The secret to success

If you want to succeed in this world, and the next for that matter, the secret lies in sincerity. To Allaah be sincere in everything you do. Do it only for His Sake and for nobody else.

When you help someone do it only to please Him. Do not seek anything in return from the person. Your reward is with Allaah only.

How to know if you are being sincere

To check if you are sincerely only doing good deeds for Allaah, try this. Next time you do good to a Muslim brother and he takes advantage of you or hurts you, do you regret having helped him and promise yourself that you will never help him again?

If you get that feeling then it means you were seeking appreciation and a reward from the Muslim brother of yours. You did not help him for the sake of Allaah.

Had you truly helped him for the Sake of Allaah, how he acted toward you later on would not have made any difference to you because you would have known that your reward is only with Allaah and the good you did has been recorded and Allaah will reward you.

Look at Him and away from them

People should never be your concern. Your concern is Allaah. He should be in your heart all the time. All you should worry about is pleasing Him and no one else. Be sincere to Him.

Remember, no one can help you. No one can save you from trouble except Him. No one can benefit you unless He permits.

Do not be deceived by the world. When you take a pill for your disease and are cured you think it was the pill. It wasn't. It was Allaah who cured you. The pill was nothing but a means. If Allaah Wills that pill would lose its efficacy. It never cured you. Allaah allowed it to cure you and that is why you recovered.

Feel this Aqiidah. Live it and you will have great success not only in this world but also in the next. Take it from someone who lives it everyday.