التَّوفيقُ

SUCCESS (TAWFIQ)*

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2– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Success is mercy.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 162]

3– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Success is from the attractions of the Lord.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 539]

4– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Success is the first blessing.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 545]

5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Endeavour without divine succour is useless.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 10802]

6– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Success is the fountainhead of happiness.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 858]

7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘There is no leader like success.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 113]

8– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Holding on to experiences is part of success.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 211]

9– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Stopping in the face of confusion is part of success.’
[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, p. 83]

10– Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘There is no blessing like that of good health, and there is no good health like one’s assistance to one’s success.’
[Tuhaf al-`Uqoul, p. 286]

11– Imam al-Baqir (AS), when asked about the phrase: ‘There is no power or strength save in Allah’, said, ‘It means that we have no power to keep away from sins except through Allah's help, nor do we have strength to obey Allah, ecept through Allah’s succour.’
[al-Tawhid, p. 242, no. 3]

12– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Sins are used by a person to overcome his failure until it lands him in something even worse than sins.’
[Tanbih al-Khawatir, v. 2, p. 102]

13– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Success is an extension of one’s intellect and failure is an extension of ignorance.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 718-719]

14– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘O people, those of you who seek advice from Allah will be granted divine succour, and he who takes His advice as an authority is guided to that which is more stable, for one who takes refuge in Allah is the secure and his enemy is the frightened.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 147]

15– Imam al-Sadiq (AS), with regard to Allah’s verse in the Qur’an: "my success lies only with Allah” and His verse: “If Allah helps you, no one can overcome you…", said, ‘When the servant does as Allah has commanded in obedience to Him, his actions are according to Allah's orders, and this servant is called the successful, and when the servant wishes to embark upon a sinful act, then Allah Almighty obstructs between him and that sin so he leaves it, and his abstinence from it is as a result of Allah’s divine succour, and when he has his own way in pursuing the sin then Allah will not obstruct him from the sin until he commits it, then He thwarts him and does not support him or give him success.’
[al-Tawhid, p. 242, no. 1]

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* The Arabic word tawfiq implies a success that comes to man as a result of Allah’s divine succour and aid to him, out of His Grace (ed.)