The secret to success in this life, as well as the next, is to follow what the one who created us tells us to do.

“My success is only by Allah.” Quran 11:88

Allah designed us and therefore knows exactly what is best for us.

“And for those who fear Allah, He will make their path easy.” Quran 65:4

If we take a look at some of, what many would consider to be, the most successful people in the world today we see many striking similarities that can be related back to the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Patience, in the pursuit of your goals, is something that almost everyone, who has ever achieved anything, had to implement into their lives.

“Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.” Quran 39:10

Also, waking up early (as well as going to sleep early) is the habit of many who are considered to be successful.

“Sleep is the best meditation.” — Dalai Lama “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” — Thomas Dekker “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” — Benjamin Franklin

Celebrities, and many financially successful people, such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Richard Branson are all reported to wake up around 4-5am. These are considered to be the most productive hours of the day.

Sakhr ibn al-Ghamidi reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “O Allah, bless my nation in their early morning.” Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1212

We should strive to begin our most productive and important tasks during these early morning hours. Praying Tahajjud is a great way to start.

”The Dua made at tahajjud is like an arrow that does not miss its target.” — Imaam Ash Shafi (ra)

Combine your daily practice of praying Tahajjud (prior to fajr) with dua [the dua should correlate with your goals in this life and the next] and you will be ready to tackle the day, in sha Allah. You will also have taken a very important, and powerful, step towards achieving your goals, in sha Allah.

It is also very important to go to bed early. Ideally, you should go to sleep directly after aisha prayer so that it can, in sha Allah, match your bodies seasonal/circadian rhythm. Allah designed us perfectly so we should follow what we are commanded to do for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would not sleep before evening prayer and he would not stay up after it. Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 702

Some examples of famous individuals who go to bed early: Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), Jack Dorsey (co-founder of Twitter), and Jeff Bezos (founder and CEO of Amazon).

Gratitude is another habit of the successful (both in this life and the next). We should strive to make feeling gratitude to Allah a daily practice.

“If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you.” Quran 14:7

Many successful people know that if they want more they first must be thankful for what they already have.

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” Frank A. Clark “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” Gerald Good “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Epictetus “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” Henri Frederic Amiel “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” Willie Nelson “It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” Naomi Williams “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In summary, if you want to be successful (both in this life and the next) be sure to feel gratitude to Allah (and do actions that match up with what He wills for us to do), go to bed early (ideally right after Aisha prayer), and wake up early and pray Tahajjud (while making dua for your goals and working towards them as well).

Wishing for you to find your way to the successful path both in this life and the next!