Sound Aqeedah (Belief)
To build a happy life, you have to first lay a solid foundation for it, otherwise, it will subside. Therefore, we should seek such a solid unshakeable foundation on which we could build our wholesome life. A man's desire for happiness may lead him away from the right path. He may stray unknowingly from the way to success and happiness and take the course to chaos and misery, hereby bringing suffering and destruction upon himself arid upon others.
Proper Islamic belief, when put into practice, leads manto the right direction and make him understand his existence in this world, his relation with his Creator and to other creatures, the purpose of his creation, and the correct course and way that leads him to salvation and real happiness. Allaah says: "O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW). and the Book (the Quran) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scriptule which He sent down to those before (him), and whosoever disbelieves in Allah. His Angels. His Books.His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed for away." (Q4[Nisaa]: 136)
The first aspect of the belief system of Islam is proper Belief in Allaah. Belief in Allaah and in His perfect attributes would deeply influence the Muslims character and his whole outlook on life. It brings him to acquire good qualities and aim for human perfection. This will undoubtedly achieve, for both the individual and the society, a life of ideal values and collective happiness.
Belief in the angels of Allaah makes man feel that he is not alone in this universe and that it abounds withrighteous friendly creatures. This would make life. pleasant for him and enable him to achieve success and happiness. Belief in the Day of Iudgment drives man to control his behavior and life according to the Divine Laws of justice and righteousness. Without belief in this Day on which everyone will receive his just rewards, man would lose the impetus to behave fairly towards others and the oppressed would grow hopeless and miserable.
Belief in Qadar is a major element of a stable and composed personality. When you submit yourself to the Divine Decree and Will and feel positively certain that What befalls you would not have missed you and what misses you would not have befallen you", you would certainly grow stronger in the face of calamities, face them with patience and courage and not succumb to them or be paralyzed with shock or despair.
Lack of such element of faith creates a vacuum in mans heart and life that cannot be filled up with all the riches and pleasures of the world. It is this kind of emptiness that drives many, even the wealthy and the pleasure seekers of the world to collapse or even commit suicide.
Ibaadah (Worship and Devotion to Allaah) "Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between"(Q21 [Anbiyaa]:16)
So creation is not for idle sport or play, Allaah has a serious purpose behind it. Allaah says: "I have only created Jinns (i.e., genies) aad men, that they may serve Me!" (Q51 [Dhariyah]: 56) Worship in Islam includes every action of a Muslim that is sanctioned by Allaah for His remembrance and performed only for His sake and according to the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Worship of Allaah is a major and comprehensive source of contentment and happiness for man.
On the personal level, it gives man the feeling that he is close to Allaah and such nearness to his Lord, consequently, provides him with guidance, wisdom, strength, confidence, steadfastness, security, joy and prosperity. Allaah says: "O you who believe! Do your duty to Allaah, seek the means of approach unto Him, and strive (with might and main) in His cause: that you may prosper." (Q5[Maidah]:35)
In solaat, man communicates with his Lord directly and establishes the most exalted relationship that infuses him with satisfaction and peace of mind. He feels that Allaah is with him, He hears him, responds to him, accepts his prayers and good deeds and forgives his sins. Salim ibn Abdullah said: A man said: would that I had prayed, and go t comfort. The people objected to him for it. There upon he said: I heard the Prophet of Allaah (sallallahi wa sallam) as saying: O Bilal, call iqamah for prayer: give us comfort by it. "(Abu Dawud)
Dhikhr
This include such actions as supplications, prayers, celebration of Allaahs praises and recitation of the Glorious Quran. Dhikr is an ingredient for the realisation of happiness and success. Allaah says: "Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allaah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find satisfaction. For those who believe and work righteousness, is (every) blessedness and a beautiful place of (final) return."(Q13[Rad]:28-29)
Shunning the remembrance of Allaah and His revealed message to humanity deprives man of that transcendent joy and satisfaction. It causes constriction in the chest, a feeling of spiritual void and depression, a desolate and desperate life full of worries, and ultimately wrath and eternal punishment in the Hereafter. Allaah says: But whosoever turns away from My Message. Verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment." (Q20[TaHa]: 124)
Goodness and Kindness to Others
This emanates from the very essence of faith. Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:"All creatures are dependants of Allaah, and the most favoured among them by Allaah is the one who is most helpful to His dependants. (Tabarani) A Muslims goodness is not only limited to brothers in faith; but, it also extends to cover every being, human or otherwise. Allaah 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. (QI6[Nahl] :97)
Avoid Long Hope & Dont Grief Over the Past
Many people spend most of their time worrying about their future life and keep regretting past mishaps. They live in continuous worry and misery. A good solution to this source of worries is to live within the limits of today. This does not mean to neglect the future and stop planning for it, nor does it involve failure to draw Iessons from past experiences. Rather, It aims at ridding our life of obsession with futile cares that lead us only to stress and frustrations.
Living within the limits of today is consistent with the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): "He who is safe (in his home),healthy (in his body), with enough provisions for the day is like one who possesses everything in the world." (???) So why worry? If you let yourself be haunted with fears and worries about the future all the time. you will not be able to enjoy the present.
Plan for the future, no problem, and draw lessons from the past, but never be too absorbed in worrying about your future life or dwell too much on your past glories or shortcomings. Understand Your Role in Life An essential prerequisite of happiness is the understanding of the role of man in this world and his position and function as a servant of Allaah on the one hand and a trustee of Allaah on earth on the other hand. Thus, man would be ruled and guided by divine light and would behave with a sense of responsibility.
So a Muslim strives to make the best of his time to produce for himself and other people what is useful for them and to prepare himself for the future both in this life. Allaahs Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your senility; your health before your sickness; your wealth before your poverty; your leisure before your occupation; and, your life before your death." (Ahmad, Baihaqi and Hakim) Accept Your Reality Unhappiness is often occasioned by the feeling of inadequacy and incapability.
The most effective solution to such a source of uneasiness and suffering is to forget about people with higher standard of living; for if you compare yourself with such people you will only incur misery. You would find solace when you dicover that you are endowed with more blessings by Allaah than many others. We have already been guided to this golden rule by Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): "Look at those inferior to you, and do not look at those superior to you. Thereby. You would be able to appreciate better the benevolence of Allaah bestowed upon you." (Bukhari)
Develop a Stable Personality
One important step on the way to happiness is to work towards harmony within oneself and with the outward world. The achievement of such harmony requires the building up of ones personality so as to become stable, confident. consistent, flexible and adaptable. Character building could be achieved by adopting the Islamic educational system which helps man to acquire a balanced and sound personality. An outstanding feature of a well balanced personality is moderation in all fields of life in general and in the financial field in particular. Allaah says:"And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in want, and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthriftﾕ" (Q17[lsraai]:26)
A stable character keeps man away from degradation and sins which are in contradiction with a stable personality and deprive the society of its stability and peace. Benefit From The Conveniences Of Life Moderately Islaam takes a positive view of life with virtue lying not in shunning the bounties of Allaah but in enjoying them within the framework of "righteous living" through which Islam seeks to promote human welfare. Allaah says: "O you who believe! Make not unlawful the Taiyibat (all that is good) which Allaah has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily Allaah does not like the transgressors." (Q5[Maidah]:87)
Be of Benefit To Yourself & Others
Social solidarity is based on cooperation and communal spirit. A Muslim is required to be particularly helpful to his brothers. Allaah says: "Help one another in righteousness and piety, but help you not one another in sin and rancour." (Q5[Maidah]:3) The Rasul (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) also said: "The similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, and fellow feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever." (Bukhari)
He also said: "One who believes in Allaah and the Day of Judgment must not cause hardship and inconvenience to his neighbour; and he who believes in Allaah and the Last Day must honour his guest, and he who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment must speak well or keep quiet!" (Muslim)
Repentance
Repentance purifies the soul and relieves the human mind of the burden of sin and guilt. The aim of penitence is two fold: peace of mind in this world and everlasting bliss in the Hereafter. Repentance, in lslaam, does not involve any kind of confession of sins to a priest or to any man. Islam teaches that there are no mediators or intercessors in the relationship between Allaah and His servants. In fact, anyone could always turn directly to Allaah for help and forgiveness, for He is too Generous and Kind to turn you down. Allaah says: "O you who believe! Turn you all together toward Allaah, that you may attain Bliss.(Q24[Nur]:31).
Learning and Engaging in Noble Pursuit
Constructive knowledge in general and the knowledge of Divine Guidance and Law in particular, pave the way for human betterment and happiness. Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stressed the importance of the pursuit of knowledge as a way to eternal happiness: "If a person follows a path for acquiring knowledge Allaah will make easy the passage to paradise for him." (Muslim).
Keep Company of Righteous People
Happiness is infectious particularly if you stay close enough to happy and righteous people. This is true because a happy man is an optimistic and confident person who enjoys peace and assurance and tries to transmit his optimism and cheerfulness wherever he goes, thereby spreading an impression of delight and happiness. Moreover, when you have righteous friends you will acquire good qualities from them and become equally righteous. Righteousness is an entry visa for the abode of happiness and Allaah's bounty.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited