Ten Principles of Success in the Light of Sirah
By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi
Ye have indeed in the Messenger of
Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one
whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who
engages much in the praise of Allah. (Al-Ahzab 33:21)
Prophet Muhammad – peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him - was Allah’s
messenger. He came to guide all humanity to the
right path. His mission was to show the way of success
in this world and salvation in the hereafter. He
gave us the best example in his own life and those
who followed him truly and sincerely were the most
successful people. By studying his life (Sirah)
we can learn many important principles for living
a successful life here and achieving the eternal
success in the life to come.
Few years ago in one of our Sirah Conferences Maulana
Waheeduddin Khan, a prominent Muslim thinker and
writer from India, spoke and gave us ten principles
of success in the light of Sirah. Today I would
like to remind us these principles. They are useful
in all situations and should be kept in mind always.
1. First Principle: To begin from the possible:
This principle is well explained in a saying of
Sayyidah A’ishah – may Allah be pleased
with her. 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.
2. Second Principle: To see
advantage in disadvantage:
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 know
the problems but also to avail the opportunities.
3. Third Principle: To change
the place of action:
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.
4. Fourth Principle: To make
a friend out of an enemy:
The Prophet –peace be upon him- 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
is a historical proof of this principle.
5. Fifth Principle: To turn minus into plus
After the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers
were taken as the prisoners of war. Some of them
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. A British Orientalist
remarked about the Prophet, “He faced adversity
with the determination to wring success out of failure.”
6. Sixth Principle: The power
of peace is stronger than the power of violence:
When Mecca was conquered, all of the Prophet’s
direst opponents were brought before him. They were
war criminals, in every sense of the word. But the
Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said:
“Go, you are free.” The result of this
kind of behavior was miraculous. They immediately
accepted Islam.
7. Seventh Principle: Not
to be a dichotomous thinker:
In the famous Ghazwa of Mu’ta, Khalid ibn
al-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 “Furrarun (O deserters!)” The Prophet
said, “No. They are Kurrarun (those who will
return and advance).” Those people of Madinah
were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or
retreating. The Prophet 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 achieved a resounding victory.
8. Eighth Principle: To bring
the battle in one’s own favorable field:
This principle is derived from the incident 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,
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 an ideological debate.
Within two years, Islam emerged victorious because
of the simple reason of its ideological superiority.
9. Ninth Principle: Gradualism
instead of radicalism:
This principle is well established by a Hadith of
Al-Bukhari. Sayyidah Aishah – may Allah be
pleased with her - says that the first verses of
the Qur’an were related mostly to faith, to
heaven and hell. And then after a long time when
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.
10. Tenth Principle:
To be pragmatic in controversial matters:
During the writing of Hudaibiyya treaty, the Prophet
– peace be upon him - dictated these words:
“This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.”
The Quraysh delegate raised objections over these
words. The Prophet promptly changed the word and
ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah.
These were the principles through which the Prophet
– peace be upon him - gained success and if
we follow them today seriously and sincerely, we
can also achieve success.
(Taken from a talk of Maulana Waheeduddin Khan)
Khutbah at ISOC – Rabi’ul Awwal 27,
1426/ May 6, 2005
- DrSiddiqi@aol.com
