Happiness and Faith (hell, prophet, blessing, God, Lord)

[Cordoba]

Live Dialogue today on IOL titled:

"Happiness Psychology and Faith: What Is The Relationship?"

http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Browse.asp?hGuestID=E2i1k2

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Do Your Best: That is the Way to a Happy Life
A person who sits on the floor does not fall.

People who are criticized are normally not sitting on the floor but up there trying to do something good.

If you are doing good, and doing your best to please Allah then stay calm and at peace.

Your reward is from Allah, not from people, so don't worry from critics: take what is positive and constructive criticism, and discard the rest

And remember that patience is a great virtue and that Allah loves those who are patient

[Cordoba]

Inner Peace

Inner peace requires that a person’s relationship with himself is clear, and that his goals and objectives are understood and at harmony with his inner being.

Indeed, after knowledge of the Lord, the most important thing for a person to have knowledge of is knowledge of his self and how to perfect it and purify it.

He needs to be sensitive to his own gifts and talents, aware of his weaknesses and strengths. Would he describe himself as patient or hasty, forthright or timid, tenacious or easily bored?

A person needs to know the truth about himself so he can go make good progress in a direction where he can best capitalize on his strengths and potential.

http://www.islamtoday.net/english/showme_weekly_2005.cfm?cat_id=30&sub_cat_id=730

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The real source of happiness is inner peace

If our mind is peaceful, we shall be happy all the time, regardless of external conditions, but if it is disturbed or troubled in any way, we shall never be happy, no matter how good our external conditions may be.

External conditions can only make us happy if our mind is peaceful. We can understand this through our own experience. For instance, even if we are in the most beautiful surroundings and have everything we need, the moment we get angry any happiness we may have disappears. This is because anger has destroyed our inner peace.

http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_51_100/happiness.htm

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Say Al-Hamdulel-Allah
(i.e. Thank God for what you have)

Greed for More: A Fact of Human Nature

Contentment is one of the most important prerequisites for happiness in life, and, unfortunately, many of us don't have it.

We have a good car that meets our needs, but we always want a nicer, more expensive one---a Mercedes or a Jaguar perhaps. We have a nice house, but we always want a bigger, fancier, more expensive one. More jewelry, fancier clothes, a boat. The list goes on.

We always think about more rather than saying, Alhamdulillah, for what we already have. Things that Lure us Out of Contentment A good rule for developing contentment is to always look at the people who have less than us, not the ones who have more.

http://www.nzmuslim.net/article156.html

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Peace Within

Inner peace is a feeling of calmness and satisfaction within ones heart.

But the delicate question is, how can that be attained?

‘Imaan’ – the true faith in Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala and the collective term for all those beliefs on which the Islamic faith is based - is the sole positive and real ground for a person’s inner calmness and rapture.

There must be a total submission to God’s commands; no half-hearted consents. Real happiness and peace can be found by submitting to the commands of the Sustainer of this world and by remaining content and satisfied with His Decree.

It is said in the Quran, “Truly in remembering God do hearts find rest.” (13:28).

‘Dhikr’ or ‘the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala’ leads to God consciousness, which persuasively brings forth total submission to His commands. Thereupon, it is imperative that in order to bring tranquility into our lives we must live according to His Commandments.
Another significant factor that massively contributes towards acquiring a complacent soul is ‘Shukr’ or ‘thankfulness’ to God.
Conspicuously, it indicates how a believer should be. He should be grateful to Allah under all circumstances. To attain inner peace we must look for abundance in our lives while minimizing the negatives.

We must learn to develop a sense of gratitude within ourselves for all that we have been so lucky to be blessed with. Come to think of it, most of us have a great deal in our lives to make us blissfully content but unfortunately we lack the ability to acknowledge and appreciate it. A lot is taken for granted and many blithe, simple moments in daily life are disregarded and forgotten. Ungratefulness takes away tranquility from within our hearts.

ttp://www.youngmuslims.ca/articles/display.asp?ID=91

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Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said

“True enrichment does not come through possessing a lot of wealth, but true enrichment is the enrichment of the soul.”

(Hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari)

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Contentment: The Secret to Happiness in Life


Practical Suggestions in Developing Contentment


The following are some principles that, if remembered, will help us develop this type of contentment in our own lives.

- We should look at the people who have less than us, not those who have more.


- When purchasing something, we should consider what we need, not how glamorous or prestigious it is.

- We should feel empathy for the poor and know that they have rights on our excess money.


- We should look at what we already have and be thankful to Allah (SWT)


http://www.soundvision.com/Info/parenting/parent.contentment.asp