Quest for Happiness

Introduction

Everyone wants to be happy, and happiness brings countless benefits indeed. Time flies when we are so glad, and life becomes joyful. We constantly strive to attain the means that will make us happy.

Many of us have restricted these means of happiness to the material items of this finite world, money and fame. Most of us are under the impression that money and fame are the only two items that can make us happy.

Both indeed bring happiness; however, this happiness is very short-lived and never fulfilling. In this blog, we will briefly discuss ten ways of attaining happiness that can be very fulfilling and have ever-lasting benefits for all domains of our lives.

First Way- Real happiness lies in pleasing God Almighty

As a believer, this should be our golden rule that we cannot attain happiness unless we please our Creator, Allah Almighty. We must obey all his orders and refrain from prohibitions under all circumstances.

This should be our first and foremost priority. Our aim should be to worship Allah Almighty, please Him, and always refrain from those activities that are forbidden. If we can achieve this aim, we will find real happiness, peace, and spirituality in our lives.

Second Way- Make your parents happy

Pleasing our parents is directly linked with pleasing Allah Almighty. This is a neglected area of our life that we don’t emphasize. Once parents get happy, their supplications in our favor can earn us so much reward that even the hardest of worships cannot.

It is narrated that the companion of Sayyiduna Musa (AS) in Paradise will be a meat-seller from his nation. The meat-seller gained this status by serving his elderly parents who supplicated in the court of Allah Almighty to make him a companion of Sayyiduna Musa (AS) in Paradise and his prayer was answered.

Third Way- Make your family happy

After parents, those who need our love and affection the most are our family members and close relatives. Unfortunately, in the present era, this is another severely neglected domain of our life. When we are out and about, we are kind and affectionate to everyone.

The moment we step inside our home, anger, and aggression are the dominant characteristics of our personality. If a simple survey is conducted, it will clearly show that most of us are not even on speaking terms with our siblings or siblings of our parents (uncles and aunts).

Fourth Way- Do not compare

We drain a lot of energy looking at the material belongings of our neighbors and other people in the community. We get jealous thinking that other people are better off than us and this feeling sparks the fire of hatred in our hearts.

A jealous individual cannot be happy because he is not accepting the will of Allah Almighty. Secondly, acquiring materialistic luxuries can be a test from Allah Almighty. Be content with what you have been blessed with and do not compare yourself with others if you wish to be happy.

Fifth Way- Enjoy the present

This is called mindfulness, and it means deriving comfort and happiness from the present moment instead of worrying about the past or future. Most of us are unable to practice mindfulness and hence waste lots of moments that can give us joy and happiness.

For example, when walking with your 5-year-old child to school, concentrate on the sound of the steps they are taking, the tone of every word they speak, the gentle breeze and the environment around you as well as the grip of their finger and the soothing sensation from it. Practicing this mindfulness will make this occasion a very happy one. However, most of us are in a rush to arrive on time and worry about the work instead of deriving comfort from the present moment.

Sixth Way- Bite-sized happiness

Happiness rarely comes in big chunks; therefore, you should learn to enjoy every little happiness that comes your way. It is literally like the drops of water that combine to make the ocean. Also, hold onto these little moments of joy and relive these experiences instead of waiting for big chunks of happiness to come your way.

Seventh Way- Mobile-free time

We are constantly connected to the wider world through our mobile phones. Of course, social interaction with others with certain boundaries can be beneficial to our social life. However, constant use of social media has extremely negative consequences on our mental health and relationships. During weekdays, we must have at least 3 hours of mobile free time (excluding sleep hours) with our family members daily, increasing it to 6 hours at the weekend.

Eighth Way- Stay positive

We have all heard about glass which is half-full or half-empty. A person with positive thinking will always be grateful for what they have in their life. To stay positive does not require a single penny.

A poor person can be grateful for simply having a roof over his head. Make a list of all the positive things that have happened in your life and keep remembering them again and again. Thanking Allah Almighty for these little bounties will bring about greater bounties.

Ninth Way- Be part of others’ happiness

It is a very difficult thing to do in the present age. If I express joy when I see others being happy, these feelings will be reciprocated by them at the time of my happiness. Sharing happiness with others can be very useful and fruitful and leads to the multiplication of positive effects. Unfortunately, we get jealous when we see others happy, and this leads to a lot of negativities within our society. As a believer, we should like for others what we like for ourselves.

Tenth Way- Difficult times today mean a happier outcome tomorrow

“Indeed, with hardship, there is ease.” (Holy Quran 94:6)

Challenging circumstances in our lives give us time to reflect on our shortcomings, rectify them, and further improve our skills. One can learn more from their failures compared to their success. Secondly, if we remain patient with these trials and tribulations in our lives, we will be blessed with a huge reward on the Day of Judgement.

People who are beloved of Allah Almighty are put to greater tests so that they show their patience and earn a greater rank in Paradise. It is narrated that sometimes Allah Almighty wills to bestow a higher rank upon someone who cannot achieve it through worship. Consequently, Allah Almighty puts him through hardship and when he remains patient, he attains this higher status.

Conclusion

We hope that by adopting these 10 simple steps, we will attain real happiness, with benefits both in this world and the hereafter.