Happiness and contentment as a life goal:
Achieving happiness is probably the biggest and ultimate life goal for everyone. Everyone strives day and night to achieve contentment and happiness. It is a universal goal irrespective of cultural or national background. People, however, have different interpretations of happiness and they use varied ways to achieve it. Humans have an ever-increasing lust for happiness. When they accomplish a level of happiness after some time it wears off and they yearn for a higher level of happiness. What makes a person truly happy? How to achieve eternal happiness and contentment? Here are some ways to achieve happiness in Islam.
Ways to achieve happiness in Islam:
The religion of Islam teaches about every aspect of life. When a person sincerely implements the teachings of Islam in his daily life, he becomes a highly responsible, morally and ethically correct individual and leads a happy and content life.
Understand the objective of life:
Allah created human beings and this world for a purpose. When a person deviates from the real objective of life, his soul remains uneasy and perturbed. This confusion leads him to seek happiness from different sources. Some sources might give comfort for the time being but fail to give lasting tranquility. Eternal happiness occurs only when you understand the real objective of life that is a belief in the Oneness of Allah and spending your life according to the teachings of Islam.
Commit righteous deeds:
Real happiness in Islam is greatly stressed upon. That is why Islam tells us how to achieve happiness and peace. Allah tells in the Holy Quran that committing righteous deeds, helping fellow beings, obeying Allah’s commands and practicing Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) keeps a person’s heart happy and content.
Do not compare your life with others:
This is extremely important if you are to achieve happiness in Islam. When a person constantly compares his life with others who are apparently more privileged, he will never be happy. Feelings of jealousy and insufficiency shall eat him from inside. It gets more convenient for the devil to worsen the situation of such a person. He is plunged deeper and deeper into a state of despair and hopelessness. On the other hand, when a person does not make such comparisons, he is content with whatever he has in his life. He looks at people who are less privileged than him and remains thankful to His Lord. He knows that this world and everything within it is temporary. It is bound to end. Life after death is eternal and enjoying blessings in that life is more important than this one.
Recite Holy Quran:
Allah has given the Holy Quran as a miraculous book for his believers that not only guides them but is also a source of comfort, peace, and tranquility. Reading the Quran and understanding its meaning purifies the heart and soul. It gives an unparalleled feeling of relief that all the worldly affairs and matters look trivial. It fills the heart with the love of Allah. Then there is no place left in heart for any grief, worry or despair.
Seek help from patience:
Allah says at many places in the Holy Quran to seek help from prayer and patience. One of the major reasons why people today are so depressed and unhappy is that they ignore the teachings of the Quran. They get worried in testing times. However, Allah tells us very clearly that these times are from Allah just to test our faith. We must remain patient and understand that problems are from Allah and only He has the cure to them.
Strength of faith:
Strong faith and belief in Allah is central to happiness in Islam. We must submit ourselves completely to the will of Allah by acting upon the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. If we do not understand how important it is to obey Allah we can never be satisfied in our lives. A believer understands that his life and everything within it is from Allah. He has to return to Him and give an account of his deeds on the Resurrection Day. A thorough understanding of this faith leads to happiness in Islam.