(Once Again) About Happiness

One of the things that still bothering me is about the definition of happiness. What does happiness mean? What are the things that causing us, human, able to feel happy? Is it a true happiness or it just an artificial happiness..?

 

Long-long time ago, I wrote about “being grateful as a key to feel happy”, a Bahasa Indonesia preferred writing, or “Syukur sebagai Kunci Kebahagiaan”. But it seems that there is/are something lack and need to be intensively thought.

 

Ok than, let’s try to list all items which can cause us happy:

 

A lot of money; big house; nice and luxury vehicle; beautiful, smart and shalihah wife or husband for female; smart, good looking and healthy children; have a good job; enough income; being health; have a good friends/relation/coworker; nice neighborhood; etc

 

Is there any point that I miss from the list..? I guess not.

 

Is it true that all of those listed items can and will surely make us feel happy..? I doubt it. It would not make us 100% happy.

 

 

The Definition of Happy

 

In my personal opinion, happiness is when our heart feel peaceful, calm, and has a pleasure feeling within.

 

A lot of people have being deceived, by believing that all of those things that we had listed previously will make them happy. That’s why; they are willing to do just about anything to earn it. To have a lot of money, a big cozy house, a luxury car, and a beautiful wife.

 

If all of those material things are achieved by illegal means, did not being used for righteous things, and the person whom have it, did not become a grateful person, I’m sure that it will not make them happy.

 

 

The Key

 

As a Muslim, our biggest aim is to have Allah SWT ridho,

 

And those who remain patient, seeking their Lord's Countenance, perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and spend out of that which we have bestowed on them, secretly and openly, and defend evil with good, for such there is a good end; 'Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), which they shall enter and (also) those who acted righteously from among their fathers, and their wives, and their offspring. And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying): "Salâmun 'Alaikum (peace be upon you) for that You persevered In patience! excellent indeed is the final home!" (QS. Ar-Ra'd: 22-24)

 

No matter how does our condition state, if we have Allah by our side, it will be more than enough.

 

 

A Genuine Happiness

 

This world is only a sojourn; our true place to live is at hereafter. There are only two options for a place at the hereafter, heaven or hell, there is no third option rather that those two, heaven with all it kindness or hell with all it unthinkable torture.

 

I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, not has it occurred to human heart.  Thus recite if you wish: And no soul knows what joy for them (the inhabitants of Paradise) has been kept hidden (QS. As-Sajdah: 17). (Hadith Qudsi)

 

 

The Reality

 

So, do we gonna neglect all of those material things while we live..? Well, I won’t.

 

This world is being created for us, human. So, it’s ok to enjoying it, with some notes. First, all of those things have to be earned using a halal/legal ways. Second, it is used not only for our self, but some of that stuffs are for poor and needy. Third, keep in mind that it all comes from Allah, so be grateful to Him.

 

Say (O Muhammad): "Who has forbidden the adoration with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for his slaves, and At-Taiyibât [all kinds of Halal (lawful) things] of food?" say: "They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe, (and) exclusively for them (believers) on the Day of Resurrection (the disbelievers will not share them)." Thus we explain the Ayât (Islamic laws) in detail for people who have knowledge. (QS. Al-A'raaf: 32)

 

 

I would like to stated, that the bottom line of this essay is, we need to be aware, of the real thing that makes us feel happy, the peaceful feeling within our heart, is because Allah with us, ridho/countenance with our condition, and the real happiness is the pleasure that we will gonna enjoy at the paradise, if we could entering it (amin), while the other thing, are only a superficial happiness, if it come without Allah ridho.

 

 

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Samarinda, 18 Januari 2009

Syamsul Arifin

*practicing my english (again)