Happiness is an experience that is particularly individualistic and dependent on a variety of factors, and as a result, it is subjectively e...
Happiness is an experience that is particularly individualistic and dependent on a variety of factors, and as a result, it is subjectively experienced by a large number of different people. No two people on this planet will ever have the same identical conceptions of what constitutes happiness. Some individuals have the misconception that happiness can be summed up as a moment, a certain mental state, a continuous stream of enjoyable experiences, or even a biological or hormonal state (Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine).
In this article, we will dispel a common fallacy that many people have regarding happiness, and we will also guide their thoughts on how to achieve real, enduring happiness.
The foundation of the argumentation will be that man has a very limited capacity to comprehend his own circumstances. For this reason, it is impossible for him to rationally give meaning to the concept of happiness because he has unique social and cultural backgrounds that will influence the way we perceive happiness.
If someone wants to figure out what happiness is, he will have to go back to the place where everything came from, which is the Creator. He is the one who created man the way he is, and He is the only one who knows what makes man happy in a real and true-enduring way.
To find the answer to this question, we will look in the book that was given to us by the Creator, which is the Qur'an. Then, we will examine what it is that the Creator has to say about the subject at hand.
In accordance with what Allah (swt) shared with us, happiness occurs when we acknowledge Allah (s.w.t) as our lord and perform good deeds in obedience to the rules that He (s.w.t) has laid out for us.
He (s.w.t) said:
"Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, we shall make them live a good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." (16: 97)
We were also warned by Allah (swt) of the things that would bring us pain and unhappiness in this life, and that included rejecting His comamnds and following a different path.
"But he who turns away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection." (20: 124)
The secular culture of the West is constantly trying to persuade us Muslims to adopt its values. Our minds are tricked into believing that happiness can only be achieved in the pursuit of material things or sensual pleasures. We should not be duped into believing this deception since it is in direct conflict with Allah (s.w.t)'s unchanging word.
In conclusion, any intellectually mature person would realise, after great reflection, that he has no alternative but to surrender to the Creator and that only by following His path will he find true happiness. Those who deviate from the path laid out by the Creator will not experience true tranquilly or happiness in this or the next life.
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