In this world man sometimes loses, sometimes gains. These vicissitudes are the common lot. No one is exempt from them. Now the question is how man should react to them. Islam tells us that both these experiences are meant as tests. Here gaining is not in itself synonymous with success. Similarly, losing does not mean that an individual has failed for all time. Losing and winning are not in themselves important. What is of actual importance is how people conduct themselves when facing these experiences. So, when a man suffers a loss, he should not consider himself a failure and a deprived person; he should not lose hope and courage, and begin uttering endless complaints. He must rather prove his courage, and, bearing up under the burden of adversity, retain his mental balance. He must consciously regard both the “give” and the “take” as being from God. He has thus to accept God’s decisions. For it is by his willingness to do so that he will entitle himself to a share in God’s mercy. Similarly, when he has the experience of gaining he should not become haughty and start regarding himself as superior to others. On the contrary, success should only increase his modesty. He should become all the more particular regarding his duties in relation to God and humanity and perform them the more rigorously. In this world, losing and gaining are both forms of testing. Neither is the loser a failure, nor is the gainer a success. The actual criterion of success and failure is how each has reacted to those situations. The successful person is one who keeps his balance and composure whether gaining or losing. Neither experience should make him deviate from the path of moderation. Those who remain on this straight and narrow path are successful in the eyes of God. Nothing will hinder their progress towards success.
