Sowing Seeds, Not Chasing Results
Man in this world exerts his utmost effort
to reach his goals, achieve accomplishments, and attain what he aspires
to—especially when such goals are lofty and noble, bringing him closer to
Allah, serving the religion, advising people, and elevating the self in various
aspects and fields. Yet in an age where success is tied to indicators, impact
is measured by metrics, and tangible rapid results are seen as the highest of
aims, many diligent people who fail to achieve their ambitions and attain their
goals fall into despair, hopelessness, and frustration. Despite their effort,
reliance on causes, excellence in work, and sincerity of intention, certain
circumstances and reasons prevent them from realizing what they sought. Their
determination weakens, their resolve falters, and they are struck by lethargy,
eventually halting their work.
Consolation in the Quran
In the Quran lies comfort for anyone whose
zeal has cooled and whose work was halted due to unachieved results. Allah –
exalted and glorified – addresses His Prophet (peace be upon him), who spared
no effort in carrying out the trust and delivering the message, saying: “But if they turn away, We have not sent you ˹O Prophet˺ as a
keeper over them. Your duty is only to deliver ˹the
message˺.” (Ash-Shura 42:48).
The Prophet’s mission stops at conveying, advising, and guiding; as for
acceptance, guidance, and heeding the message, he is not accountable for that.
The Quran also presents us with the example of the chief of messengers, Nuh
(peace be upon him), who called his people for nine hundred and fifty years.
Allah then clarified the final outcome of that blessed mission, which never
succumbed to despair: “But none had believed
with him except a few.” (Hud
11:40). From this we learn that Allah commands us to exert effort, not
necessarily to secure results, and that man is accountable for striving, not
for arriving.
Success Is Not Always Witnessed
It is not a condition that one witnesses
victory, enjoys achievement, or beholds results. The small band of believers in
the story of the People of the Ditch were burned alive without seeing the
downfall of their enemy in their lifetime. Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with
her) died after the Muslims were besieged in the Valley of Abu Talib and did
not witness the migration or the conquest. Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with
him) emigrated from his birthplace of Makkah, strove in the cause of Allah with
utmost sincerity, and was martyred at Uhud, never tasting the sweetness of
victory. The great scholar of the Tabi`in and mufti of Makkah, `Ata ibn Abi
Rabah, had no more than seven or eight students in his gatherings, as reported
by Imam Al-Awza`i. Nur Ad-Din Zenki commissioned a pulpit to be placed in Al-Aqsa
Mosque, unified the frontlines, and prepared the forces, but he passed away
before reaping the fruits of his struggle and jihad—until Salah Ad-Din took up
the banner and completed the mission, liberating Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Focus on Striving, Not the Outcome
So let not the obsession with results
distract you from striving, nor let failure to reach your goals
cause you to abandon your work. Allah – exalted be He – judges us for the
action, not the outcome; He rewards us for the striving, not the result. This
world is the abode of effort, while the Hereafter is the abode of reckoning and
reward. How true were the words of Shaikh Al-Albani when he said: “The path
to Allah is long. It does not matter if you reach the end of the path, but what
matters is that you die upon the path.”
So, sow the seeds, not for the harvest you
reap,
For Allah is the best supporter of those who strive.
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