Stories
of Happiness in Islam
Now surely the friends of Allah, they shall have no fear nor shall
they grieve. Those who believe and guarded (against evil): They shall have good
news in this world's life and in the hereafter; there is no changing the words
of Allah; that is the mighty achievement. Noble Qur'an (10:62-64)
Happiness is a feeling that resides in the heart. It is
characterized by peace of mind, tranquility, a sense of well-being, and a
relaxed disposition. It comes as a result of proper behavior, both inward and
outward, and is inspired by strong faith.
It is the nature of every person to seek happiness. One of the
most elusive objectives of every human being is "Happiness." The
Noble Qur'an reveals the secret of attaining perfect happiness in this life and
forever.
We learn from the Noble Qur'an that happiness is an exclusive
quality of the soul. Thus, a body that attains all the material successes it longs
for - money, power, fame, etc. - often belongs to an unhappy person.
Happiness depends totally on the degree of growth and development
attained by the soul, the real person. The Noble Qur'an provides a detailed map
towards perfect happiness for both body and soul, both in this world and in the
eternal Hereafter.
In the numerous verses throughout this proven Testament, Allah
(SWT) personally guarantees the believers happiness, now and forever. Some
people strive to seek material happiness in this world away from religion,
thinking that this is the true happiness. But this kind of happiness will be
succeeded by pain and sorrow at the Day of Judgment, and its people will know
that their striving led them only to misery and not happiness.
While others know that the true way to happiness is to obey Allah
(SWT) and follow His religion. For them the pleasures and riches of the world
are of little consequence. When this happiness penetrates and fills the heart
of the believer he does in fact live in this world as if he were in Paradise.
Those are the people who find true happiness in this world.
What kind of happiness could be greater than that of someone who
humbles himself to Allah (SWT), seek to please Allah (SWT), worships Him,
strives for His pleasure, and strives to enter Paradise and have salvation from
Hellfire?
The believer lives with such a sweetness in his heart that if the
masters of the earth knew of it, they would fight him to death to take it from
him. Allah (SWT) has said: "Whoever does good whether male or female and
he is a believer, We will most certainly make him live a happy life, and We
will most certainly give them their reward for the best of what they did."
Noble Qur'an (16:97)
To reach true happiness, we need to know what is the purpose of
our life, how to reach success in the hereafter, and to fulfill the
requirements of reaching this success by following the commands of Allah (SWT)
and His true religion.
We know much about Mars, Earth, moon, stars, and galaxies, thanks
to the century of knowledge. But how much we know about our eternal life after
death and how to reach success in the hereafter?
People need to eat every day to supply their bodies with energy
and to keep themselves healthy. If they stop eating for a period of time, diseases
will sneak up upon them and overtake them, and perhaps even kill them.
Similarly, people also need food of another kind, food for the
spirit and heart. It is unfortunate that while people are careful never to
forget to feed their bodies, they do not show the same concern for the health
of their souls and hearts.
The heart needs food as the body does. The diseases of the body
and the debilitating effects they have are not more dangerous than the diseases
of the heart and soul.
Secret
of Happiness in Islam : Grandmother Story: Crystall Ball
In the south of Spain, there was a small village whose people were
very joyful and lucky. The children played under the shade of trees in the
gardens of their home. A shepherd boy whose name was Nasir, stayed near the
village with his father, mother and grandmother. Early morning each day, he
takes his herd of goats up the hills to find a suitable place for them to
graze. In the afternoon he would return with them to the village.
At night his grandmother would tell him a story. The story of
stars . This story really interested Nasir. As usual, on one of these days, as
Nasir was watching his herd and playing his flute he suddenly saw a wonderful
light behind the flower bush. When he came towards the branches he saw a
transparent and most beautiful crystal ball.
The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow. Nasir
carefully took it in his hand and turned it around. With surprise suddenly he
heard a weak voice coming from the crystal ball. It said; "You can make a
wish that your heart desires and I will fulfill it." Nasir could not
believe that he had actually heard a voice. But he became so engrossed in his
thoughts for he had so many wishes but he must wish for something which was
impossible like the wish to be able to fly.
He said to himself, if I
wait till tomorrow I will remember many things. He put the crystal ball in a
bag and gathered the herd, happily returned back to the village. He decided
that he would not tell anyone about the crystal ball. On the following day
also, Nasir could not decide what to wish for, because he really had everything
he needed.
The days passed as usual, and Nasir appeared to be very cheerful
that the people around him were amazed to see his cheerful disposition. One day
a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a tree. Nasir as usual sat in
one corner, took out the crystal ball and for a few moments looked at it. The
boy waited for the moment when Nasir would go to sleep. Then he took the
crystal ball and ran away.
When he arrived in the village, he called all the people and
showed them the crystal ball. The citizens of that village took the crystal
ball in their hand and turned it around with surprise. Suddenly they heard a
voice from inside the crystal ball, which says, "I can fulfill your
wish." One person took the ball and screamed, "I want one bag full of
gold." Another took the ball and said loudly, "I want two chest full
of jewelry."
Some of them wished that they would have their own palace with
grand door made from pure gold instead of their old houses. Some also wished
for bags full of jewelry, but nobody asked for gardens in their palaces. All
their wishes were fulfilled but still the citizen of the village were not
happy.
They were jealous because
the person that had a palace had no gold and the person that had the gold had
no palace. For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry and were not
speaking to each other. There was not even one garden which existed in the
village where the children could play. The patience of the children was running
out and they were uncomfortable. Nasir and his family were happy and pleased.
Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute.
The children could not wait anymore and decided to return the crystal
ball to Nasir. The parents and neighbours went to him. The children said to
Nasir; "When we had a small village we all were happy and joyful."
The parent also spoke. In one way or another nobody is happy. The expensive
palaces and jewelry only bring us pain. When Nasir saw that the people were
really regretful, he said I have not wished till now, if you really want
everything to return to its own place, then I will wish for it. Everyone
happily agreed.
Nasir took the crystal ball in his hand turned around and wished
that the village become the same as it was before. Everyone quickly turned
towards the village and saw it became the same old village with gardens full of
trees and fruits. Once again the people started to live happily and the
children played under the shade of trees. From the next day and everyday at
sunset the sound of Nasir's flute could be heard in the village.
Moral: This Grandmother Story or Crystal Ball story teaches us
that we should be happy and content always, with whatever we have and not to be
greedy, because of the following reasons (Wise Old Sayings): Money cant Buy Happiness
MONEY can buy bed, but not sleep;
MONEY can buy books, but not wisdom;
MONEY can buy food, but not appetite;
MONEY can buy medicine, but not health;
MONEY can buy finery, but not real beauty;
MONEY can buy paintings, but not the artistry;
MONEY can buy a house, but not a home;
MONEY can buy luxuries, but not culture;
MONEY can buy companions, but not friends;
MONEY can buy marriage, but not love;
MONEY can buy clothes, but not personality;
MONEY can buy anything, but not heaven;
MONEY can buy tombstone, but not death;
MONEY can buy almost everything, but not the dignity and respect
of being who we are!
Meaning of Happiness in Islam:
Happiness is a feeling that resides in the heart. Happiness is
characterized by peace of mind, tranquility, a sense of well-being, and a
relaxed disposition. Happiness comes as a result of proper behavior, both
inward and outward, and is inspired by strong faith. Allah's Messenger (peace
be upon him) said: "True enrichment does not come through possessing a lot
of wealth, but true enrichment is the enrichment of the soul."
Signs
of Happiness in Islam, Authentic
Happiness)
There was a young couple who led a very happy life together. The
only thing that they worried about was, whether their happiness would last
forever or would they too would have to face problems.
One day, they heard that a wise old man had come to town; he could
solve all kinds of problems and guide people. So the couple decided to visit
the wise old man and tell him their source of worry.
The wise old man told them; "Travel around the world and seek
a man and a woman who are perfectly happy as a couple. When you find such a
couple, ask them for a piece of cloth from the man's shirt, then keep that
piece of cloth with you, and you always remain happy."
The young couple began their journey, to find the happiest couple
in their world. In one place they heard that the governor and his wife were the
happiest people, so they went to their palace and asked them, "Are you the
happiest couple?"
The governor and his wife replied, "Yes, we are happy in
every way except for one thing; we do not have any children."
Well that didn't make the governor and his wife the happiest
couple. So they continued their journey. They arrived in one city where they
had heard that the happiest couple lived. They went to their house and asked
them, "Are you the happiest couple?"
The couple replied, "Yes, we are really happy in every way
except that we have too many children which make our life a bit
uncomfortable."
No, this couple did not sound to be the happiest. And, so they
continued their journey. They visited many countries, cities, towns and
villages asking the same question but they did not find what they were looking
for.
One Day the young couple came across a shepherd in the desert. The
shepherd was grazing his sheep when his wife and child came along. The shepherd
greeted his wife and gently patted the child she was carrying. She laid the mat
and started to eat contentedly. The young couple came to them and asked them,
"Are you the happiest couple?"
The shepherd and his wife replied, "Nobody is unhappier than
the king." The young couple immediately realized that they were the
happiest couple and asked them for a piece of the shepherd's shirt, so that
their happiness too would last throughout.
The shepherd said, "If I give you a piece of cloth from my
shirt then I will be left without any clothes since I own just one shirt."
The young couple at once understood that it is very difficult to
find perfect happiness anywhere in the world. The couple decided to return to
their own country. They went to the wise old man and related all that had taken
place. They also complained that his guidance was difficult to abide by.
The wise old man laughed and said, "Was your journey useless
or did you learn something from it?"
The young man replied, "Yes, after this trip I have learnt
that in this world, nobody is perfectly happy, only that person is happy who
does everything to please Allah."
Noble Qur'an says: "And whosever follows My (Allah's)
guidance, on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve". (2:38)
The wife said, "I have learnt that in order to be happy it is
important to remember two things; first, all human beings should be thankful
and contented with whatever they have."
Noble Qur'an says: "And your Lord declared publicly: if you
are grateful, I will add more favors unto you". (14:7)
"And secondly, for ultimate happiness one must always
practice patience."
Noble Qur'an says: "Seek help through patient perseverance
and prayers". (2:45)
After that, young couple thanked the wise old man for his guidance
and returned home. The wise man prayed for them and said, "Indeed the sign
of happiness is in their heart and they have good manners and if the lifetime
is spent in pleasure of Allah there would be no differences in the existence of
mankind."
Noble Qur'an says: "Whosoever follows My (Allah's) guidance,
will not loose his way nor fall into misery. But whosoever turns away from My
message, verily for him is a miserable life". (20:123-124).
Satisfaction is the Secret to Happiness in Life
No comments:
Post a Comment