Muslim Ambition

A wise man should not be satisfied with his present circumstances; rather, he or she should constantly strive to achieve noble goals and strive for self-improvement. If he or she reaches a certain status, he or she should expect to reach an even higher level. Undoubtedly, this must be done without demonstrating an inclination towards this worldly life or contrary to the Sharee’ah of Allah The Almighty. If he or she follows such a way, he or she will not settle for anything less than Paradise.

“Umar ibn” Abd al-Azez (may Allah have mercy upon him) noted about himself: “I am ambitious. At first, I strove for the position of the Emir, and when I received it, I was determined to retain the title of Caliph. When I reached even this rank now, I am still motivated to reach Paradise. ” This is what true ambition is a soul seeking to be more perfect and sublime. The Prophet (SAW), used to guide his Ummah (Nation) to be ambitious for noble causes and rise above all that is petty, when he (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah The Almighty loves the things that are most exalted and honorable, and [He] hates all that is mundane.”

FEED THE POOR

Feeding the poor and needy is an act that draws us closer to Allah. We earn His forgiveness, mercies and blessings through this act of charity.

“Anyone who looks after and works for a widow and a poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah?s cause, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night. (Bukhari)

The difference between ambition and determination

In our context, both ambition and determination have the same goal: to look for noble things; however, they differ in motives and means.

For example, a certain person may be motivated by aversion to apathy, which is caused by the humiliation or aversion from the shame of imperfection. On the other hand, ambition is due to the desire of the soul to achieve a higher goal.

However, from the point of view of means, a person who is motivated by the latter can go to extremes in search of his goal, while a person with the power of reason usually uses noble means, corresponding to the Sharee’ah of Allah Almighty.

However, undoubtedly, if someone does not do everything possible to achieve the goal, his or her aspirations are nothing but desires. A truly ambitious person is one who is doing everything possible to achieve what he wants and can tire himself for the sake of his ambitions. This is why many verses speak of this, for example, some of those who claim that a person who is afraid of risks and failures and is overly cautious cannot achieve fame, just as a rose cannot exist without thorns.

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Indeed, the path to everything noble is unclean and filled with difficulties, so Mu’awiyah once advised “Amr ibn al-Aas”, (may Allah be pleased with them): “A person who is looking for something great must risk something significant. “In the same way, the latter, he (may Allah be pleased with him) would say: “You [people] have to pursue decisive and critical matters.”

Ambitions of noble and distinguished

Great people tend to achieve honorable goals and are far from small gains. Therefore, they would normally be ambitious:

1. Seeking knowledge

Realizing that knowledge is a worthy acquisition, both morally and spiritually, and the most honorable goal of all nations, they sacrifice their time and wealth. Then their wisdom saves them from confusion. Consequently, they endure hardships, lead a strict life, leave behind their homeland and families and do not worry about rest and entertainment for its sake. One of them went from his country to another place in pursuit of one Hadith. This is done only with endless determination and great care to do everything possible.

2. Achieving martyrdom

When great willpower learns about the reward of one who dies a martyr in the name of Allah Almighty, they race each other to it, disapproving of others in this regard. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that his father may Allah be pleased with them said to his brother during the battle of Uhud:  “O my brother, take my armor,” but he replied: “I want to die as a martyr just like you. “Therefore, none of them put on armor. [At-Tabarani] It was also reported that Jafar ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) hit his horse [urging it to gallop faster] while he was fighting, saying,How nice Paradise is when it comes near; it is good and [like] a cool drink. The Romans will be tortured; they rejected faith and belong to ignoble ancestors; when i meet them [in the battlefield] I have to kill them. ” He remained in that spirit until he was killed.

3. Achievement of Paradise

When, it was once said to Al-‘Attabi (RA): “So-and-so is an ambitious person”, he replied: “Then he should not have a goal other than Paradise.” Indeed, any goal that is less than that is meager in comparison. However, this does not mean that a person is forbidden to have ambitions in his or her worldly life; it is normal if he or she adheres to the Shariah of Allah Almighty, observes His limits and has the righteous intent behind all matters.