The True Joy: Types of Happiness
This is the second in a series of articles on true happiness, joy, and commitment according to the Quran and Sunna from the seminar The True Joy with Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Kharsa and Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
Happiness in our religion and in the guidance of our religion (the Sacred Law) is of two types. There is a praiseworthy happiness which is sought and virtuous. And there is a happiness that is blameworthy, interdicted. One that needs to be avoided.
Life is limited and you have either profit or loss. When you do not profit, it is a type of loss. How would you regard neither profit nor loss if you are looking for an investment? It is a loss because it is a missed opportunity. This is why happiness is divided into two parts.
Blameworthy Happiness
The blameworthy happiness is the happiness of the self with the merely worldly and its adornments and its fleeting amassing. Allah Most High describes in the Quran those who disbelieve:
وَفَرِحُوا۟ بِٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعٌۭ
“Yet they exult in this life, while this life, to the limitless measure of the next, is but a fleeting enjoyment.” [Quran, 13:26; tr. Keller, Quran Beheld]
The disbeliever rejoices only in this worldly life, its adornments, and its pleasures. They are deluded by that, whereas in reality, it is just fleeting enjoyment. They rejoiced in this world, living in a manner that caused them to be content with the mere worldly, and to find their sufficiency in their worldly life. This caused them to be heedless of the Hereafter. Allah addresses in the Hereafter to people of the Hellfire thus:
ذَ ٰلِكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَفۡرَحُونَ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بِغَیۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَمۡرَحُونَ
“That is because you used to exult haughtily on earth without right, and swagger with baseless pride.” [Quran, 40:75; tr; Keller, Quran Beheld]
They found their sufficiency in rejoicing in it. Finding their happiness in the worldly life led them from true happiness to contentment in a manner that causes one to be heedless of higher things. An approximative example of that is binge-watching shows that one finds interesting but then getting busy with it, not thinking about other things. It turns them away from the Hereafter and what truly matters.
This is one of the qualities that caused the disbelievers to become heedless of Allah and of what matters. It caused them to be deserving of the Hellfire.
Praiseworthy Happiness
Praiseworthy happiness is from the teachings of our religion. Allah has commanded us to have that happiness. That is the very aim that the believer seeks from this worldly life. Allah says:
قُلۡ بِفَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ وَبِرَحۡمَتِهِۦ فَبِذَ ٰلِكَ فَلۡیَفۡرَحُوا۟
“Say, ‘In this bounty of Allah and mercy of His, in that let them rejoice.” [Quran, 10:58; tr. Keller, Quran Beheld]
The command is to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The whole Quran is an address from Allah. The things that Allah commands the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to tell them is for us to pay attention to. You see those things fully exemplified in the person of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
Rejoicing
There are many things you could rejoice in but the rejoicing that we are called upon to have has meaning, purpose, and good. It is when we connect our rejoicing to the bounty of Allah. In one of the ten recitations, it is also come through mass transmission from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace):
فبذلك فلتفرحوا
“In that, let you rejoice.”
There is no joy in this life that is greater and more complete than the joy in beholding Allah and drawing closer to Him. In devotion to Him, remembering Him, and finding one’s contentment and serenity in life in Allah and with Allah. Finding one’s rejoicing and thereby contentment in Allah, fills the heart with contentment and resolve. Gives it rest and makes the heart settled such that if someone finds this happiness then even if the whole world rises up and turns against you, nothing could oppose this happiness, contentment, and the sweetness of having reached presence with Allah.
If you travel to the Muslim lands or you go to the Mosque or elsewhere and you meet some of the elders who are going through the greatest difficulties, you find that they do not talk about the fleeting pains and aches. You find a serenity and contentment.
Beholding Reality
The righteous servants of Allah who have become truly sincere rejoice in Allah with amazing happiness. One of the righteous poets said, “And from that which increased me in rejoicing and caused me ecstasy is that that I enter under your address یَـٰعِبَادِیَ (O my servants) and that you made Ahmad (Allah bless him and give him peace) for me a Prophet.” Allah bless him and give him peace.
You are Allah’s. You belong to and are addressed by the Creator and sustainer of all things. Allah made Ahmad, our beloved Prophet Muhammad, for us, a Prophet. Allah bless him and give him peace.
They see the reality that Allah is their Lord, Creator, Sustainer, Protector. Their purpose and their goal in life has granted them continual joy. This is from the meanings of the Divine address:
قُلۡ بِفَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ وَبِرَحۡمَتِهِۦ فَبِذَ ٰلِكَ فَلۡیَفۡرَحُوا۟
“Say, ‘In this bounty of Allah and mercy of His, in that let them rejoice.” [Quran, 10:58; tr. Keller, Quran Beheld]
Such righteous servants rejoice in the bounty of Allah. They realize that every act of drawing closer to Allah. Every Blessing, every good, every meaning they experience of coming to know Allah is only by the pure bounty and largesse of Allah Most High.
They rejoice in the mercy of Allah. Therefore, they rejoice in the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), who said, “I am but gifted Mercy.” They rejoice in the Quran because the Quran has come down with mercy and goodness.
