Part-I
Way
to Happiness
To
my surprise, he returned from the rich dinner very unhappy. I wanted to know the
reason. He explained to me: If only you had seen the luxury they are living in,
a splendid villa, rich food, luxurious furniture, servants and a fleet of cars!
It makes me feel extremely miserable".
"But, is he enjoying his life?" I asked, "Is he really
happy?"
"As
far as I know", he replied a little pacified," he is not enjoying the
luxuries of his life. He wishes he could eat ordinary food, even bread, even
though he loses all his wealth."
"So you are much richer and happier than he is", I said. "Your
health is a greater wealth than those luxuries which have made you so depressed.
Wealth alone does not give happiness. You will not sell one finger or eye of
yours or your appetite for all his riches!"
I
saw the tears of satisfaction and gratefulness shine in his eyes.
"Thank
Allah! Thank Allah!" He said.
Very
often man meets with incidents and situations in his life that make him unhappy.
Later, when, he recovers his consciousness and reflects on such incidents and
situations, he finds that his unhappiness was simply a reaction, and that man
can react differently, achieving thereby a higher a degree of stability and
tolerance if he is able to cope with the situation.
A
neighbour of the well-known German Philosopher Immanuel Kant (17241804) had a
cock whose crowing annoyed him and distracted him from his work. When he got fed
up with the cock, he sent his servant to buy it and slaughter it for his meal.
He invited a friend of his to the meal and both of them sat waiting for lunch.
He talked to his friend about the cock and the annoyance it used to cause and
described the peace and happiness he was enjoying after he had got rid of the
cock’s crowing. When the servant brought in the food he explained that their
neighbour refused to sell his cock and so he purchased one from the market. Kant
became suddenly conscious of the fact the cock was still crowing.
Thinking of this well-known philosopher, I found that he felt miserable because
of the cock’s cry, and he also felt happy although the cock was still crowing.
Nothing had changed; the change was inside him. It was the inner man, not the
cock that made him happy or unhappy!
I sleep in my house, not disturbed by the rolling noise of cars and their horns
in the street nor by salesmen’s loud voices. Yet, the sound of a footstep or a
whisper inside my bedroom would wake me. If I sleep in the train, even the talk
of those sitting next to me will not disturb my sleep. What makes me endure the
rumbling noises of cars and salesmen, or the train, though a whisper or footstep
would rouse me from my sleep?
It is because sensation is like a light which, when on, makes things around you
visible whether they are pleasing or displeasing to you, and when it is off you
fail to hear the noises in the street tough they are louder. In fact, you heard
the low whisper in your bedroom because you directed your sensation and
attention to it; while you missed other sounds because you kept them out of your
perception despite their loudness, so they disappear, as do big things in
darkness.
Why not divert your attention and sensation from all discomforts of life? Not
all discomforts penetrate into your heart. Only what You allow into your heart
willingly will enter, like a king who allows the enemy into his fortress by
leaving a hole in its walls. So why not strengthen and fortify ourselves against
pains and discomforts?
Two
men of equal physical strength may carry the same load: the first may complain
as if he carried double weight; while the other may laugh and sing as if he
carried nothing.
Two men of similar physique may suffer from the same illness: one may react
pessimistically and always imagine death, thereby increasing illness:
While the other may endure patiently, feel optimistic and expect sooner
recovery, thereby expediting good health.
Bismark,
the man of iron and blood, genius of war and peace, could not give up smoking
for one moment; he used to light one cigarette from another all the day. Without
smoking, he was not able to think, plan or take appropriate action. Once, while
in war, he found only one cigarette in his pocket, so he put off smoking it to
the time hardship. He waited for a full week without smoking, entertaining the
hope of using this cigarette in time. He realised that he was able to do without
smoking all this time. He decided to stop smoking for good because he did not
want his happiness to be dependent on a single cigarette.
Imagine a man whose body was exhausted with illness, and that suddenly he
noticed a snake crawling towards him and at once jumped out of his bed as if he
were full of health and vigour... or a man who returned home exhausted with
hunger and looking only for a chair to rest on when he received a call from a
dear person saying he was coming, or an urgent letter from the Minister calling
him with the news of promotion, he would feel light-hearted and full up and
would hurry up to the station in the former or to the Minister’s office in the
latter.
Such powers are the source of happiness!
Dear readers! You are rich, but you do not realise how wealthy you are. Some may
suffer from headache, toothache or colic, which makes them feel that life is
dark. Why did they not see the bright side of life when they were healthy? If
someone goes on a diet, he will long for a mouthful of bread or meat and envy
those who enjoy various foods. ‘Why did he not value the pleasures of food
before his illness? Why does man recognise the value of boons and bounties only
when he loses them? Why does an old man lament the passing of his youth, while
the young man fails to smile at his youth?
Why are we aware of happiness only when it is far from us?
Almost everybody is lamenting and yearning to his past! Why not think about the
present before it becomes part of the past?
We may think that richness can be attained by possession of money alone. What
can money alone give to man? You may have heard of the sick king who was brought
the most delicious meals, but he was unable to eat any of them. Once, he was
looking through a window of his palace, when his eyes caught a farmer eating
brown bread with black olives: pushing one mouthful into his mouth, taking a
second in his hand, and setting his eyes on a third. The king wished he had been
a farmer and enjoyed such an appetite.
Why
don’t you recognise the value of health? Is there no value for health? Who
would agree to give up his sight for a hundred thousand dollars, or part of his
nose for the riches of a millionaire? Gold and money cannot give life and
happiness to every man. Rothschild entered his large safe, and while he was
inside, its door banged and he died in a sea of gold. Why are we seeking gold
anxiously though we possess ample gold? Isn’t sight as precious as gold? And
health and time... and the human mind, too all these are treasures. Why don’t
we make the best of our time.
Why
don’t we recognise the value of life? Why don’t we make the best use of our
minds? Health, time and mind are an invaluable wealth that may lead man to
happiness if he takes the right way.
But what is the right way to that goal which is pursued by man everywhere and at
all times throughout history?
There are several trends that describe the reality of happiness and the way
leading to its attainment by man. The major trends can be summed up as follows:
1. Spiritualistic School, in which philosophers and theosophists believe that
real happiness consists essentially in spiritual life.
2. Materialistic School or theory, which upholds that real happiness lies in
materialism.
3. Rationalistic School, in which rationalists believe that happiness can be
attained only by reason and logic.
4.
Islamic Trend, which states that the three types of life: the spiritual, the
material and the rational are together essential elements of happy life if they
are ruled by the Islamic belief, practice and values. That is because man is a
combination of those very three ingredients: the body, mind and spirit: the body
is nourished by food and drink, the mind by knowledge and experiments, and the
spirit by faith and goodness. But it is sound faith that builds up a healthy
spirit and gives a realistic and truthful explanation of man’s position in
this universe, Divine Reality and the basic concept of the Oneness and Perfect
Attributes of God,
and
here we are going to use the name "Allah’ for God as it is not associated
with any distortions added by upholders of idolatry, polytheism, trinity and
other worshippers of false gods.
Let
us consider the crimes and evils of modern societies: murders, suicides, rapes,
drug abuse, robberies, thefts, and sexual, neurological, psychological, juvenile
and many other abnormalities and disorders.., the void man suffers because of
the absence of true faith that springs from human nature and does not conflict
with logic, reason and established facts of science....the lack of awareness of
the real aim behind man’s existence in this universe, i.e., to build and
establish an ideal and sound society controlled by the instructions and
injunctions of his Merciful and Wise Creator so as to free man from destructive
drives and inclinations, and the world from injustice and tyranny.
In fact, Islam, and only Islam, is the true Saviour of humanity and the answer
to all problems and questions faced by man.
The happiness Islam achieves for man has two major domains:
I. This worldly life, both on the individual and collective levels. It seeks to
give man a happy life free of cares and evils, characterised by sound faith. It
is a life in which every thing should be placed at the service of man:
"And He (Allah) has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the
heavens and on earth: behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who
reflect." (Qur’an 45:13)
Everything in nature is made available by Allah for the use of man through the
genius and faculties Allah has given to man.
Yet, many people behave adversely as if they were created to serve wealth and be
slaves to the pleasures and luxuries of life, losing thereby their freedom of
will and becoming servants of transient trivialities instead of being servants
of their Beneficent Sustainer and Cherisher, the Eternal and Almighty Allah.
As for the Collective aspect, Islam embraces all rules and principles
contributing to a happy society, whether a family, a nation or on larger scale,
i.e., on the international level.
2. The Eternal Life after Death:
The Life after death is a demonstration of Divine Justice. That day is a must
for the achievement of retributive justice and settlement of all injustices and
outstanding accounts, and at the same time for the generous reward of good acts.
Since we believe that Allah is the One and Only God with perfect attributes, it
would be illogical to entertain the notion that He will leave justice
unfulfilled. This life so full of wrongs, crimes, inconveniences, good deeds
unrewarded, and many human affairs unsettled is in fact just an introductory
chapter which prepares for the book of eternal life in which justice is restored
and a person meets with his (or her) just deserts.
The wrongdoers who have persisted in their sins and wrongdoing and failed to
repent and give up sound conduct will go to endless punishment in Hell. While
those with good records and righteous deeds will receive generous reward and
attain real and eternal happiness in the Heaven of Allah, in Paradise or the
Garden of Eden. That is the abode of perfect bliss, which deserves to be
sincerely and industriously sought by man.
There may be some difficulties and handicaps on the road to this exalted goal of
wise and faithful people, as stated by the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaho alaihi
wasallam) that "Hell is surrounded with whims and wanton desires, while the
Heaven is surrounded with hardships." Such hardships will serve as a test
of man’s goodly nature and of his truthful insistence on the attainment of
Allah’s pleasure and reward. A trader may spend sleepless nights and put up
with arduous efforts in order to win a gainful deal. However, the eternal life
in the abode of happiness is the biggest deal which man has ever competed or
striven to attain. But what is Paradise like? The
answer can only be found in the word of Allah in His Glorious Qur'an or in the
words of His Gracious Prophet (sallallaho alaihi wasallam), who is the genuine
Authority on the affairs of the seen and unseen in general and the Hereafter in
particular, as he learnt about such realities through Revelation received from
the All-knowing, All-aware, Absolute Allah. The righteous soul of a good
believer returns to its Lord "well pleased and well pleasing":
(To the righteous soul will be said:)
"O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back thou to thy
Lord, well pleased (thyself), and well pleasing unto Him! "Enter thou,
then, among my Devotees! "Yea, enter thou My Heaven!" (Qur’an)
The
above passage refers to the state of freedom and ease, to the final and
everlasting stage of human bliss, when the righteous soul of the righteous
believer, at peace with its Lord, certain of its way and fate, is welcomed among
those servants of Allah chosen to enjoy this Divine grace and to receive
Allah’s mercy and protection.
way to happiness sec part