Ambition

A wise person should not be satisfied with his or her present
circumstances; rather, he or she should continually aspire to achieve
noble aims and seek self-improvement. If he or she attains a certain
status, he or she must look forward to achieving an even higherone.
Undeniably, this has to be done without demonstrating an inclination
to this worldlylife or contradicting the Sharee'ah of Allaah The
Almighty. If he or she follows such a way, he or she will not settle
for anything less than Paradise.
'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-'Azeez noted about himself: "I am ambitious. At
first, Istrove for the position of emir and when I gained that, I was
determined tohold the title of caliph. When I attained even that rank
now, I am still motivated now to reach Paradise." This is what true
ambition is – the soul longing for what is more perfect and sublime.
The Prophet, , used to guide his Ummah to be ambitious for noble
causes and rise above all that is petty, when he said: "Allaah
TheAlmighty loves the things that are most exalted andhonorable, and
[He] hates all that is mundane."
Difference between ambition and determination
In our context, both ambition and determination share the same
purpose: seeking noble things; however, they differ in terms of
motivation and means.
For instance, a determined person may be motivated by an aversion to
apathy that iscaused by humiliation or to ward off the shame of
imperfection. On the other hand, ambition is driven by the desire of
one's soul to achieve a higher goal.
However, in terms of means, a person motivated by the latter may go to
extremes in pursuit of his or her objective, while a person with
strength of mind usually makes use of noble ways that conform to the
Sharee'ah of AllaahThe Almighty.
Yet, undoubtedly, if one does not exert his or her utmost to achieve a
goal, his or her aspirations are nothing but mere wishes.A truly
ambitious man is he who does his best to achieve what he wants and may
tire himself for the sake of his ambition. That is why many poems
speak of this, such as some of those that state that a person who is
afraid of risks and failure, and is overly cautious cannot attain
glory, just like a rose cannot exist without thorns.
Indeed, the path to all that is noble is unpaved and suffused with
hardship, which is why Mu'aawiyah once advised'Amr ibn Al-'Aas : "A
person who seeks something great must risk something significant."
Similarly, thelatter would say: "You [people] have to pursue decisive
and critical matters."
Ambitions of the noble and eminent
Great people are typicallydriven toward achievement of honorable aims
and far removed from petty gains. Hence, one would usually find them
ambitious in:
1- Seeking knowledge: Having realized that knowledge is the worthiest
acquisition, both morally and spiritually, and the most honorable
objective of allnations, they sacrifice their time and wealth forit.
Then, their wisdom saves them from being led astray. Hence, they
endure hardship, lead an austere life, leave behindtheir homeland and
families and do not bother with rest and entertainment for its sake.
One of them would depart from his country to another place in pursuit
of only one Hadeeth. This is only done with infinite determination and
great care to make the best of every moment.
2- Achieving martyrdom: When those of great willpower learn of the
reward of one who dies a martyr for the sake of Allaah The Almighty,
they race each other to it, not favoring others over themselves in
this respect. Ibn 'Umar narrated that his father said to his brother
during the battle of Uhud: "O my brother, takemy armor", but he
replied: "I want to die as a martyr just as you do." Therefore,
neither of them donned the armor. [At-Tabaraani] It was also reported
that Ja'far ibn Abi Taalib hit his horse [urging it to gallop faster],
while he was fighting, saying: "How nice Paradise is when it comes
near; it is good and [like] a cool drink. The Romans will be subjected
to torment; they have rejected belief and are of ignoble ancestors;
when I meet them [in the battlefield], Iam required to kill them." He
remained in this spirit until he was killed.
3- Attaining Paradise: When, it was once said toAl-'Attaabi :
"So-and-so is an ambitious person" , he replied: "Then he must have no
aim but Paradise." Indeed, any goal that is less than that is meager
in comparison. Yet, this does not mean that a person is forbidden from
having ambitions in his or her worldly life; that isokay, as long as
he or sheadheres to the Sharee'ah of Allaah The Almighty, observes His
limits and has a righteous intentionbehind all deeds. - - ▓███▓
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