Principles of Success in the light of the life of Prophet Mohammed

Principles of Success in the light of the life of Prophet Mohammed


It is a well-known fact that the Prophet of Islam (saw) has been the
supremely successful man in human history. But he was not just a
hero, as Thomas Carlyle has called him. According to the Qur'an, he
was the best example for all mankind. He has shown us the way of
achieving supreme success in this world.

By studying the life of the Prophet (saw), we can derive those
important principles which were followed by the Prophet (saw).
Indeed, the Prophet of Islam (saw) was a positive thinker in the
full sense of the word. All his activities were result-oriented. He
completely refrained from all such steps as may prove counter-
productive.

1. First Principle: To begin from the possible

This principle is well explained in a saying of Aishah (ra). 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 ignore
the problems and 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 (saw) of Islam 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 (saw) 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. They 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. Here I shall quote
a British orientalist who remarked about the Prophet of Islam (saw):
He faced adversity with the determination to writing 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 (saw) direst
opponents were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every
sense of the word. But the Prophet (saw) did not order to kill them.
He simply said: "Go, you are free." The result of this kind behavior
was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam.

7. Seventh Principle: Not to be a dichotomous thinker

In the famous Ghazwa of Muta, Khalid bin 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 "O Furrar (O
deserters!)" The Prophet (saw) said "No. They are Kurrar (men of
advancement)."

Those Medinan people were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or
retreating. The Prophet (saw) 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 won a
resounding victory.

8. Eighth Principle: To bring the battle in one's own favorable field

This principle is derived from the Ghazwa 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 (saw), 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 ideological debate. Within
two years, Islam emerged as 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. Aishah
(ra) says that the first verses of the Qur'an were related mostly to
heaven and hell. And then after a long time when the 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 (saw) dictated
these words: "This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God." The
Quraysh delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet
(saw) promptly changed the word and ordered to write simply
Muhammad, son of Abdullah.

These were the principles through which the Prophet of Islam (saw)
gained that success which has been recognized by historians as the
true success.

rehana mohammdi