Do you know the story of a righteous king who saw the Prophet s.a.w in his dream? He had a recurring dream in which Prophet Muhammad pointed at two men and asked for protection from them. Disturbed by the dream, the king consulted his advisor who advised him to go to Medina. Upon his arrival in Medina, the king distributed gifts to the residents and looked at every face carefully to identify the men from his dream. Eventually, he learned about two reclusive men who avoided receiving charity. When the king met them, he recognised those men from his dream. Upon investigating their residence, the king discovered a secret tunnel in their house leading to the Prophet’s tomb, eventually revealing their plot to steal the Prophet’s holy body. The men confessed their mission. The king had them executed and ordered sealing the periphery of the grave with molten lead.
This righteous king lived around the 12th century, the same time when Jerusalem was under the rule of Crusaders. He had a burning desire in his heart to liberate Jerusalem from the hands of the Crusaders. He was able to successfully unite many Muslim empires of his time and conquer Jerusalem's nearby territories including Ashkelon and Gaza. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to see the great conquest of Jerusalem and died at the age of 56 years.
However, he passed on this dream to a young boy who he mentored in his army. The boy grew up pursuing the same dream and today history knows him by the name, Salahuddin, the conqueror of Jerusalem. The king who mentored Salahuddin Ayyubi was Nuruddin Zengi. May Allah be pleased with both of them. The story of Nuruddin Zengi exemplifies the necessity of a long term vision, planning effectively, foreseeing and shaping future outcomes to achieve greater goals.
Celebrated conquests do not happen overnight be it the conquest of Mecca, the conquest of Jerusalem or the conquest of Constantinople. A seamless mix of different elements in the correct proportions creates the formula for success. So what are these ingredients? And where do we lack now? Let us look at some lessons from the Qur'an, then the Seerah of our Prophet s.a.w. and then from our history to devise a complete roadmap for success.
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The Qur'an is full of profound wisdom and guidance. The more we reflect and ponder, every ayah opens our hearts to a clearer understanding of life in this world as well as the Hereafter. Therefore, it would be incomplete to prepare for success and overlook the guidance in the Qur'an. And which surah could be better than the Surah revealed about the first victory of the Ummah at Badr?
Surah Anfal which revolves around the victory lessons from Badr begins by defining a true believer. Success comes from Allah. It is contained in His deen. Success lies in our salah. And success is hollow if it compromises with your deen and akhirah. To have a vision and pursue a path for the sake of Allah requires one to strive to become a true believer first and foremost. After all, how can one win al Quds if they can never win against their own nafs? So who is a true believer?
The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely - The ones who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they spend. Those are the believers, truly. [Qur'an 8:2-4]
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Prophet Sulaiman (PBUH) was rightly aware of his leadership skills and administrative potential from a young age. And therefore, he made dua to Allah s.w.t to grant him a kingdom like no other king had seen or will ever see. The Qur'an mentions this dua in the following ayah,
He said, "My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower. [Qur'an 38:35]
The ability to realize one's true capabilities, that eventually leads to right career choices, is of utmost importance. Doing with interest, what you are good at not only cuts down a person's financial reliability on a routine and monotonous job but also open doors to further opportunities. Sparing time for volunteer works and other social services becomes easy. Only through this will we be able to better contribute to the welfare of the ummah.
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Now that we have filled in the the first two boxes, let us proceed further and unfold the further stages.
What is that one proverb that we all have studied in our school days? United we stand. Divided we fall. This is yet another lesson for success that we can take from surah Anfal. Not only do disputes weaken the strength of believers but also take away the courage that comes from standing firm and united. The Qur'an over and over again emphasises the importance of not becoming divided. And so did our Prophet especially in his last khutabah.
And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. [Qur'an 8:46]
Notice how the ayah that calls for unity ends with patience? This is because staying united against all odds requires patience and tolerance. The Qur'an on several occasions advises us to be patient. We may often become hasty in our efforts and seek early victory but victory comes only from Allah. Therefore, amidst our struggles, it is important to remind us that while we strive, it is Allah who is the best of planners.
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The Prophet's life exemplifies every aspect of a successful person; a messenger, a political leader, a businessman, a revolutionist, a military commander, a lawmaker, a human rights activist and moreover, a perfect role model for every father and husband. In this article we will focus on the three major battles that the Prophet fought during his lifetime; the battle of Badr, Uhud and Khandak. Surprisingly, in all these three battles, the Prophet s.a.w. resorted to three different strategies for fighting against the enemy.
The Battle of Badr involved marching onto the battlefield and outright facing the enemy. The Battle of Uhud had a more calculated planning that involved sections of the army strategically positioned on the battlefield and some laying in ambush for the enemy troops. Contrary to these two, the Battle of Khandak demonstrated an entirely defensive strategy adopted by the Muslims to protect their city of Medina.
This is the cornerstone of effective leadership, as demonstrated by the Prophet in these battles. Each conflict presented a unique challenge that required distinct approach, showcasing the importance of adaptability. By reshaping strategies to circumstances, the Prophet not only ensured the survival and success of his people but this also underscores the necessity of analysing one's environment, understanding strengths and weaknesses of both, oneself and the opponent. This level of strategic thinking is essential in any endeavour, whether in warfare, business or personal life.
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Strategic thinking can also be tailored to the choice of roles we play in a united ummah. A community needs every role player to catalyse an all-round development. For instance, the contributions of a warrior and a scholar, though fundamentally different, are both vital for the ummah.
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious. [Qur'an 9:122]
Both roles are indispensable, and their collaboration is crucial for the Ummah to grow and flourish. In the past, we also had examples of scholars like Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal who played no less than a warrior in defending the deen of Allah.
Lesson from history
"Verily, you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful army will that army be, and what a wonderful commander will that conqueror be."
This is the famous hadith of Sahih Muslim that we have all come across at some point. The Prophet praised Sultan Mehmed Fateh-II and his army. No doubt, the army possessed the previous qualities that we have studied, from being a true believer, staying united and implementing intelligent and strategic thinking, but there is one more factor that made the army strong and unique. The army had Basilic- One of the largest cannons ever built. But what lesson can a large cannon teach us? The Basilic and the story behind contains a very important lesson for us to reflect upon.
A canon engineer named Orban came up with the idea of building a very large-calibre cannon at a time when cannons were still a new concept on the battlefield. The cannon was first offered to Constantine XI, who underestimated its potential and turned it down due to the cost of its construction. The same design was later offered to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered the cannon to be built. And the rest is history...
The story shows the importance of opening doors to innovation and investing in new technology. Opportunities are crucial to seize because they often represent pivotal moments for growth, success and competitive advantage. If you fail to act on these opportunities, your competitor or opponent may step in and capitalize on them, gaining the upper hand. In a fast-paced and competitive environment, the window of opportunity can be fleeting, and hesitation can result in missed prospects that could have significantly benefited you. Therefore, being proactive and ready to embrace opportunities is essential to staying ahead and achieving our goals.
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The lessons we have learned so far revolve around the Duniya as well as the Aakhirah; from strengthening ourselves & striving to become true believers to the dua of Sulaiman a.s. asking for the greatest kingdom to rule. Interestingly both play a parallel role in the rise and fall of a nation.
One of the greatest poets of Urdu and a philosopher Allama Iqbal lived to witness the World War, the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Western powers. Iqbal viewed the rise of Western power as a result of their rapid progress in technology. This pertains to our previously discussed points about investing in new technology and identifying our potential and the role we can play in it. However, he also believed that the lack of morals and ethics in the West would become the cause for their decline.
Poem "Naya Shiwala" by Allama Iqbal
Poem "Khizr-e-Rah” by Allama Iqbal
History is filled with examples from large empires to giant businesses that grew at a breakneck speed but soon collapsed because they lacked morals and ethics. It is important to remember that it is our principles that keep us at the top. This is the reason why we started our discussion by defining who a true believer is. This is indeed why Surah Anfal started with the definition of a believer. Because choices that any nation makes at this junction determine its future course.
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We have discussed until now the key ingredients that it takes to succeed as an ummah. So now that we have the ingredients, we can dive in and devise our final recipe. And what remains now is only the “secret ingredient”. And it is not much of a secret but a very important element that is often overlooked or underestimated.
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The first and foremost prerequisite for all the above learning is hard work. None of the above lessons will work and prove fruitful unless and until we work hard. And there is no substitute for hard work either. In fact, the amount of barakah that Allah blesses us with largely depends on the amount of effort and hard work we put in.
That man can have nothing but what he strives for; And that his effort is going to be seen [Qur'an 53:39-40]
We ought to be balanced in our commitment and determination towards our goals. While our priority should no doubt be deen and akhirah, that does not mean letting go of this duniya. We achieve success in the akhirah if we work hard for it. Similarly, we achieve success in this duniya if we work hard for it. The Quran in fact reminds us not to merely let go of this duniya.
But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. [Qur'an 28:77]
So does this lesson also fit anywhere in our framework? A closer look at the formulated lessons shows quite a balance that adheres to this teaching. The efforts drawn to the left-hand side are more inclined towards the duniya while those mapped on the right-hand side are the services to the deen. Furthermore, a hard-working true believer in the middle is the factor that contributes to the success of both deen and duniya.
This completes our entire roadmap, encapsulating a holistic strategy drawn from various elements of faith, history, and strategic thinking. This is one among many potential formulae for achieving success, thereby emphasizing that there is no singular, definitive plan or factor that ensures triumph. Instead, success is multifaceted, requiring a synergy of diverse efforts and roles. Every individual, with their unique talents and capabilities, contributes to the overall upliftment of the Ummah.
JazakAllah Khair for reading till the end <3
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