Religion and Happiness

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 takeit 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)
Happiness is in the good life mentioned in this verse, that even the rich disbelievers cannot find, despite the money they have. That is why we are not surprise when we know that many among them committed suicide.

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.