To simplify Islam into a mere religion or following would not do justice to the lifestyle it depicts. Rather, Islam is a religion that requires immense personal devotion and sacrifice for Allah. The way to achieve happiness in the Islam religion is by working righteously, obeying Allah’s commandments, and applying these commandments to all aspects of life (Ullah 4).
Yet Muslims look beyond the superficial, “warm and fuzzy” feeling of happiness. Rather, Muslims look to find satisfaction and overall contentment in their lives. This overall enrichment and contentment in life does not come from mere wealth or value. In the words of Bukhari, a renowned Islamic scholar, “True enrichment does not come through possessing a lot of wealth, but true enrichment is the enrichment of the soul” (Ullah 3).
The Qur’an, which Muslims believe to be the revelations of Allah, gives a snapshot of what Muslims believe will result in happiness. This happiness will not only be for the material body, but will also be for the eternal soul. In addition, this happiness will not be transient. Instead, this happiness will accompany the soul into the next life. In the Qur’an, Allah 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” (Qur’an, 16:97). For Muslims, happiness comes from Allah and is a result of doing good for Allah. Allah will reward the faithful Muslim for his good deeds with happiness. The Qur’an reads, “and the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s pleasure while they are sure and certain that God will reward them is the likeness of a garden on a height; heavy rain falls on it and it doubles it’s yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain suffices it” (Qur’an 2:265). Similar to Christianity, Muslims believe that if one “seeks God’s pleasure,” one will be blessed with happiness.
In the Islamic perspective, there is a clear cut way to be happy. Happiness comes as a res
ult of following Allah and doing good deeds. In Arabic, to be a Muslim means to “submit to Allah.” When one submits to Allah, Allah in turn provides happiness.
Work Cited:
Gohari, M. J. The Quran. Oxford: Quran Institute, 2007. Print.
Ullah, Fariha. “Concept of Happiness in the Islamic Perspective.” Academia. edu.Web
“Qur’an.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.
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