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By: Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak, PhD
A fact not well understood by many
is that success cannot be quantified.
Success is relative and means different things to different people.
To value success solely by one’s bank balance
is not success in the true sense.
You are a winner and a champion
when you succeed in reaching your mother’s womb,
leaving behind billions of competitors who raced against you.
You are a success story
when you are the first spark of life
that manages to emerge and become one
with the growing fetus in your mother’s womb.
For a pregnant mother, success comes
at the end of the gestation period of her growing infant.
In her eyes, success is experienced
when she safely delivers the child
after enduring many months of discomfort
and a life-and-death struggle in the labour room.
Success means different things to different people.
To a business conglomerate, success is
witnessing the business he started from scratch
grows into a multimillion-dollar entity
that reaches the pinnacle of achievement.
For an author, success is
seeing the publication of his creative ideas,
which brings joy to his heart.
For someone struggling with addiction—whether narcotics, alcohol, or other intoxicants—
breaking free from those shackles means a rebirth into this world.
For such an individual, parting ways with addiction
is indeed a success that others may find hard to understand.
For a dedicated teacher, success lies in
bringing students out of ignorance
into a world full of knowledge, wisdom, ethics, and enlightenment.
For a diligent student, success is seen
when he passes examinations with flying colours.
One person’s success is never seen as success in the eyes of another,
because success is relative.
In the life of a farmer, success is felt
when the season for harvesting crops arrives.
The fact that his crops survived bad weather and pests in the field
is indeed a moment to rejoice.
To him, success comes as a reward
for all the hard work and toil in the field.
For a freedom fighter, success is felt
when his country is freed from foreign occupation, subjugation, and interference.
Successfully resisting those who come to steal land and possessions
is a victory and success for the army defending the motherland.
Since success cannot be quantified
and is something felt deeply in the heart,
only the individual has the right to claim that he has succeeded.
Forget about the world and how others view him.
Success doesn’t fall from the sky.
It is earned through patience, perseverance, persistence, and prayer.
For a Muslim, all worldly successes are temporary.
True and everlasting success is gained in the hereafter.
The ultimate success for a practicing Muslim
is being granted entry into the garden of heaven (Jannah).
(The views expressed are those of Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak from the Department of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Studies, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM, and do not necessarily represent the views of Potret Online.)
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