The Most Successful Man in History
Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, the Final Messenger of Allah, established eternal principles for success and demonstrated them through his own noble example. His teachings guide humanity to balance between this world and the Hereafter. By reflecting on his life, we uncover ten powerful lessons for living with purpose, patience, and integrity.
1. To Begin from the Possible
Sayidatunā ʿĀʾishah ʳᵃ explained this principle through a ḥadīth in which she said:
“Whenever the Prophet ﷺ had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier one.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
To choose the easiest option means to begin from the possible, and one who begins from the possible will surely reach his goal.
2. To See Advantage in Disadvantage
In the early days of Makkah, there were many problems and difficulties, but a verse in the Qurʾān inspired the Muslims:
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
“Indeed, with every hardship there is ease; indeed,
with every hardship there is ease.” (Sūrat al-Inshirāḥ 94:5–6)
They learned from this verse that if there are problems, there are also opportunities at the same time. Success lies in ignoring the problems and seizing the opportunities.
3. Changing the Place of Action
Derived from the Hijrah, it was not just a migration from Makkah to Madīnah, but a strategic move by the Prophet ﷺ to find a more suitable place for Islamic work.
4. Make a Friend out of an Enemy
The Prophet ﷺ learned from the Qurʾān, which enjoined upon him the return of good for evil. Such conduct has the potential of transforming one’s avowed enemy:
فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ
“Then the one between whom and you there was enmity
will become as though he were a close friend.” (Sūrat Fuṣṣilat 41:34)
This meant that a good deed in return for a bad deed had a conquering effect even over enemies.
5. Wring Success out of Failure
After the Battle of Badr, about seventy of the unbelievers were taken as prisoners of war, and many of them were educated men. The Prophet ﷺ announced that if any of them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write, he would be freed.
This became the first school in the history of Islam in which all the students were Muslims and all the teachers were from the enemy ranks.
6. The Power of Peace Is Stronger than the Power of Violence
When Makkah was conquered, all of the Prophet’s ﷺ fiercest opponents were brought before him. They were war criminals in every sense of the word, yet the Prophet ﷺ did not order their execution. He simply said:
“Go, you are free.”
The result of this kind behaviour was miraculous — most of them embraced Islam.
7. Lateral Thinking Was Another Principle of the Prophet ﷺ
In the famous Battle of Muʾtah, Sayidunā Khālid ibn al-Walīd ʳᵃ decided to withdraw the Muslim forces from the battlefield because he discovered that they were vastly outnumbered.
When the Muslim forces reached Madīnah, some people criticized them, saying: “O Furrār (O deserters)!” The Prophet ﷺ said: “No, they are Kurrār (men of advancement).”
Those who wrongly criticized them were unable to think laterally. For them, the choice was to either fight to the end or flee the battlefield. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“No, there is also a third option — to avoid war temporarily and find a time to strengthen yourselves to make a powerful comeback.”
History tells us that the Muslims, after three years of preparation, advanced towards Rome and achieved a resounding victory.
8. To Bring the Battle into One’s Own Favourable Field
Before the Ḥudaybiyyah Treaty, the unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, as they held the advantage. But the Prophet ﷺ, by accepting their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact.
It was a ten-year peace treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non-Muslims had been the battlefield. Now, the area of conflict became that of ideological debate.
Within two years, Islam emerged victorious because of the simple reason of its ideological superiority.
9. Gradualism Instead of Radicalism
This principle is well established by a ḥadīth reported by al-Bukhārī. Sayidatunā ʿĀʾishah ʳᵃ said that the first verses of the Qurʾān were related mostly to Heaven and Hell.
Then, after a long time, when the people’s hearts had softened, the specific commands to desist from adultery and drinking were revealed in the Qurʾān.
This is a clear proof that for social change, Islam advocates the evolutionary rather than the revolutionary method.
10. To Be Pragmatic in Controversial Matters
During the writing of the Ḥudaybiyyah Treaty, the Prophet ﷺ dictated the words:
“This is from Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allah.”
The Quraysh raised objections over these words, so the Prophet ﷺ calmly ordered:
“Erase it and write: Muḥammad, the son of ʿAbdullāh.”
This pragmatic approach adopted by the Prophet ﷺ brought peace and prosperity for the Muslims and accelerated the propagation of Islam.
Acknowledgment
Originally published by Arab News
Adapted and formatted for AskHalal by the ilmHub Editorial Team
Source: SANHA — www.sanha.org.za
Disclaimer:
The above article has been prepared/translated under the full oversight and approval of the respected Muftī Ṣāḥib. The author may have utilized AI assistance for the purposes of language refinement, structural clarity, and improved coherence in English. However, the religious content and conclusions reflect the Muftī’s authoritative guidance.