Spiritual Intelligence: Success

The 7 lies capitalism tells us about achievement

Salaam!

We are taught from a very young age that success means:

1. Attend an Ivy League university
2. Get a high paying job in Big Tech or finance
3. Build a business that makes $XXX million in revenue
4. Become CEO, CTO, CXO, etc.
5. ...

Whatever item you pick from this list, we believe that we have to sacrifice to get there. The ends justify the means. If we must put 80hr weeks to achieve our goal so be it.

"This is what success demands," we're often told.

Here is my question: "According to whom?"

The vast majority of our unhappiness is because we are playing by capitalism's playbook instead of Allah's.

We've been sold a version of success so toxic that even our victories feel like defeats. The most accomplished Muslims I know are also the most spiritually starved. They've climbed every mountain capitalism pointed to, only to find emptiness at the summit.

Here's the spiritually intelligent reframe:

Capitalism has colonized our definition of success so thoroughly that blindly pursuing it will leave you unfulfilled. This is unconscious success. Conscious success amplifies spirituality rather than eroding it.

Here are seven myths about success that actually prevent you from being successful

Lie #1: More is Always Better

Capitalism whispers: "If some is good, more is better." It's why that doctor with three clinics is opening a fourth. Why that consultant working 60 hours is pushing for 80. Why enough never feels like... enough.

But the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Richness is not having many possessions. Rather, true richness is the richness of the soul." [Bukhari]

I worked with an executive who kept chasing the next promotion, the next raise, the next acquisition. Each achievement felt hollow. What's worse? With each achievement, came more frustration: "When am I finally going to feel like I am enough?!!"

One of the systems we used to help him shift is called the Core Feeling Maximizer (as part of my Spiritual MBA curriculum). In the Core Feeling Maximizer, we focus on how we want to feel, not what we want to accumulate.

Once we shifted his focus from accumulation to fulfillment, something profound happened. He started a mentorship program for young Muslims. His income stayed the same, but his fulfillment skyrocketed.

The Islamic response: Abundance isn't about quantity; it's about sufficiency. Allah is sufficient for us. This is the spiritually intelligent meaning of "hasbuna Allahu wa n'imal wakeel" (Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs)

Lie #2: You Are What You Produce

Your LinkedIn headline. Your revenue numbers. Your title. Capitalism reduces you to your output, making you feel worthless during seasons of rest or transition.

When we first start working together, most of my clients struggle with doing nothing. They can operate on patients. Close mergers and acquisitions. Write a movie script. But just being? Impossible.

But Allah says:

"We have certainly created man in the best of stature." [95:4]

Your value was established before you produced anything. You are valuable because Allah breathed His spirit into you, not because of what you generate for the economy. This is why the focus of my work as an executive coach is help you move from human doing to human being.

The Islamic response: You are a trustee (khalifa) on Earth, not a production unit. Your worth is inherent, not earned.

Lie #3: Competition is Natural

Capitalism insists life is a zero-sum game. For you to win, someone must lose. This mindset poisons our communities, turning colleagues into competitors and achievement into a scarcity weapon.

Yet the Prophet ﷺ said:

"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." [Bukhari]

When I shifted from competing to collaborating, not only did my business improve, but so did my overall quality of life. I started referring clients to other coaches when they weren't a fit. I shared my frameworks freely. I celebrated others' wins publicly. The result? My revenue increased, I made new friends, and the community benefitted.

The Islamic response: Life is not a competition; it's a collaboration. When you help others rise, Allah elevates you in ways capitalism never could.

Lie #4: Sacrifice Proves Commitment

Capitalism glorifies suffering. Missing your daughter's recital shows dedication. Working through illness demonstrates grit. The more you sacrifice, the more serious you are.

This is precisely backwards.

The Prophet ﷺ was the most successful human in history - he transformed an entire civilization. Yet he played with his grandchildren during prayers, took afternoon naps, and spent quality time with his wives.

You are so much more than your job or company. You are a divine representative of Allah on earth. You were put here for more than a title and a paycheck. The key to fulfillment to is resist capitalism's one-dimensional definition of success.

In a famous hadith one companion advised another:

"Your Lord has a right on you; and your soul has a right on you; and your family has a right on you; so you should give the rights of all those who have a right on you." [Sahih Bukhari]

So if we attain success in one dimension, while neglecting our other responsibilities in other dimensions, are we really successful?

The Islamic response: Balance is not weakness; it's wisdom. Allah knows you are more than a job or a company.

Lie #5: Speed Equals Success

"Move fast and break things." "Hustle harder." "Sleep when you're dead."

Capitalism's obsession with speed has created a generation of burned-out achievers who mistake motion for progress.

But Allah says:

"For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease." [94:5-6]

Notice the "repetition"? Divine timing doesn't rush. In fact, many of the lessons of the Qur'an repeat themselves. The Qur'an itself took 23 years to be revealed. Read that again, the greatest piece of technology (spiritual or otherwise) took 23 years to complete. Allah, Most High says:

"And those who disbelieve say: 'Why has not the Qur'an been sent down upon him all at once?' Thus (is it revealed), that We may strengthen your heart by it and We have rehearsed it to you in slow, well-arranged stages, gradually." [25:32]

Boy these Quraysh sound awfully similar to the ChatGPT-yielding tech bros!

The Islamic response: Intention is more important than speed. See on being consciously slow.

Lie #6: Independence is Strength

Capitalism celebrates the "self-made" myth. It glorifies independence and sees interdependence as weakness.

But we were literally created from a single soul and its mate. We were designed for connection, not isolation.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"The believers, in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy, are just like one body." [Bukhari]

Every successful Muslim I know has a powerful support system. They have mentors who guide them, peers who challenge them, and communities that catch them when they fall.

The Islamic response: Strength comes from unity, not isolation. Your success should create streams of benefit for others.

Lie #7: Success Requires Moral Flexibility

"It's just business." "Nice guys finish last." "You have to play the game."

Capitalism suggests that ethics are optional accessories to success - nice to have, but not essential. Some call them "soft" skills.

This is the most dangerous lie of all.

The Prophet ﷺ was known as Al-Amin (the trustworthy) BEFORE he was known as a prophet. His integrity preceded his revelation. His character was his capital.

When you compromise your values for gain, you don't win - you lose yourself. Every Muslim who built lasting success did so by elevating their standards, not lowering them.

The Islamic response: Integrity is not an obstacle to success; it's the foundation of it.

The Sacred Success Framework

So what does success look like when we reject capitalism's lies and embrace Islamic wisdom?

Sacred Success has five pillars:

1. Purpose over profit: Your work serves a mission bigger than your mortgage
2. Presence over productivity: You're fully here, not constantly rushing through an infinite to-do list.
3. Partnership over competition: You rise by lifting others.
4. Peace over pace: You move at the speed of trust, not the speed of greed.
5. Principles over pragmatism: Your values are non-negotiable, regardless of the opportunity.

When you operate from this framework, something miraculous happens. Success stops feeling like a burden and starts feeling like worship.

The key is not to choose between "dunya" and "akhira" but rather to achieve differently. But this requires that you owe your definition of achievement and success that brings you closer to your essence as the representative of Allah on Earth.

What lie about success do you need to unlearn this week?

Reply and let me know.

Peace and blessings,

James