Those who do not pursue success do not find themselves on the path of divine servitude. In fact, servitude and success are like two interlinked chains; by having one, a person will also attain the other. Denying either divine success or servitude brings about divine abandonment and misfortune....

Characteristics of a Successful Life

The life of successful people has distinct characteristics that set it apart from others. The life of the successful is filled with hardships because they are always striving to reach the peaks of goodness. One notable feature is that their life, despite the difficulties, is enjoyable. Regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in, their life becomes more pleasurable. The successful always correct their mistakes in life...

Another feature of a successful life is being pleasurable. Successful individuals and societies always see themselves in the presence of God. Whatever good or bad happens to them, they feel genuinely happy and derive pleasure from it, knowing that God is aware and that event has taken place in His presence. They believe that whatever the beloved (God) does is sweet, even if it might be painful from a worldly perspective.
"And say, 'Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.'" (Quran 9:105)
Successful individuals and societies see themselves as participants in a competition, being watched by their spectators and supporters. They know that if they make their efforts, their supporters will be pleased and happy with them, even if they do not achieve the desired results, because their sacrifice and endurance in facing hardships are witnessed....

Enjoy your life along with hardships.

One of the features of a successful life is enduring hardships. All successful individuals and societies have endured many hardships on their path to success. They understand that achieving success is not possible without enduring hardships. They know that reaching the highest peak of success involves difficulties. They always consider the climb to be tough and believe that without hardship, the ascent is not possible. These are the people who will receive their records from the front and in their right hand, will pass through the easy reckoning, and join the other successful ones to live in Paradise with them. In contrast, unsuccessful individuals and societies will have a difficult life not only in this world but also in the hereafter because they did not take advantage of the good opportunities in the world and did not willingly face and pass through the hardships of this world. Instead, they remained passive and let the world's hardships come to them. Such people may find ease and comfort in this world, but on the Day of Judgment, they will receive their records from behind their back and in their left hand, and their final destination will be Hell and fire.

"O mankind! Indeed, you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it. Then as for one who is given his record in his right hand, He will be judged with an easy account and return to his people in happiness. But as for one who is given his record behind his back, He will cry out for destruction and burn in a Blaze. Indeed, he had [once] been among his people in happiness." (Qur'an, Al-Inshiqaq 6-13)....

**Correcting Mistakes**
Another characteristic of a successful life is the ability to correct mistakes. Individuals and communities on the path to progress often find their errors more visible in this worldly life, and these have a significant impact on their attainment of the peak of success. For this reason, they face difficulties...

In this world, the challenges and hardships people face to atone for their mistakes are meant to help them quickly repay their dues, so they can achieve success. This is because the world is a part of the journey toward success.
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "The moments of sorrow for a believer are times of atonement." 1
The sad moments in a believer's life are times when they are paying for their mistakes and sins in this world....

The factors influencing success and misery can be divided into four categories: God, self, others, and nature. These four factors are influential in achieving success, and each plays a role. God, as the Creator and source of all power, helps all His creations reach their desires. Everyone created by God is given the blessing of free will, and they can shape their future with this choice. Some choose success, and others choose failure. God created individuals and societies in a way that they influence and are influenced by others in life. Nature, as the final influential factor, also impacts the lives of individuals and societies. Anyone who wishes to achieve success must also utilize the capacities of nature....

O God, I love You.
God’s role in achieving success is exceptional. It is God who has given strength and power to all His creations, and they can choose between good and evil based on their free will. God helps those who want to abstain from disobedience to Him and grants success to those who wish to fulfill His commands.

Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi reported from Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that he asked about the meaning of "There is no power and no strength except through Allah." He said: "Its meaning is that we have no power to abstain from disobeying God except with the help of God, and we have no strength to perform obedience to God except with the success granted by Allah, the Exalted and Glorious."...
*Al-Tawhid (by Al-Saduq); page 242, Hadith 3.*

How much do you utilize God's capacity to optimize your life?
God is the Creator and Owner of everything. He created everything and then entrusted it to individuals and communities. They must use their talents according to the plan that God has provided through His messengers. At the end of this world, God will hold a great court where all individuals and communities will be questioned. Those who have misused or neglected their talents will suffer loss and misery, while those who use their talents according to the divine plan will succeed. Islam, as God's program, is the only path to success. God does not wrong anyone at any stage of life or during the establishment of the court.
"Indeed, God does not wrong people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves" (Yunus, 10:44)....

Religion is God's program for the flourishing of individuals and societies.
a) **Teaching**: One of the ways God helps individuals and societies to succeed is through teaching. God has taught all those He created the way of life. He sent religion to all His accountable creatures to educate them, teaching them things they could not acquire on their own. As mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 151: "He teaches you what you did not know." By providing the Quran and teachers, He guides them....

By providing the Quran and great teachers like the divine scholars, God has facilitated the path of learning and education for everyone. One method of education is teaching and attending classes, but learning is not solely limited to participating in classes; rather, a large portion of learning is granted by God Himself.
In "Muniyat al-Murid," page 167, it is mentioned: "As Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, knowledge is not acquired by extensive learning; rather, it is a light that Allah, the Exalted, casts into the heart of whoever He wills to guide."...

Do you pay attention to God's help in your life?
God, based on the talents and plans He has given to individuals and societies, knows which of them will succeed and be among the people of paradise, and which will be unfortunate and end up in hell. The system He has established in the world is that every individual or society can choose goodness and enter paradise, or choose evil and end up in hell.
His [devil] companion will say, "Our Lord, I did not make him transgress, but he [himself] was in extreme error." (Qur'an 50:27)....

Victory (Nusrat):
Another way through which God helps individuals and communities achieve success is through *Nusrat* (Divine assistance). *Nusrat* is the special help from God that is bestowed upon believers and those who are on the path of success. Those who have already traversed part of the path to success correctly receive special assistance from God. The extent of God’s *Nusrat* is vast, encompassing both this world and the hereafter. As stated in the Quran:
Indeed, We will support Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses will stand- (Surah Ghafir 40:51)...

Tawakkul (Reliance on Allah)
Another way in which Allah helps individuals and societies achieve success is through *Tawakkul* (reliance on Allah). Tawakkul means using Allah's potential to optimize life and achieve success. Some people do not rely on Allah in this world, or when they do, they do not act. Both groups deprive themselves of Allah's potential. Reliance on Allah complements individuals' and societies' actions. Those who rely on Allah use His capacity from the start of an endeavor through planning, execution, and completion, utilizing His agency. In other words, throughout every step of an activity, reliance on Allah means He actively wants to help everyone on the path to success. For this reason, Allah handles part of the tasks Himself.
Or say, ‘Had Allah guided me I would have surely been among the Godwary!’ (Al-Zumar, 57)....

God is the best advocate.
Forgiveness:
Another way in which God helps individuals and communities to succeed is through forgiveness. On the path to success and utilizing their talents, people and communities inevitably make mistakes and encounter impurities, and the only way out of them is through God's forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of the essential elements of life and success. Those who are not granted God's forgiveness are certainly among the losers. However, those who make use of God's forgiveness draw much closer to success. The greatest successful person in the world, the Prophet of Islam, used God's forgiveness seventy times a day.
*‘Addat al-Da’i wa Najah al-Sa’i,* p. 265, narrates from Imam al-Ridha: “The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) would not rise from a gathering, even if it was brief, without seeking God's forgiveness twenty-five times.”...

**A) Support**
Another way in which God helps individuals and communities to succeed is through support. Individuals and communities who have embarked on fulfilling God's plan benefit from His support. In life, there are some who act as obstacles and opponents to the progress of individuals and communities. In such situations, God provides support and backing to successful individuals and communities. Those who do not believe in or trust in God, and who rely on others instead with a false perception of support, do not realize that besides God, no other deity can help them.
Say, ‘Invoke those whom you claim [to be gods] besides Allah! They do not control [even] an atom’s weight in the heavens or the earth, nor do they have any share in [either of] them, nor is any of them His helper.’_ (Saba, 22)....

**C) Protection from Danger**
One of the ways God helps individuals and communities succeed is by protecting them from danger. Successful individuals and communities, upon entering difficult situations, face hostilities and enemies.
That is how for every prophet We appointed as enemy the devils from among humans and jinn, who inspire each other with flashy words, deceptively. Had your Lord wished, they would not have done it. So leave them with what they fabricate,_ (Al-An'am, 112)....

Have you ever felt God's protection?
Submission
One of the ways in which God helps individuals and communities succeed is through submission. Successful individuals and communities strive to interpret life based on God's will. Whether they become poor or wealthy, or whether they face trials or blessings, their feelings toward God never turn negative. They are always content with God's plans. Such individuals and communities utilize the capacity for submission. Submission means that a person or community plans and acts to fulfill God's plans and to cultivate their talents, and whatever the outcome, they remain content with God's decree. Of course, they strive for improvement and optimization of their circumstances, but they do not become upset with God's decisions and destiny....

Delegation (Tafwid)
One of the ways in which God helps individuals and communities to succeed is through delegation. Successful individuals and communities entrust their entire lives to God. Delegation means entrusting or handing over matters, but it must be accompanied by planning and effort, not laziness and idleness. Those who are successful in life delegate everything to God. They plan and make efforts in their actions, but they know that the greatest influencing factor in life is God, and in the end, whatever God's will is, that will come to pass. They believe that God is fully aware of every aspect and detail of individuals' and communities' lives, which is why they are content with God's decrees...

Are you lazy or diligent?
People and societies are divided into two categories based on their effort and striving. Some strive in accordance with God's divine plan, while others exert effort in opposition to it. Those who oppose God's plan have nothing in their future but fire and Hell, and such effort is hateful. However, those who strive in line with God's plan have a bright and heavenly future. Their effort is called a "satisfying effort."...

Efforts and Striving: According to Which Life Plan Are You Operating?
Divine or Non-Divine?
God created the world, the people, and the societies within it, and provided the opportunity to choose between two life plans: one good and one bad. Based on this power of choice, He gave people and societies the ability to carry out these two plans. Those who live according to the good plan will succeed, and those who live according to the bad plan will be miserable....

Excerpts translated from Farsi from the

Book - "Success Based on Verses and Narrations
Authored by
Amir Jahani Fard, Hossein Alizadeh, Mohammad Esmaeili Chafi"

Download pages from below.