Human beings look for what they think of as happiness in thrills and chills, in things and events, in instant gratification. Surely, this type of thing is fun, but it’s transitory. To be truly happy – contented, at peace with oneself – one must be true to oneself, honest with those around. One must treat other people fairly. The real source of happiness is inner peace. If our mind is peaceful, we shall be happy all the time, regardless of external conditions, but if it is disturbed or troubled in any way, we shall never be happy, no matter how good our external conditions may be. External conditions can only make us happy if our mind is peaceful. We can understand this through our own experience. For instance, even if we are in the most beautiful surroundings and have everything we need, the moment we get angry any happiness we may have disappears. This is because anger has destroyed our inner peace.
If one wants true and lasting happiness one need to develop and maintain “inner peace”. The only way we can do this is by training our mind and body through spiritual practice. For Muslims Ramadan gives the opportunity of Siyam (fasting), Salaat (ritual prayers), Tilawat-e-Qur’an (recitation of the Qur’an) and Dhikr Allah (Remembrance of Allah). The blessed month of Ramadan brings happiness, goodness, spiritual enlightenment, rewards, and physical and spiritual benefits to all the Muslims. Happiness in Life: What is happiness in life? Some would say money, other would say a relationship to someone and so on. This type of happiness does not last longer and sooner or later will vanish because it relies on external events and objects which are constantly changing. Few examples are: poor and rich, love and hate, young and old, etc. Continuous conflicts between one’s expectation and constantly changing reality give rise to pain, anxiety, sorrow, agony. Solution for this fundamental problem in life is to achieve true happiness.
Qur’an on True happiness:True happiness is eternal joy, everlasting love, perpetual tranquility, achieved by a self-realization process and not affected by external events and objects in life. True happiness is ultimate happiness. It is the nature of every person to seek happiness. Some people strive to seek material happiness in this world away from religion, thinking that this is the true happiness. But this kind of happiness will be succeeded by pain and sorrow on the Day of Judgment, and its people will know that their striving led them only to misery and not happiness. While others know that the true way to happiness is to obey God and follow His religion. For them the pleasures and riches of the world are of little consequence. When this happiness penetrates and fills the heart of the believer he does in fact live in this world as if he were in Paradise. Those are the people who find true happiness in this world. What kind of happiness could be greater than that of someone who humbles himself to God, worships Him, strives for His pleasure, and strives to enter Paradise and have alvation from Hellfire? The believer lives with such sweetness in his heart that if the masters of the earth knew of it, they would fight him to death to take it from him. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an: “Whoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will make him live a good life, and We will award them their reward for the best of what they used to do.” …(Qur’an, 16: 97). Happiness is in the good life mentioned in this verse, that even the rich disbelievers cannot find, despite the money they have. That is why no one is surprised when it is heralded that many among them committed suicide. To reach true happiness, one need to know what is the purpose of one’s life, how to reach success in the hereafter, and to fulfill the requirements of reaching this success by following the commands of God and His true religion. Like the body needs food to supply with energy and to keep healthy we also need food of another kind, food for the spirit and heart. The diseases of the body and the debilitating effects they have are not more dangerous than the diseases of the heart and soul. Absolutely, God’s allies will have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
They are those who believe and lead a righteous life.
For them happiness in this life, and in the Hereafter. Such is God’s inviolable law. This is the true triumph …. (Qur’an 10:62-64). One of the most elusive objectives of every human being is “Happiness.” The Qur’an reveals the secret of attaining perfect happiness in this life and forever. We learn from the Qur’an that happiness is an exclusive quality of the soul. Thus, a body that attains all the material successes it longs for –comforts, good houses, lovely furniture, delicious food, beautiful spouses, children, good company, cars, jewelry, money, power, fame, etc. – often belongs to an unhappy person. Happiness depends totally on the degree of growth and development attained by the soul, the real person. The Qur’an provides a detailed map towards perfect happiness for both body and soul, both in this world and in the eternal Hereafter. In the numerous verses throughout this proven Testament, God personally guarantees the believers’ happiness, now and forever (10:62-64).
Happiness is simply an emotional state of feeling good, of being free from pain and unpleasant emotions. Unfortunately, happiness is an elusive state of mind that all men strive for but few attain
Road To Happines: When pleasing God becomes the most important aspect of one’s life or number one priority in life, and then God will make every thing wonderful for him or her: God promises those among you who believe and lead righteous life, that He will make them sovereigns on earth, as He did for those before them, and will establish for them the religion He has chosen for them, and will substitute peace and security for them in place of fear. All this because they worship Me alone, without setting up any idols besides Me. Those who disbelieve after this are the truly wicked” Qur’an 24:55. Once you make pleasing God the most important thing in your life, you will possess the most valuable thing one can ask for – God’s support. But, if you make anything more important than pleasing God, you will be tested over and over. If you do not realize that fact after all the tests, you will lose both in this world and in the Hereafter. No Conflict, but Harmony No Empty Words, but Work and Service. Hadith: Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said “ Knowledge enables its possessor to distinguish what is forbidden from what is not; lights the way to Heaven; it is our friend in the desert, our companion in solitude, our companion, it guides us to happiness; it sustains us in misery; it is our ornament in the company of friends; it serves as an armor against our enemies. With knowledge the creatures of Allah rises to the heights of goodness and to noble position, associates with the sovereigns in this world and attains the perfection of happiness in the next.”
On Wordly Love and Materialism, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said ‘‘The love of the world, is the root of all evils. Wealth, when properly employed is a blessing; and a man may lawfully endeavour to increase it by honest means’‘ “Remember Him (SWT) in prosperity, and He (SWT) will remember you in adversity.” Failure to anchor your lives to eternal truths has led many to be preoccupied with material comforts and ritual religious activity. These have brought neither happiness not fulfillment to your lives. Only a life filled with compassion and caring can provide meaning to life. Allah (SWT) told the Prophets to command the people to do good and refrain from doing bad, so as to live in happiness and ease in this world and in the next.
(The authors write on Islamic topics exclusively for “Kashmir Horizon”.Their views are personal)