In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
In the garden of our hearts, a seed of longing grows – the yearning for success. But like a traveler in the desert, we must ask: are we chasing an oasis of truth, or merely a mirage?
Picture standing at the foot of three mountains – each peak offering a different view of what we call success.
The first path is paved with gold and glitter – a highway of worldly pursuits. Like moths drawn to a flame, many find themselves on this road, chasing the flickering lights of material success. These travelers carry heavy bags filled with wealth and status, yet their hearts remain as empty as a desert well in drought.
Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children…
Quran 57:20
The second path is lined with prayer beads and good deeds, its travelers counting each step toward paradise. Like merchants carefully counting their coins, they accumulate righteous actions, storing them in the vault of the hereafter. Yet, is collecting heavenly currency the ultimate destination, or merely another trading post on our journey?
Travelers walk not for the path’s rewards but for the joy of the journey itself.
But there exists a third path – a hidden garden where every flower blooms for Allah alone. Here, travelers walk not for the path’s rewards but for the joy of the journey itself. Like lovers lost in the beauty of their beloved, these wayfarers find their hearts blooming with every step taken purely for His pleasure.
But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world…
Quran 28:77
Imagine life as an intricate fabric canvas. The worldly-focused weave only with threads of gold, creating a shimmering but shallow pattern. The paradise-seekers weave with silver threads of good deeds, crafting a beautiful but calculated design. But those who seek Allah’s pleasure weave with threads of pure love, creating a masterpiece that combines both worldly and spiritual beauty in perfect harmony.
In our daily lives, we’re like farmers tending different fields. Some cultivate only crops for immediate consumption, others plant solely for a future harvest, but the wise farmer tends both – nurturing each seed with the water of intention, seeking to please the Ultimate Provider.
Say, ‘Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Quran 6:162
The journey to true success is like climbing a mountain with three camps. The first camp offers worldly comforts but remains in the shadows of the valley. The second camp provides a view of paradise but stops short of the summit. Only those who press on to the peak, climbing for the pure love of the climb itself, discover the breathtaking vista that encompasses both worlds.
…And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment (success).
Quran 33:71
Let us be like rivers, constantly flowing toward the ocean of Allah’s pleasure, nourishing everything we touch along the way. Whether we pass through valleys of hardship or meadows of ease, our direction remains constant – seeking that divine confluence where worldly duties and spiritual aspirations merge into one magnificent stream.
May we all find our way to this hidden garden, where success blooms eternal in the light of Allah’s pleasure.
Ameen.
