Happiness
is the ultimate goal in life for almost all of us. It is the motive behind
every action that is taken in this world. People eat, shop, study, work, marry
or sometimes fall into forbidden relationships, go on vacations, throw lavish
parties and sometimes go to weird, forbidden extremes just for the pursuit of
happiness and delight. Eventually, there comes a time when they realize that
these feelings are short-lived, temporary and bound to end at some point.
So,
the question that arises is; what is it that gives one the feeling of
everlasting happiness? What is it that would tend to make the heart content and
at ease despite the day to day tests and hardships that life throws our way? Simply put, true happiness is in realizing
the purpose for which we were created. It is in worshiping the One who created
us, that gives the hearts contentment and delight. It is in doing every action
with the sole intention of gaining Allah’s pleasure, avoiding His Anger while
following in the footsteps of His beloved Messenger (peace be upon him).
Imam
Ibn Al-Qayyim, said, “In the heart are disorders that cannot be remedied except
by responding to Allah. In it is a desolate feeling that cannot be removed
except by intimacy with Him in solitude. In it is sadness which will not leave
except by happiness of knowing Him and truthfulness in his dealings. In it is
anxiety that is not made tranquil except by gathering for His sake and fleeing
to Him from His punishment.
In it is a fire of regret which cannot be
extinguished except by satisfaction with His commands, prohibitions, and
decrees, and embracing patience with that until the time he meets Him. In it is
a strong desire that will not cease until He is the only one who is sought. In
it is a void that cannot be filled except by His love, turning to Him, always
remembering Him, and being sincere to Him. Were a person to be given the entire
world and everything in it, that would never fill the void.” (Madarij
Al-Salikeen) No doubt, this is the only reason our hearts are so much at peace
and our souls so exuberant during Ramadan.
It is because we spend the whole
month busy in doing what we were created to do! We feel happy despite staying
without food and water all day and despite exerting ourselves for extra prayer
and worship. We can actually maintain
this state of peace and contentment throughout the year if we persist in
continuing all the good acts that we do during Ramadan.
The Creator and Master
of everything that exists says in His Glorious Book: “Those who believe, and
whose hearts find contentment in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in
the remembrance of Allah do hearts find contentment.” (Qur’an 13:28) The
contentment and openness of the heart are aspects of happiness which are
achieved through keeping up the remembrance of Allah and through following the
teachings of the Qur’an. It is something that instills happiness in us not just
during the moments in which it is done but also later on. This is because; every
type of pleasure is enjoyed only once, except for (the acts of) worship, which
is enjoyed three times: when you do it, when you remember it, and when you are
given the reward for it. (Abd-Allah ibn Wahb) Allah tells us in more than one
place in the Qur’an that the faces of the ones who believed and did righteous
acts for His sake will be glowing with happiness and delight.
He says: “(Some)
faces, that Day, will be bright — Laughing, rejoicing at good news (of reward
and Jannah).” (Qur’an 80:38-39). “Faces,
that Day, will show pleasure. With their effort (they are) satisfied. In an
elevated garden (Jannah)…” (Qur’an 88:9-11) As believers we need to know and
have strong belief in the fact that life will not be a bed of roses for long
and that we will be tested and tried till we reach our graves. If we look at
the people around us, we will see people who are being tested in one way or the
other.
It will be either by missing out on something that they like, or going
through that which they dislike. Ibn
Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) rightly said: For every moment of joy
there is a moment of sorrow, and no house is filled with joy but it will be
filled with sorrow. Beautiful is the dua that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
taught us. He said, “If any Muslim is afflicted with distress and makes this
dua, then his supplication will be answered: ‘O Allah, I am your servant, the
son of your servant, the son of your maidservant.
My forelock is in your hand,
your command concerning me prevails, and your decision concerning me is just. I
call upon you by every one of the beautiful names with which you have described
yourself, or which you have revealed in your Book, or you have taught to anyone
of your creatures, or which you have chosen to keep in the knowledge of the
unseen with you, to make the Qur’an the delight of my heart, the light of my
chest, the remover of my sadness and dispeller of my anxiety.’” The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said, “If he says this, Allah will remove his affliction
and replace it with joy and happiness.” His They said, “O Messenger of Allah,
should we not learn it?”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Yes, whoever
hears it should know it.” (Ahmad 3704) Lastly, we need to understand is that
happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute doing good for the
sake of Allah, it is in being grateful for whatever we have and in utilizing it
all in being of service to the creation of Allah. May Allah grant us the
happiness of this world and the next.
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