Dua For Success in Exams, Business, and Life.

So take a second before continuing to answer the following, what is success to you?

Everyone has there own idea of “making it” so it will be different for everyone but really take a second to try and define what success is to you.

Most people find this difficult to answer because they haven’t really given it some thought. How can you ask for help or move towards something that you haven’t precisely defined.

It’s like a boat heading out for a voyage without having a marked destination on a map. It’ll just drift along, going wherever the tide takes them.

Success is not just wealth or fame, these answers are superficial and the view that society has painted. What about creative freedom, the opportunity to work towards a worthy goal or aspiration, or being able to enjoy time with your family?

An abstract topic like success can’t be correctly defined, it’s variable on the individual and the core values important to that person. To one person, having boat loads of money is his vision of success and to you that may not be appealing.

The point I am trying to make is that whatever you want in life you need to ask yourself why that goal, if you get clear and then come up with a plan to reverse engineer how it can be achieved then doing the necessary work and making the sacrifice becomes easier.

Once you figure out what you want, whether it’s success in business or in success in an exam, do all the necessary preparation, don’t let ignorance be the reason you fail. Next, ask Allah for help because without his will nothing can happen. Trust the process, be patient and be consistent. Whether you the result is you build the next billion-dollar company or pass the exam with flying colors is not in your control. That much is up to Allah.

All we can do is the work and make dua for our success, that’s it.

Table of Contents

Dua For Success in Exam and Results
Dua For Success in Business
Dua For Success and Victory
Dua For Successful Pregnancy
Dua For Success At Work

Dua For Success in Exam and Results

Here’s two powerful duas for success in exams and inshallah will help you get good results:

Transliteration: rabbizidnee AAilma
Translation: “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”

dua before examination:

Transliteration: Rabbi ishrah lee sadree Wayassir lee amree
Translation: “O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness); Ease my task for me;” Surah Taha Ayat 25-26

3 STUDY TIPS TO ACE YOUR TEST / EXAMS:

Teach What you have learned. If you don’t have anyone to teach the material to, pretend to teach a class. Don’t just read off the PowerPoint slide, use your memory and see if you can clearly express what you have just learned. By speaking out loud you’re 50% more likely to remember something. You’ll know if you are clearly expressing the ideas. If you find this challenging then you probably don’t know the material as well as you thought you did which is good to know so you can review.

Don’t fool yourself. Sometimes, re-reading the text or re-doing the same math problem is a way to fool yourself. Just because something is familiar doesn’t mean you truly have grasped the concept. Re-reading the text may make you feel good because you already had read it. Again the best way to check your understanding is to practice new questions or see if you can teach what you learned.

Know yourself. Figure out how to you best learn and then do more of that. Do you study better in the morning or at night, in a group or alone, with lectures or the textbook. Try to implement new learning strategies, taking notes, highlighting, que-cards, mind-mapping, and see which is most effective for you.

Lastly, take comfort in knowing the struggles of this world are just temporary. At the present moment it may seem like the biggest thing but as time goes, you’ll look back and realize how trivial they were. Nothing is going to ruin you, often we blow things out of proportion.  We suffer more in imagination then in reality. Getting overwhelmed can hinder your performance.

Dua For Success in Business

Best way to have success and barakah in business is to have good intentions.

Sometimes people get in business for the wrong reasons. They are solely thinking of themselves and their wealth. This is selfish and not what leads business success. You must make sure that your deeds are intended to please Allah (swt).

The goal of a business is to try and help as many people as you can and to charge them fairly based on the service you provide. The more people you can help and the more value you provide, the more you will be taken care of yourself.

In the Quran, Surah Fatir ayat 29-30 it says,

“Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish –  That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Appreciative.”

Allahumma inni as’aluka ‘ilman nafi’an, wa rizqan tayyiban, wa ‘amalan mutaqabbalan
“O Allah! I ask You for knowledge that is of benefit, a good provision and deeds that will be accepted. [Ibn Majah and others]”

The Quran also shares a beautiful lesson about Economics and Business success.

“Woe to those who give less [than due], Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss. Do they not think that they will be resurrected” Surah Mutaffifin Ayat 1-4

Businesses that fail are the ones who “take a measure from people, take in full” but when they give they “measure by weight”. What the Qur’an is teaching us is that the businesses that are completely trying to eat all the meat off the bone won’t last.

You personally wouldn’t return to a business that you felt taken advantaged of. This simple concept is often neglected by individuals that start businesses because they primarily do so out of the need for money and freedom. Not to solve a problem which should be a businesses main objective.

Profits and freedom are a by product that comes only to those that best serve their audience. Failure to understand this is a major contributor to why the statistic is that 80% of businesses fail within the first 5 years. It’s a difficult task to bring the most value to the marketplace while also remaining cost effective and competitive.

Avoid Riba (Riba can be roughly translated as “usury”, or unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business under Islamic law) In Surah Baqarah ayah 176 it says, “Allah destroys interest [Riba] and gives increase for charities. And Allah does not like every sinning disbeliever”.

So remember, begin your business with sincerity and follow the path of justice and conduct fairly in your dealings, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.

Dua For Success and Victory

“My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me, and made my right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me; O Allah, make me grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, or penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make true my tongue and draw out malice in my breast.”

Dua For Successful Pregnancy

We do not know of any du‘aa’s in the Sahih Sunnah that are specific for a successful pregnancy. However, have found two ayats from Quran which make mention of having good offspring and wives.

“My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.” Surah Imran Ayah 38

rabbana hablana min azwajina wathurriyyatinaqurrata aAAyunin wajAAalna lilmuttaqeena imama

“Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.” Surah Furqan verse 74

Dua For Success At Work

There are no authentic Duas for success specifically for work that we could find. Many seemed fabricated with no authentic sources. Rather use the same duas for success like the ones we’ve already covered. Asking Allah for beneficial knowledge can translate to success at work

List of tips that may help to see success at work:

1. Never Outshine Your Superiors This may seem counter-intuitive but you should always make those above you feel comfortable. In your pursuit to showcase your talents you may inspire jealousy and fear and be viewed as a threat.I had witnessed this firsthand, my father with his strong immigrant mentality tried at his new job to outwork everyone. He had good intentions but in doing so made others around him feel insecure and harbor animosity towards him. It’s unfortunate but office politics is real and you have to manage peoples insecurities and be careful. Try to make others look better than yourself and they’ll take you along for the ride.
2. Don’t complain or engage in office gossip. Backbiting in Islam is considered a serious sin and the Prophet warned against it. Sometimes cliques form within the workplace and to pass-time people engage in gossiping. Stay away from this sort of behavior, there’s nothing good that comes out of it and it is prohibited in Islam. In the Quran Surah Hujurat ayah 12: “O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.”
3. Be Professional. The workplace is a serious place, be friendly but don’t bring your jokes. After all work is called work, it’s not called play. Your job is to be dependent and be reliable. If you can showcase that there shouldn’t be a reason why your boss wouldn’t want to keep you.
4. Invest in yourself. Here’s a good saying, “work harder on yourself then you do on your job.” You get paid for bringing value to the marketplace, to reach financial success you must be worth more. If you do happen to lose your job you made an investment in yourself and no one can take that away.

Bonus Duas To Thank Allah

وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ
Wama tawfeeqee illa billahiAAalayhi tawakkaltu wa-ilayhi oneeb
My success is not but through Allah. Upon him I have relied, and to Him I return.
Surah Hud ayah 88

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدَ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ. سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ للهِ، ولَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ العَلِيِّ الْعَظيِمِ، ربِّ اغْفِرلِي

Laa ‘illaha ‘illallahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa ‘alaa kulli shay’in Qadeer Subhaanallahi, walhamdu lillaahi, wa laa ‘ilaha ‘illallahu, wallaahu ‘akbar, wa laa hawla wa laa Quwwata ‘illaa billaahil-‘Aliyyil-‘Adheem, Rabbighfir lee

“There is none worth of worship but Allah alone, Who has no partner, His is the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is able to do all things. Glory is to Allah. Praise is to Allah. There is none worth of worship but Allah. Allah is the Most Great. There is no might and no power except by Allah’s leave, the Exalted, the Mighty. My Lord, forgive me.”

Ibn Majah hadith 3878