SUCCESS & EXCELLENCE

How peaceful it is to sleep without anyone as an enemy in your heart. Whenever you go to bed, remember that there was a man among the people of Paradise who was not known for an abundance of deeds, but rather for having a pure heart. He would not go to sleep carrying hatred or resentment toward anyone, as the Prophet, peace be upon him told us. We exhaust ourselves by keeping track of those who wronged us, ignored us, or failed to appreciate us as we wished, while forgetting that having a pure heart is neither weakness nor a way of giving up your rights. Its reward is Paradise. Go to sleep with a light heart. Perhaps one of the greatest things you can do for yourself before sleeping is to forgive, leave the matter to Allah Almighty, and say: “O Allah, bless me with a pure heart that I may come to You with.”

Do not lend your ears to words that do not define you. Do not let every hurtful thing said about you affect you. Not everything that comes out of people’s mouths deserves to enter your heart. Some words do not reveal the truth about you; they reveal the character of the person who said them. So do not allow a tongue that lacks manners to control your mood for the entire day. Allah The Almighty says: { And do not let their words grieve you. Indeed, all honor and power belong to Allah.} Hurtful words often harm the person who speaks them before they harm you, because they fill their heart with resentment and reveal to others what they carry within. Do not give them an additional victory by allowing their words to affect you. Do not let people’s words define your worth or disturb your peace. Allah knows you better than they ever could.

Destinies that do not need an explanation, but certainty. Sometimes Allah prevents something from happening to you, and you think that the circumstances have failed you. Then, after some time, you discover that the prevention was actually a mercy, and that the door closed in your face was hiding something you could not have endured. And sometimes He grants you something, and you wonder how it came to you when every circumstance seemed to say, “Impossible.” The One who controls all affairs is Allah The Almighty ; He is not bound by our calculations, nor can any door stand in the way of His giving. Allah says: {And Allah decides; there is no one who can overturn His decision.} How many times have you said, “It’s over,”then relief came afterward? When Allah withholds something from you, trust His wisdom. And when He gives, do not be surprised by the way His blessing reaches you. He creates whatever He wills and chooses. Indeed, He is Al-Wahhab — the Ever-Giving.

Whoever links his peace of mind to people will spend his life waiting. Do not make one person responsible for your mood. If they smile at you, you are happy; if they ignore you, you become upset; and if they change toward you, your entire day changes with them. Be kind to people, appreciate them, and be loyal to them—but do not make your inner peace dependent on anyone. Hearts change, circumstances change, and people make mistakes. The Prophet peace be upon him said:"Be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you.”Sahih Whoever puts the pleasure of Allah first will not make their relationship with people a condition for happiness. Do not hand the key to your happiness to anyone, for the keeper of the key may change while you remain standing behind the door.

If knowledge does not make a person better in the way they conduct themselves, then there is a deficiency in their understanding. Knowledge is not about filling your mind with information and then pouring it out on people in every gathering. True knowledge refines your speech and increases your humility and wisdom. What is the value of knowing so much if you do not know when to speak, when to remain silent, and when to forgive? The Prophet peace be upon him used to seek refuge, saying: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit.”Sahih A sense of awe and reverence for Allah is one fruit of knowledge, and good character is another. But if your knowledge increases while your character remains unchanged, then you have gained information without benefiting yourself. Knowledge that does not improve your behavior means you still need to learn how to benefit from what you know.*If knowledge does not reform the one who possesses it, then what has it reformed?*

You keep overthinking a door whose key is with Allah. You are not expected to live without worries, for hardship is part of life. But the mistake is to let worry become the permanent title of your heart. Some days may feel overwhelming, your wishes may be delayed, and questions you have no answers to may pile up. Yet the believer does not look only at the hardship; he also looks toward the reward that comes after it. The Prophet peace be upon him said : «“No fatigue, illness, worry, sadness, harm, or distress befalls a Muslim—even a thorn that pricks him—except that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it.”Sahih As long as the matter is in the hands of Allah , do not exhaust your heart over what is beyond your control. And do not let one painful page of your life convince you that the entire book is sad. Place your hope and your reliance in Allah alone, not in the fears you have about tomorrow. Do not forget Surah Al-Kahf. The day of sending prayers and peace upon the chosen Prophet, peace be upon him .

“And if hardship befalls you, then await relief, for hardship is joined and connected with ease.” Not every delay is deprivation, nor is every hardship the end. Sometimes Allah The Almighty makes your path narrow—not to destroy you, but to guide you toward the right path. Allah The Almighty says: «“For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.” Glory be to Him. He did not say after hardship only; rather, He said “with hardship.” This means that ease may already exist within the very heart of the trial, but we are often so preoccupied with the hardship that we fail to see the ease. So be patient. As long as Allah has promised ease, the problem is not in His promise—it is in our impatience. Relief may come late, but it does not come incomplete. *Hardship is broken, while ease is open.*

He has time, yet he searches for ways to waste It Time passes without asking permission, and days go by without ever returning. Every day that passes takes a part of our lives with it. The problem is not that time passes—that is simply the way life works. The real problem is that time passes while we convince ourselves that we are busy, when in reality, we have not accomplished what truly benefits us. Allah the Almighty says: { By time, indeed, mankind is in loss.} Allah the Almighty swore by time and told us that humanity is in a state of loss, except those who believe and fill their time with righteous deeds. So do not ask, “How much time do I have left?” Instead, ask: “What have I done with the time that has already passed?” Time will not return, but you can make what remains of it better than what has gone before. *So, shall we make better use of our time?*

Sometimes, salvation lies in simply turning away Not every glance will lead you astray. Your eyes may unexpectedly fall upon something forbidden. The real danger begins when you know it is forbidden, yet deliberately choose to keep looking. Today, temptation does not knock on your door asking for permission. It may appear in an advertisement, on a screen, or in a video. Sometimes, all it takes is a single tap of your finger to remind your heart: Remember that Allah is watching you. Allah The Almighty says: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them.” Lowering your gaze is not about being deprived of beauty; it is about protecting your heart from regrets that are not worth having. Whoever wants peace of heart should learn to control where their eyes wander.

There is a difference between pain that breaks you and pain that saves you. Sometimes you read the Qur’an while your heart is heavy, and instead of feeling comfort, you feel distressed. You may think that the problem is with the reading, when in fact, the problem may be the wound that the verses have uncovered. Medicine may hurt a wound, but it does not hurt you to punish you; it hurts in order to cleanse and heal you. Likewise, the Qur’an may place its hand upon a sin, heedlessness, or attachment to something other than Allah, causing you some pain, but that pain is meant to awaken you. Allah The Almighty says: “And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers.” Some medicines begin their work precisely where the pain is greatest. So do not abandon the Qur’an simply because you feel distressed. Perhaps that distress is the first sign of healing.

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Don’t rent a permanent room in your mind for worry Sometimes we exhaust ourselves grieving over things that are already over and worrying about things that have not even happened—as if overthinking could bring back the past or fix the future. A wise person does not deny himself the right to grieve, but he does not make grief his home. What is gone will not return, what has been written for you will come to you, and what has not been written for you will never be yours, no matter how much you worry. Allah The Almighty says: {So that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor exult over what you have gained.} Some worries don’t need a solution; they simply need you to stop feeding them with your time. We give a problem an hour of our thoughts, then complain that it has taken away our peace! Grieve, but only as much as necessary. For when grief lingers too long, it is no longer honoring the loss—it becomes an exhaustion of the mind.

Not everyone who got ahead of you took your share. The One who provided for you when you had no control over your own affairs will not be unable to provide for you while you strive and work hard. The Prophet peace be upon him said: “…And know that if the whole nation were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with something Allah has already written for you; and if they gathered together to harm you with something, they would not harm you except with something Allah has already written against you.”Sahih So why all this anxiety over your salary, a business deal, a job, or someone’s opinion? We act as though our provision is in the hands of a manager, a client, or someone’s connections—as if Allah’s safe had been closed and so-and-so had become the one in charge of our finances! Take the means. Strive, plan, and work hard—but do not let your heart become attached to the means. What has been written for you will reach you, even if it is delayed; and what has not been written for you will never be yours, no matter how long you chase it.

A Minute of Fear Reveals Years of Neglect What do you think about when you’re in an elevator and the power suddenly goes out? In that moment, you begin reviewing your entire life; within seconds, your priorities change: no phone, no work, no appointments—just the words, “O Allah, keep me safe!” We may not remember that we have a Lord to turn to until life becomes difficult. Allah The Almighty says: { Then, when harm touches you, to Him you cry for help.} The elevator teaches you a quick lesson: you may have many keys to different aspects of your life, but in a single moment, you discover that what you need most is the peace of a heart that relies on Allah. So don’t wait for your life to come to a standstill before you remember to raise your hands to Him. Some people don’t remember the emergency button until all the other buttons have stopped working.

There Is a kind of exhaustion that requires no work. You may think that a busy schedule is the problem, only to discover that having free time without a purpose can be even harder than the exhaustion itself. Work keeps boredom at bay, while idleness leaves you face-to-face with your own thoughts. What you need is to fill your day with things that benefit you: worship, learning, meaningful work, or helping others. Allah The Almighty says: { So when you have finished, then strive.} Some people complain that they don’t have enough time, yet when they are given time, they complain of boredom. Rest is not spending the whole day doing nothing, only to discover at night that you are exhausted from doing nothing. *True rest is to become tired doing what is worth doing.*

A Righteous deed you didn’t do may still protect you. Not every blessing can be seen with the eye. It may be found in a righteous child, a sincere supplication, or a form of protection that reaches you without you knowing where it came from. Parents do not leave their children only money; they also leave behind a lasting impact through their righteousness, prayers, charity, and good deeds—deeds whose blessings Allah may allow to reach their descendants. So do not underestimate your righteousness, for its impact may extend to your children for years. And never underestimate your child’s supplication for you; it may become a door through which Allah grants you mercy. The Prophet peace be upon him said: ( When the son of Adam dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: … or a righteous child who prays for him.) Sahih Some parents leave their children wealth, while others leave them something far more valuable: blessing and divine guidance.*So don’t forget to pray for your parents.*

Some successes are slowly cooked over a low flame Sometimes, moving slowly is part of the building process. Not every beginning produces quick results. A seed is not buried in the soil to surrender; it is buried to begin its journey toward becoming a tree. Your wish may be delayed, and you may think your supplication has not been heard, while Allah Almighty is preparing for you what you cannot yet see. So remain steadfast, be patient, and think well of Allah. Success does not require speed; it requires endurance. Allah Almighty says: { And be patient, and your patience is only through Allah.} Great things often begin in ways that attract little attention. Some people want to plant today and harvest tomorrow. *Patience does not change the road, but it changes the person walking it.*

Justice has paths you may never see coming A wrongdoer may think that delayed punishment means he has escaped, that having many followers means he is strong, and that the silence of the oppressed means weakness. So do not be impatient, O oppressed one; your Lord is too just to let your rights be lost. And do not be deceived, O wrongdoer; no matter how long the road may be, injustice never leads its owner to a good ending. Not every delay means neglect—there are rights that need no lawyer. Allah Almighty says: “And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do.” This is a message of reassurance to the oppressed: Be at ease; Allah knows and sees. And a message of warning to the wrongdoer: Take heed; Allah is never unaware. *The oppressed has the power of supplication—and a Lord who neither sleeps nor forgets.* Do not forget Surat Al-Kahf. The day of sending prayers and peace upon the chosen Prophet, peace be upon him

Some faces remind you of the Hereafter without a single sermon Not every companionship deserves to be called true friendship, and not everyone who fills your time fills your heart with goodness. Some companions need someone to remind them of Allah Almighty—and then remind them why they came together in the first place! Allah Almighty says: “And keep yourself patiently with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face.” A righteous companion is not someone who always agrees with you, but someone who helps you become better in the sight of Allah. If you want to keep your heart sound, choose carefully who you sit beside. Hearts are influenced by those around them, so choose companions who, when the journey gets long, bring you closer to the Qur’an—not companions who, when the journey gets long, ask you, Where’s the nearest café? https://t.me/alngah9

There is difference between possessing a blessing and being possessed by it Not everything you are able to accumulate is yours to hoard, and not everything that increases in your hands should come at the expense of someone else. Some people want their share of the world, their neighbor’s share, and the share of the entire neighborhood, then ask, “Why is there never enough?” Wealth may be abundant, but greed makes abundance feel scarce. There is enough on earth to feed everyone, but the problem lies in excessive desire. Blessing does not settle in a heart that does not know the meaning of contentment. The Prophet peace be upon him said: “Beware of greed, for greed destroyed those who came before you. It commanded them to be miserly, so they became miserly, and it commanded them to sever ties, so they severed them.”Sahihy Your safe may be full while your heart remains hungry, so do not let your desire for more become a reason for depriving others of their rights.