How to Be Happy?
4 Quranic Causes of True Happiness
What is Happiness?
A question that has troubled Western societies for centuries.
They have tirelessly sought “happiness” through
purely material paths: at times linking joy and satisfaction to wealth,
professional success, or even fame and sensual pleasure.
Yet reality reveals shocking contradictions: the greater the materialism, the
higher the rates of anxiety and depression!
According to the World Health Organization, more than 280
million people worldwide suffer from depression, and high-income countries —
such as the United States, Sweden, and Germany — rank among the highest in
depression rates globally, despite their abundance of wealth, opportunity, and
social welfare!
Modern psychological and sociological studies confirm this
paradox. Scholar Suniya Luthar in her renowned study Privileged but
Pressured showed that youth from affluent families in wealthy societies
experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse compared to
others.
Similarly, the Harvard Youth Poll conducted by the Harvard Institute of
Politics (Spring 2023) revealed that a significant percentage of young
Americans aged 18–29 suffer from anxiety, loneliness, and low life
satisfaction, despite belonging to academically and professionally successful
groups.
This paradox reflects how the Western human being, despite
progress and fortune, lives a spiritual void that neither wealth nor pleasure
can fill.
The Quranic Perception of Happiness
In contrast, the Quran presents an entirely different concept
of happiness. It does not associate happiness with material appearances but
defines it as a state of the heart that springs from closeness to Allah. Allah Says,
{Those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in
the remembrance of Allah. Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find
comfort.} [Ar-Ra`d 13:28]
In the Quranic view, happiness is not tied to material
conditions; it is the fruit of sincere faith and a constant bond with the
Creator. It begins with the rectification of one’s relationship with Allah,
then manifests as serenity in the emotions, balance in behavior, and purity in
the soul.
It is a happiness unshaken by the loss of wealth or fame,
because it is rooted in the promise of Allah to His faithful servants: {Whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a
believer, We will surely bless them with a good life, and We will certainly
reward them according to the best of their deeds.} [An-Nahl 16:97]
The Causes of Happiness in the Quran
Because happiness is a goal that mankind never ceases to
pursue, the Quran gives it profound attention, clarifying several of its key
causes, most importantly:
1.
Faith
Faith is the
greatest blessing Allah Bestows upon His servants, the source of tranquility
and the essence of real happiness. It is as the Prophet (peace be upon him)
said to Jibreel: “It means that you should
believe in God, His angels, His books, His apostles, and the last day, and that
you should believe in the decreeing both of good and evil.” (Sahih Muslim)
The believer who submits to Allah and trusts His wisdom lives
with a calm heart and a content soul. He finds faith a healer of his worries
and a refuge from the storms of life.
Faith not only brings happiness but repels the causes of misery; it is the
light that dispels the darkness of disbelief and doubt. Whoever is granted
sincere faith has been granted everything. Allah Says, {Allah
is the Guardian of the believers—He brings them out of darkness and into
light.}
[Al-Baqarah 2:257]
This light does not end in this world; it extends to the
Hereafter, where it will illuminate the path of believers on the Day of
Judgment. Allah Says, {On that Day you will see
believing men and women with their light shining ahead of them and on their
right. ˹They will be told,˺ “Today you have good news of Gardens,
under which rivers flow, ˹for you˺ to stay in forever. This is ˹truly˺ the ultimate triumph.”} [Al-Hadid 57:12]
2.
Righteous Deeds
Righteous deeds are the fruit of faith, through which the
heart’s happiness and the soul’s tranquility are reached. They include all acts of worship, ethics, and dealings that Allah has Commanded, performed
solely for His sake.
The Quran frequently couples faith with righteous deeds,
indicating that faith without action that purifies the soul is incomplete. Allah
Says, {As for those who believe, do good, and have
faith in what has been revealed to Muḥammad—which is the truth from their
Lord—He will absolve them of their sins and improve their condition.} [Muhammad
47:2]
Among the greatest righteous deeds are the obligatory acts of
worship, which form the primary sources of happiness and inner peace.
- Prayer
(Salah) washes away the heart’s sorrows and pours
serenity into the soul. The Prophet (peace be upon him), whenever
troubled, would hasten to prayer and
said: “My comfort has been provided in
prayer.” (Sunan An-Nasa’i)
- Fasting
(Sawm)
grants spiritual clarity, freeing one from the dominance of desire and
strengthening self-discipline. It is a school of piety and a source of
joy, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The
one who fasts has two occasions of joy, one when he breaks his fast and
one when he meets his Lord.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
- Pilgrimage
(Hajj)
gathers all these meanings, elevating the believer through pure devotion.
There he tastes the sweetness of closeness to Allah and the purity of
repentance, returning with a heart filled with light, contentment, and
happiness.
3.
Treating Allah’s Creation
with Ihsan
Ihsan
(excellence in faith and conduct) is the highest station of faith and the peak
of human behavior in Islam. It is “To worship
Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then
you must consider that He is looking at you.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
The one who practices ihsan lives in
constant awareness of Allah, repaying evil with good and spreading kindness
wherever he goes.
Allah Says, {If you act rightly, it is for your own
good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss.} [Al-Isra’ 17:7] The
person acting with ihsan first tastes its fruit within himself, manifesting in
serenity and peace, before it appears in others.
Forms of ihsan in Islam are many: showing kindness to parents
in obedience to the command of Allah, being merciful to the weak and needy,
treating neighbors, daughters, wives, and even servants and animals with
gentleness and compassion.
Acting with ihsan spreads warmth, generosity, and mercy that
transcends self-interest, seeing in every creature a sign of the creation of Allah
deserving compassion. Thus, the believer becomes enveloped by the mercy and
favor of Allah, resulting in the promise of Allah: {Those
who do good will have the finest reward1 and ˹even˺ more.} [Yunus 10:26]
4.
Patience and Gratitude
Among the greatest secrets of happiness in the Quran is that
believer’s patience in trials and gratitude for blessings. He knows that whatever befalls
him was never meant to miss him, and what misses him was never meant to befall
him. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “How
wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and
this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses
gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he
endures it patiently and that is better for him.” (Sahih Muslim)
Whoever believes that everything befalls him is a decree of
Allah, finds rest in his soul and peace in his heart, freed from fear and
anxiety, and discovers in hardship the sweetness of closeness to Allah.
Therefore, Allah has Praised the patient many times in the
Quran: {And We will certainly reward the steadfast
according to the best of their deeds.} [An-Nahl 16:96]
Similarly, remembering and thanking the blessings of Allah
dispels sadness and depression, replacing them with contentment and joy.
The one who looks to those less fortunate realizes how abundant the blessings
of Allah upon him are — too numerous to count, as Allah Says, {If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would never
be able to number them.} [An-Nahl 16:18]
Man lives in an ocean of gifts from Allah — from the moment he
is a fetus in his mother’s womb until he meets his Lord. Yet familiarity with
these blessings often blinds him to their worth. Only believers truly perceive the favor of Allah in every detail of their lives, great or small.
Therefore, while material civilizations continue their frantic
race toward the mirage of happiness, the Quran gently reassures humankind that
true happiness is not in what you own, but in Whom you are connected to.
Many have possessed every means of luxury yet lost mastery
over themselves — and how rare are those who have tasted the sweetness of faith
and lived content even with little!
When the heart settles upon this truth, every hardship becomes
ease, every trial a blessing, and every path leading to Allah becomes a path to
true happiness. {As for those who believed and did
good, their Lord will admit them into His mercy. That is ˹truly˺ the absolute triumph.} [Al-Jathiyah 45:30]
You May Also Read:
- New Generation and the Trap of Overindulgence Amid Declining Dawah Efforts
- Zakat… Key to Blessings and Secret of Solidarity
- The Foundations of a Nation's Happiness
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Resources:
- Depressive disorder (depression)
- Harvard Youth Poll
- Privileged but Pressured? A Study of Affluent Youth
- Mahasin Al-Islam Encyclopedia.
- Tafsir Maudu`i Encyclopedia.
