The True Happiness For Mind, Body and Soul In Islam Bilingual Edition English Germany Standar Version - Jannah Firdaus Mediapro (best ereader for pc .txt) 📗

The True Happiness

For Mind, Body and Soul In Islam

Bilingual Edition English Germany

Standar Version

by

Jannah Firdaus Mediapro

2019

Copyright © 2019

Jannah Firdaus Mediapro

All rights reserved

Prolog

Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to the commands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world.  Allah SWT (God) has said in The Holy Quran:

“Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest.” (Quran 13:28)

On the other hand, the one who turns away from The Holy Quran will have a life of hardship in this world. God has said:

“But whoever turns away from the Quran, he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment.” (Quran 20:124)

As most of us have come to realise, happiness is that ethereal quality that encompasses contentment and peacefulness; it is the soft joy that causes our lips, faces and hearts to smile. It is determined by faith in God and obedience to Him. Thus happiness embodies the peace security and submission that is Islam. The injunctions and regulations of Islam reinforce the happiness that comes from knowing God and they help to guarantee humankind’s happiness during life in this world. However, Islam also emphasizes that the life of this world is nothing more than a means of attaining the Hereafter. By following the guidelines of Islam it is possible to be happy while awaiting our eternal happiness.

Sometimes, in order to achieve happiness, people attempt to follow complicated paths; they fail to see the easier path that is Islam. Happiness can be found in the solace that comes from being upon the truth. It can be achieved by sincere worship, hastening to do virtuous, noble and beautiful deeds, and by performing acts of kindness or giving charity. These things all have the potential to make us happy, every day, under any circumstances. Even giving the smallest charity, in order to please God, can bring a smile to your face and a feeling of joy to your heart.

The True Happiness In Islam English Edition

The Concepts of Happiness

Even though happiness is perhaps one of the most important things in life, science still can not explain much about it.  Its concept itself is elusive.  Is it an idea, emotion, virtue, philosophy, ideal, or is it just programmed in the genes?  There is no agreed upon definition for it, yet still everyone seems to be selling happiness these days - drug dealers, pharmaceutical companies, Hollywood, toy companies, self-help gurus, and, of course, Disney, creator of the Happiest Place on Earth.  Can happiness really be purchased?  Is happiness achieved by maximizing pleasure, earning fame and fortune, or living a life of unlimited leisure?  The series of articles will briefly explore the evolution of happiness in Western thought, followed by the present cultural understanding in the West.  Finally, the meaning and a few means of attaining happiness in Islam will be discussed.

Evolution of Happiness in Western Thought

The Christian idea of happiness was based on a reported saying of Jesus,

"…now is your time of grief, I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (John 16:22)

The Christian idea of happiness was developed over the centuries and, in turn, rested on a theology of sin, which, as St. Augustine explained in The City of God, taught that because of Adam and Eve’s original transgression in the Garden of Eden, true happiness was "unattainable in our present life."

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson, summarizing a good century of reflection on the subject in Europe and America, deemed the "pursuit of happiness" a "self-evident" truth.  By this time, the truth of happiness had been declared so often and so confidently that, for many, it scarcely needed evidence.  It was, as Jefferson said, self-evident.  To secure the "greatest happiness for the greatest number" had become the moral imperative of the century.  But just how "self-evident" was the pursuit of happiness?  Was it, in fact, so obvious that happiness was our naturally intended end?  Christians confessed that human beings pursued happiness during their earthly pilgrimage, but remained skeptical about its attainment.  Elsewhere, Jefferson himself was pessimistic whether the chase would ever be brought to a satisfying conclusion.  "Perfect happiness...was never intended by the Deity to be the lot of one of his creatures," he specified in a letter of 1763, adding soberly that even "the most fortunate of us, in our journey through life, frequently meet with calamities and misfortunes which may greatly afflict us."  To "fortify our minds" against these attacks, he concluded, "should be one of the principal studies and endeavors of our lives."

Whereas in the fifth century, Boethius could claim that "God is happiness itself,"  by the middle of the 19th century, the formula was reversed to read "Happiness is God."  Earthly happiness emerged as the idol of idols, the locus of meaning in modern life, the source of human aspiration, the purpose of existence, the why and the wherefore.  If happiness was not, as Freud said, ‘in the plan of Creation,’ there were those ready to alter the handiwork of the Maker to put it there by manufacturing, consuming, and exporting it as democracy and free-market economy (materialism).  As the philosopher Pascal Bruckner observed, "Happiness is the sole horizon of our contemporary democracies."  As a surrogate religion, materialism relocated God to the shopping mall.

Happiness in Western Culture

In our culture, it is commonly believed that happiness is achieved when you become rich, powerful, or popular.  The young want to be that popular pop idol, the old dream of winning the jackpot.  We often seek happiness by removing all stress, sadness, and irritations.  For some, happiness lies in mood-altering therapies.  Eva Moskowitz, a historian, gives some idea of the American obsession with the gospel of therapy: "Today, this obsession knows no bounds…there are more than 260 [different kinds of] 12-step programs in America."

One reason we have so much trouble attaining happiness is that we have no idea about what it is.  Consequently, we make poor judgments in life.  An Islamic tale illustrates the relationship of judgment with happiness.

"Oh, great sage, Nasrudin," said

the eager student, "I must ask you a

very important question, the answer

to which we all seek: What is the

secret to attaining happiness?"

Nasrudin thought for a time,

then responded.  "The secret of

happiness is good judgment."

"Ah," said the student.  "But how

do we attain good judgment?

"From experience," answered

Nasrudin.

"Yes," said the student.  "But how

do we attain experience?’

"Bad judgment."

An example of our good judgment is knowing that materialistic comforts by themselves do not lead to lasting happiness.  Having reached that conclusion by our good judgment, we do not retreat into our comforts.  We continue to crave a happiness that seems out of reach.  We make more money thinking that is the way to become happy, and in the process neglect our family.  Most big events we dream of yield less sustained happiness than we hoped for.  In addition to getting less happiness than we expected or hoped for, we frequently do not know exactly what we want, what will make us happy or how to get it.  We misjudge.

Enduring happiness does not come from ‘making it.’  Imagine someone could snap their fingers and give you fame, fortune, and leisure.  Would you be happy?  You would be euphoric, but in the short run.  Gradually you would adapt to your new circumstance and life would return to its normal mix of emotions.  Studies show that big lottery winners after a few months are no happier than the average person!  To recover the joy, you would now need an even higher high.

Consider, too, how we have "made it."  In 1957, our per-person income, expressed in today’s dollars, was less than $8,000.  Today it is $16,000.  With doubled incomes, we now have double the material goods that money can buy - including twice as many cars per person.  We also have microwave ovens, color TVs, VCRs, answering machines, and $12 billion a year worth of brand-name athletic shoes.

So are we happier?  No.  In 1957, 35 percent of Americans told the National Opinion Research Center they were "very happy."  In 1991, only 31 percent said the same.  Meanwhile, depression rates have soared.

God’s Prophet of Mercy said:

"True enrichment does not come through possessing a lot of wealth, but true enrichment is the enrichment of the soul." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Science & Happiness

The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines happiness as a state of well being or contentment, a pleasurable or satisfying experience.  Philosophers often define happiness in terms of living a good life.  Happiness has also been defined as a state of well-being, characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

In the past few years psychologists and researchers have been studying people all over the world to find out what exactly makes us happy.  Is it money, attitude, culture, memory, health, or altruism? New findings suggest that actions have a positive effect on happiness.  "Yes! Magazine" has come up with a list of scientifically proven strategies for becoming happy.   Not surprisingly they neatly correspond to the way God and His messenger Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, have taught us to behave, which is an indication of the perfection of Islam.

Here in no particular order, are seven "scientifically" proven ways to increase happiness.

1.     Avoid comparisons.

According to Stanford psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, focusing on our own personal achievement instead of comparing ourselves to others, leads to greater satisfaction.  God says in the Quran, 

"Do not strain your eyes in longing for the things that we have given to some groups of them to enjoy, the splendour of the life of this world through which we test them.  The provision of your Lord is better and more lasting." (Quran 20:131)

2.     Smile, even when you don’t feel like it.

"Happy people…see possibilities, opportunities, and success.  When they think of the future, they are optimistic, and when they review the past, they tend to savour the high points," say Diener and Biswas-Diener.

Prophet Muhammad SAW, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said, "Do not think little of any good deed, even if it is just greeting your brother with a cheerful smile."  and "To smile in the face of your brother is charity given on your behalf."

One of Prophet Muhammad’s companions said, "Since the day I accepted Islam, the Messenger of God would never meet me without a smiling face." The late Islamic scholar Sheikh Ibn Baaz, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "A smiling face indicates a good quality and causes blessed results – it indicates that one’s heart is free of rancour and it causes affection to grow between people".

3.     Get out and exercise.

A Duke University study shows that exercise may be just as effective as drugs in treating depression.  Prophet Muhammad said: "A strong believer is better and more beloved in the sight of God than a weak believer."  He was not only talking in terms of faith and character, but also that optimum health and fitness were desirable traits in a believer.

4.     Make friends and treasure family.

Happier people tend to have good families, friends, and supportive relationships, say Diener and Biswas-Diener.  "We don’t just need relationships, we