Salamun alaykum, dear readers!
Rashad Khalifa, the Messenger of the Covenant that God mentioned in verse 3:81, stated in Appendix 2 of his English translation that one of his duties as messenger is to proclaim the secret to perfect happiness.
The secret is just that if one believes in God and does righteous deeds, and passes all of God’s tests, God in the Quran promised to reward that person and grant him or her a life full of happiness and blessings, both in this world and the next life, and to solve or minimize their worldly problems.
Therefore, while the Quran is not secretive about this at all, most Sunnis grow up being taught that the worldly life is a prison for the believers, and a paradise for the disbelievers.
But while this idea makes sense on the surface, the fact is that the Quran teaches the opposite.
According to the Quran, happiness and other rewards starts in the dunya (worldly life) and increases in the afterlife (akhirah) as long as one is a believer and does what God tells him to do.
So the worldly life is not in fact a prison, but a potential mini-Paradise for the believers if they do a good job.
It does not necessarily mean material wealth or luxury, although that may be a part of it if God wills, but it most certainly means inner peace and contentment. The fear, anxiety, and sadness will be removed.
[10:62-64] In fact, there will neither be any fear upon the allies of God, nor will they grieve. The ones who believed and used to revere, for them is the good news in the life of the World and in the Hereafter. There is no substitution for the words of God. That is the great triumph.
[3:148] So God gave them the reward of the World, and the good reward of the Hereafter; God likes the good-doers.
[28:77] But seek, in what God has given you, the home of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of the World. And do good, as God has been good to you, and do not seek corruption in the land. Indeed, God does not like the corruptors.
[65:2-3] …And whoever reveres God, He will make an exit for him and provide for him from where he does not reckon….
[16:30] And it was said to the ones who revered, “What has your Lord brought down?” They said, “Good.” For the ones who have done good in the World is good, but the abode of the Hereafter is better; definitely, excellent has been the home of the reverent.
[16:97] Whoever did righteous deeds, of male or female, and is a believer, We then will definitely give him a good life indeed. And definitely, We will indeed requite them with the best of what they used to do.
[16:122] And We gave him good in the World, and indeed, in the Hereafter he will definitely be among the righteous.
[2:201] But among them is whoever says, “Our Lord, give us good in the World, and good in the Hereafter, and spare us the punishment of the Fire.”
Believers Should Avoid Being Anxious
The Quran says in Surah 70 that the nature of the human being is created anxious. When harm touches them, they get impatient and upset, but when good fortune touches them, they are overly stingy.
The same Surah then goes on to say that this doesn’t apply to those who do Salat consistently, give charity, guard their chastity until marriage, fulfill their promises, and essentially anything involving being a good Muslim.
This makes happiness a requirement to be a believer, and that constant worrying about what other people say, think, or do, or excessive anxiety, is not a trait that true believers should have.
- [70:19-34] Indeed, the human being was created anxious. When bad has touched him, he is despondent. But when good has touched him, he is stingy. Except the doers of Salat, the ones who are consistent upon their Salat…”
Conclusion
In conclusion believers should trust that God will provide happiness and joy as a reward for the believers, both in this life and the next life, if they do their part and patiently pass all the tests.
This does not automatically mean that every single believer will be a millionaire with mansions on Earth. This means that regardless of how little or how much a person has, if one is a genuine believer, God will provide for that person on Earth and eventually make an exit for that person (which means create solutions for that person’s problems) as stated in 65:2-3.
God can “make an exit” for people having problems without getting rid of the problems themselves necessarily, but by making ways to cope or endure, or providing solutions. For example, many people suffer from back pain, cancer, or caregiver burnout. If God creates a way out for those people, it can mean making the cancer, back pain, or being a caregiver much more tolerable instead of complete removal of those problems.
However, this is not an excuse to be overly attached to the worldly life and forget about God. The Quran mandates protesting injustice, fighting to rescue oppressed people, and fighting in self-defense, so an able-bodied Muslim (the Quran excuses the weak and the sick) must not be afraid to sacrifice their careers, reputation, wealth, and lives if necessary to do those three things.
- A happy person who has a high amount of trust in God and a well-developed soul has zero problem doing this.
- Such people do not see anything they lose in the worldly life as a loss, because the afterlife is enough of a win to make any loss on Earth worth it.
Following the Quran Is a Source of Happiness
The Quran is a source of healing for people’s hearts (verse 10:57). So there are many ways that the Quran itself grants mental happiness automatically.
- The Quran explains why we are here and provides purpose, and lack of purpose is a major cause of unhappiness. The ultimate purpose that the Quran mandates Muslims to have is to worship God, and the Quran provides the roadmap to do that.
- Another automatic source of happiness are the individual worship rituals themselves, which are a constant reminder of God, and a reminder to trust and rely on God alone.
- The large code of conduct and behavior mentioned throughout the Quran (such as being kind, polite, showing gratitude, reducing anger, speaking in a moderate tone, being generous and helpful, being honest, don’t say bad things, being patient, no slandering or backbiting, making space for others, and much more) help turn people into fantastic human beings, and consequently, happy people.
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