Secrets to Being a Happy Muslim

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Allah Most High says,

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا لُقْمَـٰنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ ﴿١٢

And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], "Be grateful to Allah." And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] - then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy. (12)

[Qur'an, Luqman 31:12]

فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ ﴿١٥٢

So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me. (152) (152)

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:152]

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' " (7)

[Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7]

These Qur'anic verses are the secrets to being a happy Muslim--Gratitude and Remembrance of Allah.

Expression of gratitude is one of the secrets of happiness while ingratitude is one of the causes of worry, depression and misery. A grateful person is always praising Allah whatever his circumstance may be for he realizes that there are many far worse off than himself and, most of all, he has a continuous opportunity to see and be with Allah in his remembrance.

We remember Allah because we are grateful to Him for giving us everything we have, including our very existence. When we are not happy or content, we are being forgetful. We are forgetting that Allah has given us so much more than what we perceive as our “problems” or what we don’t have. When we are unhappy, that means we are focusing on what we don’t have more than what we do have. We are being ungrateful. We need to correct ourselves whenever we are less than grateful. We need to rise above our problems and choose inner peace and gratitude. Our gratitude to Allah should always be above our attention to our problems.

If you are feeling bad or having problems, you should think: what can I do about this? And what can I learn from this experience? Allah tells us in the Qur'an that the purpose of our growth in this life is for us to grow in our intelligence/reason.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا۟ شُيُوخًا ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَجَلًا مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٦٧

It is He who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot; then He brings you out as a child; then [He develops you] that you reach your [time of] maturity, then [further] that you become elders. And among you is he who is taken in death before [that], so that you reach a specified term; and perhaps you will use reason.(67)

[Qur'an, Ghafir 40:67]

If you can’t think of a solution to the problem, then stay calm, be grateful to Allah and stop worrying about the problem. Seek knowledge about how to solve your problem, such as by consulting with qualified (experienced) and righteous people.

Remember, the blessings of Allah are always greater than our problems.

Another point to remember is that we are always less grateful to Allah than we really should be. Allah says that we will never be able to number His blessings upon us (Qur'an 14:34). It is enough of a “job” to keep thinking of all the blessings of Allah upon you.

إِن تَكْفُرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا۟ يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ﴿٧

If you disbelieve - indeed, Allah is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts. (7)

[Qur'an, Az-Zumar 39:7]

The idea is to take your focus away from your “problems” and concentrate on what you are genuinely grateful for. This is what Allah commands us to do.

We don’t always get what we want in this life. Things don’t always go our way. But we should be patient. The beauty of this is that being patient is also a way to worship and get closer to Allah. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “How excellent the affairs of the believer: his affair, all of it, is good for him; and this is not the case with anyone except the believer; if prosperity comes to him, he is thankful (to Allah), and if adversity falls on him, he perseveres patiently: so it is all good (for him)” [Muslim]

When something pains you, or if you are going through a rough time, try to think of a solution; if you cannot think of one, be patient, and seek Allah's help.

وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَو‌ٰةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلْخَـٰشِعِينَ ﴿٤٥

And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah] (45)

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:45]

Some people sour and embitter their lives by complaining and finding fault with everything and everybody. There is little sunshine in their lives. No wonder they make few friends because nobody enjoys the company of a grouser except perhaps another grouser. It was said,

It is probable that in most of us the spiritual life is impoverished
and stunted because we give so little place to gratitude.

The grateful person is always a happy person. He spends more time thanking Allah for His favors than he does in asking for them or complaining.

Allah has not only expressed His love for those who are grateful but has also promised reward for them.

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ كِتَـٰبًا مُّؤَجَّلًا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِى ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ﴿١٤٥

And it is not [possible] for one to die except by permission of Allah at a decree determined. And whoever desires the reward of this world - We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter - We will give him thereof. And we will reward the grateful. (145)

[Qur'an, Al-baqarah 3:145]

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘alameen – All perfect praise is due to Allah – Lord of all the worlds.

May Allah make us of those who are grateful and remember him often. May Allah grant us the ability to show Him gratitude no matter what circumstance we are in--in happiness or sadness, in ease or difficulty, in health or sickness, in richness or poverty. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.

Wassalaam