Happiness and Faith
Happiness and Faith
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Courtesy of http://english.islamtoday.net
Faith is one of the most powerful causes for Earthly happiness as
well as for salvation in the Hereafter. We can attain happiness
through our worship of Allah and through our faith itself.
Seeking closeness to Allah through obedience and through fulfilling
our religious duties instills happiness in the heart that must be
experienced to be understood.
1. We can find happiness in carrying our religious duties and our
voluntary worship.
Allah says: "Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has
Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good
and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the
best of their actions." [Sûrah al-Nahl: 97]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) informs us that Allah says: "My
servant does not seek nearness to Me with anything more beloved to Me
than with what I made incumbent upon him. Then my servant continues
to seek nearness to me through voluntary worship until I love him."
[Sahîh al-Bukhârî]
We can, through worship, attain Allah's increased love for us. If
Allah loves you, then you have nothing to fear.
2. We can find happiness in the remembrance of Allah.
Allah says: "Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in
the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of
Allah do hearts find satisfaction." [Sûrah al-Ra`d: 28]
Ibn al-Qayyim writes:
I approached Ibn Taymiyah after after the Fajr prayer. He sat engaged
in Allah's remembrance until late into morning when the Sun had risen
high overhead. Hen he turned towards me and said: "This is my morning
sustenance. If I fail to take it, then my strength will not sustain
me."
These were hours in which he would devote himself exclusively to his
Lord. He would beseech Him sincerely, supplicate to Him, seek His
forgiveness, and entreat Him in humility, while tears of regret
flowed from his eyes. Afterwards, his heart would be fully cleansed
by this worship and his life his soul, and every fiber of his being
would be invigorated. His mind and heart would be refreshed.
3. We can find happiness in the Qur'ân.
Allah says: "We send down in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a
mercy to those who believe." [Sûrah al-Isrâ': 82]
The Qur'ân is indeed a source of healing for the afflictions of the
soul and the distresses of the heart. It is even a cure for the
sicknesses of the body.
4. We can find happiness in the performance of all kinds of righteous
deeds.
Allah says: "Truly, the righteous will be in delight. And truly the
wicked will be in Hell." [Sûrah al-Infitâr: 13-14]
Some commentators on this verse have said that the delight which
Allah has promised the righteous is both in this world and the next
and well as the Hell promised to the wicked. Some of the effects of
the Paradise that is promised the righteous reach their hearts in
this world in the form of goodness, spiritual contentment,
illumination, and happiness. This feeling can be so profound that it
has led some to say: "If the people of Paradise are in a state of
blessings such as we are in, then they are indeed abiding well!"
Likewise, some of the poisonous effects of the Hell that is promised
the iniquitous reach their hearts in this world, blackening their
lives until they can find no pleasure or solace in their wealth,
their families, their rest, their youth, or their health.
5. We can find happiness in prayer.
Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Bilâl to call the prayer,
saying: "Give us comfort in it, O Bilâl!" [Sunan Abî Dâwûd and Musnad
Ahmad]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: "Prayer has been made the
comfort of my eyes." [Sunan al-Nasâ`î and Musnad Ahmad]
We often find that speaking to someone who is dear to us ? even about
the most mundane of matters ? can make us very happy. How much
greater can the experience of happiness be when we are speaking to
our Lord and worshipping him in humility.
We can find happiness in knowing Allah:
When a worshipper knows his Lord, he feels at peace. He sees Allah's
workings in Creation and appreciates the greatness and innovativeness
of Allah's handiwork that is all around him and how it is full of
mercy and wisdom. We cannot see our Lord but we can see the effects
of His handiwork that proclaim His most excellent names and
attributes.
This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) describes excellence in
worship as: "?to worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you
do not see Him, truly He sees you." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh
Muslim]
When the worshipper sees the results of Allah's creative power and
knowledge in the world around him, he feels a very intimate closeness
to Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "He tastes the sweet
flavor of faith who is pleased with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as
his religion, and with Muhammad as the Messenger." [Sahîh Muslim]
There was a CEO of a major American corporation who had attained
wealth, power, prestige, and position but felt bitterly unhappy. He
would toss and turn in bed at night, unable to sleep. He was
impressed to find among the company's employees a young Muslim man of
modest position and salary who was always happy and cheerful. He
would eat in peace, sleep in peace, and would come to work and go
home smiling. Not once did he see this man with a dark expression on
his face.
He brought the man into his office and asked him: "What is it with
you that you are so happy all the time?"
The man replied: "By God, I know my Lord and I know my job. I believe
in God and therefore I have peace."
The CEO then asked: "Do you have anything that might guide me or show
me the way?
The man took the CEO by the hand and took him to an Islamic center
where he learned about Islam and had the religion explained to him.
Ultimately, the CEO declared: "I bear witness that there is no God
but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
As soon as he said this, he broke into tears and said: "I have just
felt happiness that I had never before felt before in my whole life."
Happiness is born in faith:
Allah makes it clear in the Qur'ân that happiness is faith's constant
companion. He says: "Those who believe and do not mix their belief
with wrong, they are the ones who have security and they are the ones
who are guided aright." [Sûrah al-An`âm: 82] The security that is
felt in the heart and in one's life as well as in the Hereafter is
born of faith. The more correct and pure a believer's faith becomes,
the stronger his heart will be. When a person is weak in this regard,
it is on account of "the things your hands have wrought, and for
many He grants forgiveness." [Sûrah al-Shûrâ: 30]
There was a western author who went to live among the Arab desert
dwellers. He adopted their dress, ate their food, and bought a small
herd of sheep to take care of. He wrote a book about the Prophet
Muhammad entitled The Messenger. This man had lived the western
experience and then experienced life among the simplest of Muslims.
He was not among scholars or intellectuals. They were desert
herdsmen.
What did he have to say? He said: "I learned from the desert Arabs
how to overcome anxiety."
Those Muslims believe in Allah's decree and determination of all
things. They live there lives with a sense of security. However, they
do not stand around doing nothing when tragedy strikes.
The man writes:
A great desert sandstorm struck one day and killed many of their
sheep. Some were buried alive in the sands. When the storm subsided,
I was as distressed as could be; however, the Arabs were running
towards one another, calling out to each other, laughing, and singing
their traditional songs. They glorified God and said: "Praise be to
Allah, 40% of our sheep were spared."
When they say how I had been affected by what happened, they said to
me: "Anger and worry produce nothing. This is something written by
Allah, decreed and determined by Him." In spite of this, I found them
doing everything in their power to minimize the damage.
Though they believe in Allah's decree, they do not understand it to
imply passivity and inaction. He writes:
Once while traveling with them by car, our car stopped suddenly in
the middle of the empty desert. One of the tires had burst. I became
angry. They said to me: "Anger produces nothing." The car continued
for a while on three tires and then the car stalled again. This time
it was because the car had run out of gas.
I saw them al get our of the car, leaving it to one side. They
continued on by foot in the highest of spirits, moving as sprightly
as gazelles. They were happy and content, reciting poetry to one
another and conversing with me.
The seven years that I spent with them in the desert convinced me
that the people stricken with alienation, mental illness, alcoholism,
and psychoses found in Europe and America are victims of the western
city that has taken haste as a basic principle of life.
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