When the World Calls It Success but Allah Sees It Differently

Assalamu alaikum - picture this: I’m on a bus with a group of young Muslim men and women and we pass by a stunning mansion on a hill, beautiful design, a fancy car in the driveway, a huge backyard and a pool. If I ask, “Is that guy successful?” most would say, “Yeah, he’s made it.” That’s what success looks like to many people: the house, the car, the comfort. Then I show a photo of someone graduating, shaking the university president’s hand. Ask anyone, Muslim or not, “Is that success?” and they’ll say yes. When someone gets a new job, a business, a home, or gets married, we celebrate - and sure, those are good things. But the bus keeps going and we see a homeless man living in a cardboard box, wearing old clothes. I ask again, “Is that man successful?” Everyone answers, “No.” If the same question were asked by Christians, Jews, atheists, Buddhists, the answer would be the same. That’s the problem. We, as Muslims, are supposed to view success differently. The rest of the world judges by material stuff and appearances. Allah gave us a clearer view. When you look through that lens, success and failure look completely different. Remember Firʿawn’s palace - one of the grandest homes ever built. By worldly standards he was ‘successful,’ but to a Muslim he’s one of the biggest failures. And Ibrahim (alayhis-salam), cast out, homeless at times, is counted among the greatest successes. The Qur’an teaches that true success isn’t measured by wealth, and failure isn’t measured by poverty. For us, success is about obedience to Allah, not possessions or status. Think about that. Alhamdulillah.