CONTENTMENT: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

CONTENTMENT: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS to understand this will never even find a place to start— due to their unrealistic thinking. The law of this world is: whoever finds a starting point for their journey will, sooner or later, reach their destination. And whoever fails to find that starting point will never reach their goal—no matter how hard or how long they keep struggling. In the language of reform, this life principle is called contentment—and contentment is, without doubt, the one true secret to all individual and collective success. A well-known saying of the Prophet appears in several Hadith collections with slight variations in wording—for example, Sahih Muslim (Book of Zakat), Tirmidhi (Book of Zuhd), and Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The wording recorded in Musnad Ahmad is translated here as follows: “The Prophet of Islam said: ‘Successful is the one who accepted Islam, was given just enough provision for his needs, and whom God made content with what He gave him.’” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith no. 6572) This Hadith is often understood in a personal and financial way. However, its meaning is actually much wider. The full message is this: whether for individuals or nations, whatever they receive now—or what is realistically possible given current circumstances—they should accept it willingly. By being content with it, they can start their work. The first benefit is that they will succeed in making the most of what they already have. Additionally, what they lack today may come to them in the future—through planned and determined effort.