How Can We Be Happy?

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

Assalaamu alaykum

How can we be happy? It's a million dollar question, and yet it has a very simple answer. Happiness comes not from having a million dollars but from activities that can be incorporated into everyday life.

The best happiness boosters are the acts of worship.

The most important acts of worship– the daily salah (prayer)— is packed with happiness boosters. The meaning behind all aspects of the prayers is not fiqh but it's about khushu' (devotion, concentration) and iman (faith).

Ibn Al-Jawzi (one of the great early scholars of Islam) said about the salah:

إنا في روضة طعامنا فيها الخشوع و شرابنا فيها الدموع

“We are in a garden, where our food is khushu’ (devotion), and our drink is the tears that flow.”

Expressing gratitude

You would be happier if you have an attitude of gratitude.

Showing gratitude is one of the most important aspects of our daily prayers. At least seventeen times a day we stand in front of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and say, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Alamin ([All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds). Surah Al-Fatihah, named the greatest surah of the Quran by the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), is divided into two sections, the first half being Allah’s praise and glorification.

Other expressions of gratitude in the salah include the supplication of standing up from ruku’ (bowing), and recommended supplications before the two salams such as: O Allah, help me remember You, expressing gratitude to You and worship You in the best manner. (Abu Dawud)

Devotion or “meditation”

“An avalanche of studies have shown that meditation has multiple positive effects on a person’s happiness and physical health, as well as on other harder-to-access attributes, like ‘self-actualization’ and moral maturity.”

Although meditation is associated with “Eastern religions” such as Hinduism and thus considered unreligious by many Muslims, it all depends on how you define the term. A few core components of meditation, such as “letting go,” awareness, and patience are crucial parts of salah.

Religiosity

Religion promotes a healthy way of life and reminds us of the One we worship.

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ﴿٢٨

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. [Quran, Ar-Ra'd 13:28]

The main goal of salah:

إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَو‌ٰةَ لِذِكْرِىٓ ﴿١٤

Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. (14). [Quran, Ta-Ha 20:14]

Flow experience (khushu')

This is a state of intense absorption and involvement in the present moment.

Flow is not just a part of our salah. The reward of our prayer depends on how much attention (or “flow”) we put in it. (see Abu Dawud no. 796)

Savoring the moment

Savoring is “any thoughts or behaviors capable of ‘generating, intensifying, and prolonged enjoyment.’ So when you ‘stop and smell the roses’ instead of walking by obliviously, you are savoring.”

We can call savoring a higher level of flow, in which we’re not just living in the present— we’re consciously enjoying it. How does it relate to prayer? The connection is clear from the Prophet’s expressions.

The coolness of my eyes was made in the salah. [Nasai, Hasan]

The coolness of someone’s eyes (Qurratu Ain) in Arabic is the greatest expression for what you love the most. That’s because when we pray, we meet with our Lord, we speak to Him and enjoy His company. The closer the prayer is to your heart, the higher your love is for Allah.

Committing to your goals

The salah is a reminder for Muslims of our ultimate goal of worshiping Allah, the very reason of our creation.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. [Quran, Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]

It also reminds us of the standing before Allah on the Day of Judgment. In this way, we renew our focus five times a day, and remind ourselves of that “something around the corner.”

Positive thinking

From the first takbir till the last salam, the whole prayer coaches us to think positively. When we say “Allah is the Greatest,” every worry and stress seems insignificant. The moment we raise our hands in surrender to Allah, we acknowledge that everything is in His power, and we depend on Him– the Most Merciful who intends nothing but good for us— to make things easy for us and help us attain ultimate, everlasting bliss in the Hereafter.

May Allah help us worship Him in the best manner, and grant us happiness in the remainder of our lives and in the next life. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam