Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude

Optimism is key

stress reduction, a positive self-bias, and increased pain tolerance, all of which could enhance motivation and performance during competitive tasks.

I believe one must gain a spiritual centeredness, realizing that one is not one's brain or one's circumstances but instead a reality that transcends them. The more spiritually centered one is, I think, the more one communes with God, the personal ground of one's being.

Dear Amir Mohammad Sabziparvar,

There are studies that confirm that the ability to rejoice is part of our genetic heritage. This also means that the ability to enjoy each person genetically different. Moreover, it is able to explain on average 50% of our level of happiness. If happy children grow up to be unfortunate adults, can this be attributed to a pronounced innate predisposition, or should it be blamed only for oneself and your own mistakes?

Psychologist Martin Seligman offers the following formula for happiness:

C = A + O + K,

where C - long-term happiness;

D is the innate range of happiness that a person is capable of (a long-term study of people who won the lottery confirmed that, some time after winning, their level of happiness did not differ from the level of happiness of people who did not win the lottery);

O - the circumstances of life (income, family status, level of religiosity, etc.);

K - factors controlled by a person (such qualities as optimism, the ability to forgive and forget).

Seligman believes that it is K - the zone of maximum optimization.

Regards, Shafagat

Hi,

Thanks for this question. To maximize satisfaction, we must about our potential to achieve something and the needed potential. So, if our potential is more than the needed potential, then we feel not satisfied. In the case of our potential is less than the needed potential (this case exists frequently), so we feel happy when the goal is reached. Finally we must the ratio of needed potential and our potential and minimize our expectation.

With my best regards!

Dr. Adel OUESLATI

Happiness is an immediate, in-the-moment experience, whereas life satisfaction is happiness that exists when we think about our lives as a whole, looking at the big picture.

The sources of life satisfaction are not completely understood yet, but what is known, is that they are a complex combination of,

Read the article -https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/life-satisfaction/

Regards

Do you want to live a meaningful or happy life? Look up Viktor E Frankl and you see that a meaningful life is not necessarily a happy life and a happy life can be a meaningless life (Cf. Bauhaus).

Keep in mind the 5 ways to increase life satisfaction:

Live Simple.

Top 10 Proven Ways to Improve Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction by nature is a subjective measure. It’s different from happiness, which represents a positive state of emotion at a single point in time. Instead, life satisfaction reflects a collective experience or how a person feels about their life as a whole, over the long-term, rather than right now. And while it seems like a complicated construct, it’s typically assessed through one very simple question: "How satisfied are you with your life right now?" If the answer is negative, then the question changes to: "How can I improve my life satisfaction?"

Change jobs

Most American men are employed and most of these men rely on their jobs as their main source of income. But careers are also important in other ways. For many of us, work occupies a large part of our day, is a main source of social standing and helps us identify with who we are as people. It should therefore come as no surprise that job satisfaction relates directly to life satisfaction. The more satisfied you are in your job, the more satisfied you’ll be in life. So if you have a job you hate, maybe it’s time to think about a change.

Best way to tackle it: Don’t just up and quit. Develop a list of goals and do your research first. If you’re considering actually changing your career entirely, try to develop your alternate skills in your free time so you’re well prepared for the transition.

Be positive

Want to feel satisfied in life? Just think positive, and the results will follow! While it may seem a bit naive to think that simply thinking or feeling positive will reap positive rewards, the idea is at least supported by science. Studies generally find that in-the-moment positive emotions or positive thinking on a daily basis predicts for increased life satisfaction. In fact, it appears more important to feel positive or experience positive emotions than it does to avoid feeling down or being free of negative emotions.

Best way to tackle it: Live in the now, be appreciative of what you have and stop comparing yourself to others. Focus on what you love about yourself or what you’re good at, and build on that.

Find a hobby

Although it’s not always realistic to find a job that you’re passionate about, the same cannot be said of a hobby. After all, a hobby is what you make of it. So strap on your fly-fishing boots, save up for a wood-cutting jigsaw or start putting your thoughts on paper—whatever you can do to add some personal fulfillment outside of your career. The result will probably leave you feeling pretty satisfied.

Best way to tackle it: If you’re struggling to find a hobby, cast your net wide. In other words, dabble in as many different hobbies as you can until you find one that sticks.

Set and achieve goals

The idea of setting goals and attaining them has long been an active area of research for social scientists. Whether these be exercise goals, career goals, financial goals, or relationship goals, the idea of making a commitment to something and seeing it through can be a rewarding experience.

Best way to tackle it: Get into the habit of being goal-oriented. Make distinctions between day-to-day goals and long-term goals, and prioritize as necessary.

Surround yourself with friends

For years now, social scientists have been touting the importance of social support networks for enhancing quality of life and, specifically, life satisfaction. While the source of social support can vary—from friends to family, partners, coworkers, community groups, or health-care professionals—it’s typically the more intimate relationships, formed between partners or close friends, that have the greatest impact on improving life satisfaction.

Best way to tackle it: Build yourself a strong network of female or male friends by getting in touch with old classmates, trying new hobbies or joining community sports or activity groups.

Get married

Single men, avert your eyes: Marriage is satisfying! While the bachelor in you may not want to believe it, studies consistently find that married men and women report higher life satisfaction than their unmarried counterparts. And while marriage is influenced largely by culture, results from the 2006 World Values Survey of 26 OECD countries still finds that married folk are much more satisfied with their lives than single, divorced or widowed folk. No wonder Mom was so insistent on you popping the question.

Best way to tackle it: Unfortunately, advice on marriage can’t be summed up in a sentence.

Have kids

Already married? Well, you know what comes next: children. OK, not all married couples have kids, but those who do tend to be more satisfied in life than those who do not. Some studies even find that the more children you have, the greater the satisfaction you feel. Interestingly enough, children appear to have no effect on life satisfaction for unmarried couples.

Best way to tackle it: In today’s society, raising children is no small feat. If you’re married and thinking about kids, make sure you’ve planned accordingly and are prepared for the joys of being a parent.

Get a job

Not only do most parents want their kids to get married and have kids, but most parents also want you to hold down a good job. Why? Because unemployment sucks. Not only does it affect physical well-being but also mental well-being and, thus, life satisfaction. In fact, employment status and income are the two strongest factors related to life satisfaction according to a number of World Values Surveys.

Best way to tackle it: Be resilient. Volunteer, network and put yourself out there each and every day. If you’re still having trouble, have a professional give your resume a face lift.

Get an education

You may have heard of the Greek philosopher Plato. Turns out he was a pretty smart dude. According to Plato, meaning in life was attained through learning and understanding. In some ways, this idea is reflected in current society. Those with a college education tend to report having higher life satisfaction.

Best way to tackle it: Your education doesn’t have to stop once you get a job. Enroll in some distance education courses, take a certificate course at a local college, or learn on your own by reading.

Stay healthy

Living a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, a proper diet and avoidance of harmful exposures (like smoking) does more than improve your physical well-being. Living healthy will also impact greatly on your mental well-being. The more physically able and healthy you are, the greater confidence you’ll have in yourself, which will undoubtedly spill over into other facets of your life: your job, your relationships and so on. By influencing all these domains at once, you’ll be targeting your life satisfaction from multiple angles, ensuring the greatest impact.

Best way to tackle it: Living healthy is a lifestyle and not a temporary fix. Pick up healthy habits and commit to changing how you live before you begin the transition.

Life Satisfaction and Its 7 Contributors

Life satisfaction is a complex term and is sometimes used interchangeably with the emotion of happiness, but they are indeed two separate concepts. Life satisfaction is defined as one’s evaluation of life as a whole, rather then the feelings and emotions that are experienced in the moment.

This article contains:

• What is life satisfaction and how is it different from happiness?
• Contributors to life satisfaction
• Measuring your life satisfaction
• Can you feel more satisfied with your life?
• Satisfaction with life scale
• Practical advice
• References

What is life satisfaction and how is it different from happiness?

Happiness is an immediate, in-the-moment experience, whereas life satisfaction is happiness that exists when we think about our lives as a whole, looking at the big picture.

This adds a little more clarity to the difference between the ideas of happiness and life satisfaction. It is not based on criterion that researchers deem to be important, but instead on your own cognitive judgments of the elements that YOU consider to be valuable.

Based on the research ‘The Study of Life Satisfaction’, quality of life is associated with living conditions, such as food, health, shelter, and so on (Veenhoven, 1996). By contrast, life satisfaction is defined as a state of emotion, like happiness or sadness.

We can also understand the theory of life satisfaction by using the PERMA model, introduced by Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology (Seligman, 2011).

In general, whatever level of satisfaction you are feeling, you can define and maximize your level of wellbeing if you choose which elements you want to engage in to flourish. Also, life satisfaction tends to be dependent on your emotional state.

According to Daniel Gilbert, professor of Psychology at Harvard University, the meaning of happiness is “anything we pleased” ( Gilbert, 2009). Our mood is always changing.

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Contributors to life satisfaction

The sources of life satisfaction are not completely understood yet, but what is known, is that they are a complex combination of,

as Ruut Veenhoven states in his study of life satisfaction.

Variance in satisfaction between nations has been studied; it has been shown that living conditions are a major determinant of life satisfaction. That is, economically prosperous countries tend to experience it more when compared to poorer nations.

The correlation between income and life satisfaction is higher in poorer countries compared to more affluent countries. Life satisfaction tends to be higher in egalitarian countries; people will experience less inequality and be able to choose lifestyles that best fit their abilities and desires where equality is more prominently displayed.

Education is an interesting point when studying life satisfaction. As pointed-out from the variance in satisfaction between nations resource, more highly educated countries generally experience higher levels of satisfaction, but with this education comes opportunity for aversive consequences: loss of previous opportunities that comes along with achieving such education, job competition, or even lack of jobs. That being said, those more educated tend to experience more favorable events compared to adverse events.

Variables such as mental and physical health, energy, extroversion, and empathy have all been shown to be strongly correlated to satisfied individuals, but it is sometimes hard to determine whether these are products or causes of life satisfaction.

Our past experiences undoubtedly effect the way we think about our lives in terms of satisfaction. Establishing a satisfying life for yourself is not decided only by circumstances; it is also influenced by the way you think about and relate to the environment around you.

Measuring your life satisfaction

Beginning in the 1960’s when it became a big topic of discussion in research, life satisfaction was originally thought to be measured objectively and externally; the same way measuring heart-rate or blood pressure would be. Since then, it has become evident that life satisfaction must be measured subjectively rather than objectively; techniques commonly used include, surveys, questionnaires, and interviews.

Measuring life satisfaction isn’t just a way to see how happy people are with their lives, it’s also a way of determining how unhappy they are. By adding another, positive point of view stemming from the individuals subjective experience, clinicians and researchers can analyze what makes people happy and what makes them unhappy.

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), created by Ed Diener, has been one of the more applicable measurement tests of life satisfaction. It consists of five statements (e.g. The conditions of my life are excellent) to which the participant indicates their agreement. This assessment doesn’t specify explicit domains such as financial or health satisfaction; it allows subjective evaluation of life as a whole.

Can you feel more satisfied with your life?

Yes. If you are not as satisfied with your life as you would like to be, you can do things to change this. Things such as having friends, goals, and a life story are shown to increase ones life satisfaction. You can look more in depth at these here, along with a couple of other ways to feel more satisfied with your life.

Relationships among the people you love can influence how satisfied you feel with your life. For example, studies in Western societies have shown that the mere presence of children to married couples does not automatically increase your life satisfaction. Rather, the good (or bad) relationships built with these children will alter your evaluation of it.

Satisfaction with life scale

According to the research conducted on the validity of life satisfaction scales, one of the main measurements is based on preferences and values of people (Diener, Inglehart & Tay, 2013). Though we share the same world, we can barely share the same value since we experience things and view life differently.

To measure your own life satisfaction, you can take Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) here. It is a short 5-item instrument designed to measure global cognitive judgments with life. It takes just 1 minute to complete.

Practical advice

Income and education are shown to increase life satisfaction, but this is mainly because they are so highly valued in the world we live in today. Build relationships with loved ones, create achievable goals for yourself, and put yourself in situations where you can exercise your personal strengths and abilities; it will help you experience greater feelings of satisfaction. If you can do these things, you can benefit yourself and those around you.

10 STEPS TO HAPPINESS!

by Ustadha Bint Ahmad 

A dynamic female scholar, Ustadha Bint Ahmad teaches the Islamic sciences and Arabic at Al Zahra ‘Ilmiyyah Institute and Al Arqam Academy and she is the main course instructor and author at Al Muhsinaat, London, UK

Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Each and every human being instinctively is in pursuit of happiness. Whether he/she is a child or an adult, a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and this is the fact. In order to achieve this true and eternal happiness, one must comprehend what this emotion really is. Happiness, according to the Oxford dictionary is ‘feeling, causing, or giving pleasure’ and it is being ‘satisfied’. It is essential to understand the psychology of happiness to know how much control we have over it. James Montier, a renowned global equity strategist studied behavioral psy­chol­ogy and concluded in his research ‘The Psychology of Happiness’ that psychologists have found that happiness is comprised of three components:

1.   About 50% of individual happiness comes from a genetic set point. That is, we’re each predisposed to a certain level of happiness. Some of us are just naturally more inclined to be cheery than others.

2.   About 10% of our happiness is due to our circumstances; demographic factors, age, gender, ethnicity and geographic factors. It also includes personal history and life status.

3.   The remaining 40% of an individual’s happiness is derived from intentional activity, from discrete actions or practices that we choose to do.

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As humans we have no control over our genetic set-point, and hardly any control over our circumstances. This 50% of happiness in Islam is called ‘ridha bi al-qadha’ (being content with our lot in life). This means that as believers if we truly love Allāh📷 and trust Him, we are satisfied with what He Has decreed for us. The Messenger📷 would supplicate with words that would highlight the importance of satisfaction with our fate; therefore we too should make the effort to recite these supplications:

“I am pleased with Allāh as my Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad as my Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).” [Abu Dawud]

“O Allāh, make me content with what you have provided me, send blessings for me therein, and place for me every absent thing with something better.” [Bukhari]

“O Allāh, I seek refuge with You from knowledge which does not bring benefit and from a heart which is not fearful and from a self which is not content and from a supplication which is not answered.” [Muslim]

 Thereafter, the main conclusion to be drawn from Montier’s research is that we can only work on the last 40% to make ourselves happier. It must be noted that this 40% cannot be achieved in pursuit of money, fame or anything else materialistic. These are all transitory, and anything transitory will never result in true happiness. True happiness is contentment, and this is only attained through activities which are not fleeting. So here are the 10 steps in the light of Qurʾān and Hadith which makes our lives happier:

1.   Seek the Pleasure of Allāh – Nothing can make us more happier than seeking the pleasure of Allāh📷. Allāh📷 tells us in Qurʾān about what is the greatest happiness, calling it a ‘supreme success’  and about the people who deserve this supreme success.

The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ’ (helpers, supporters, friends) of one another; they enjoin (on people) Al-Ma‘rûf (good), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (evil); they perform As-Salât (prayer), and give the Zakât (charity), and obey Allāh and His Messenger. Allāh will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allāh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Allāh has promised the believers -men and women, – Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of ‘Adn (Eden Paradise). But the greatest bliss (happiness) is the Good Pleasure of Allāh. That is the supreme success. [71, 72 Al-Tawbah]

 2.   Be Thankful – The more Thankful we are to Allāh📷, the more He will shower His bounties  upon us. Appreciation of what Allāh📷 has blessed you with is vital for this step to be achieved. This is indeed an act of worship.

And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks, I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless, verily! My Punishment is indeed severe.” [7 Ibrāhīm]

O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him you worship. [172 Al-Baqara]

 3.   Satisfy Your Soul – Work on activities that result in internal happiness that satisfy and bring a smile to the heart, not merely a smile on the face by doing meaningful work; strive to partake in activities like feeding the poor, assisting the distressed and helping others rather than killing your resources like time and money.

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

 4.   Avoid Worldly Comparisons – Do not look at the celebrities, rich or affluent people above you in worldly matters. The lives of such individuals is not ‘ideal’ in the eyes of Allāh📷. Admire the lives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and Khadija (may Allāh be pleased with her) who are our role models.

“Look at those below you (less fortunate than you), and don’t look at those above you, for this is better.” [Muslim]

5.   Expect Only From Allāh – Any sustenance, provision and reward we expect is from Allāh 📷 alone.

“O Allāh, give me enough of what You have made lawful to suffice me from what You have made unlawful, and enrich me by Your bounty giving me independence from all other than You.” [al-Tirmidhi]

And so many a moving (living) creature there is, that carries not its own provision! Allah provides for it and for you. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. [60 Al Ankabūt]

 6.   Serve Others and Maintain Relations –The Messenger📷 strongly advised to maintain family ties, keep strong relations and taught us the etiquettes of social relations.

“All created beings are the dependents of Allāh, and the most beloved of creation to Allāh is the one who is good to His dependants” [Bayhaqi]

7.   Get Adequate Rest and Organize Your Life –A very important step to ensure better productivity.

The Messenger📷 chose a simple life over a glamorous one, and he was always content. A person who plans their day is much more productive than a person who does not. The Prophet📷 used to carefully apportioned his time according to the demands on him for: Worshiping Allāh, Public affairs and Personal matters.

On the authority of Ali📷, Tirmizi has recorded that the Prophet📷 had carefully apportioned his time according to the demands on him for offering worship to Allāh in and his personal matters. After the early morning prayers he would remain sitting in the mosque reciting praises of Allāh till the sun rose and more people collected. He would then preach to them. After the sermons were over, he would talk genially with the people, enquire about their welfare and even exchange jokes with them. Taxes and revenues were also disrtibuted at this time. [Sahih Muslim, Tirmizi]

He would then offer chaste prayers and go home and get busy with household work. [Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi]

8.   Build a Support Group – Feeling a part of a larger group gives one a sense of security and a safety net to fall into on occasions of happiness and hardships. The concept of brotherhood and sisterhood is one of the central themes of Islam.

“The (example of) believers (in their mutual love, care and concern) is like a single person: if his eye complains of pain his whole body complains of pain, and if his head complains of pain his whole body complains of pain.” [Muslim]

9.   Eat Halal– Consuming halal is an order of Allāh📷 and an essential part of the Islamic faith. Allāh📷 has repeatedly emphasized the consumption of halal in His book.

Abu Hurairah📷 related,” Allāh’s Messenger PBUH said: Verily Allāh is pure and He accepts only what is pure and indeed Allāh has given those orders to the believers, which he has given to the Messengers. He has said, “O Messenger, eat from the pure foods and work righteous”. He -also- has said: “O you who have believed, eat from the pure things which we have provided you.” Then (the Prophet PBUH) made mention of a man who undergoes a lengthy journey in a state that he is disheveled and dusty. He spreads his hands towards the sky (calling), “O my lord, O my lord”, however his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothes are haram and he has been nourished with haram! So how will his call be answered?” [Muslim]

10. Keep Fit – Scientists claim that one of the benefits of exercise is that it makes us feel happy. Exercise is described by many doctors as an anti-depressant. The presence of certain chemicals like endorphins and phenyl acetic acid increases drastically after a good work out and it is this that contributes to that ‘feel good’ feeling afterwards. Prophet📷 said:

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both.” [Muslim]

These are the ten steps for Happiness and with the divine assistance of Allāh📷 it is hoped we can all live  happier lives to transport us to our final abode – PARADISE. May Allāh be pleased with us always – and that’s the eternal happiness. Ameen.

How to be a Happy Muslim

Choosing Inner Peace and Joy with Ideas from the Quran, Sunnah, Counseling, and Health Fields

6 Quranic Verses About Our Purpose In Life

Author: Sheima March 16, 2015 30 Comments

Uncategorized

📷Alhamdulillah, Praise be to Allah (swt), we as Muslims have a clear purpose in our lives: to earn the pleasure of our Creator.

I read a lot of information about happiness for my work, but as Muslims, our true goal is not “happiness”. Our true goal is to grow nearer to Allah (swt).

Many psychology articles about happiness give great ideas and techniques to follow, but few actually talk about Allah (swt). I am so thankful to be a Muslim and to have a goal much greater than being “happy”.

In my book, I say that the real source of our happiness is having a positive relationship with Allah (swt). My book goes on to say that we can learn other skills and techniques in order to cope with this challenging world, which support our journey to Allah (swt). Feeling positive feelings helps us to be better Muslims. Positive feelings such as inner peace, joy, gratitude and hope all help us to do more good deeds for the sake of our Creator.

Feeling happy is a great thing, but as Muslims, we must never forget our real purpose in life.

Here is a chapter from my first book, The Basic Values of Islam, about the value of “Purpose”:

Chapter 53. PURPOSE: Something set up as an object or end to be attained

1. Did you then think that We created you in vain, and that you would not be returned to us?

The Holy Quran 23:115

2. And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).

The Holy Quran 51:56

The purpose of our life is the worship our Creator in the many ways there are to worship Him (prayer, helping others, seeking knowledge, etc.).

3. …Who has created life and death so that He may try you which of you are best in deeds…

The Holy Quran 67:2

Who will do the best works for the sake of Him?

4. And We have not created the heaven and earth and what is between them in vain. That is the opinion of those who disbelieve. And woe to such disbelievers, because of the Fire. Shall we treat those who believe and do good deeds as those who spread corruption on the earth? Or shall we treat the pious as sinners?

The Holy Quran 38:27-8

The believers will not face the same afterlife as the corrupters. The pious will not be treated the same as sinners.

5. And among the people there is he who sells himself for the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is kind to His worshippers.

The Holy Quran 2:207 The pleasure of Allah should be our goal.

6. There has come to you from God a light and a luminous Book, through which God, by His grace, guides all who seek His good pleasure on the path of peace, and brings them out of the depths of darkness into light and guides them unto a Straight Path.

The Holy Quran 5:15-16

God has guided people to the purpose of life—worshipping Him and seeking His pleasure—by sending His messengers, books and other means. But we have to want to please God to receive this guidance.

Seven stages of life in Islam

BY: MOHD EBRAHIM SULAIMAN.   

Islam = submission to the Will of Allah (GOD).

Islam has beginning and end. Those who embrace Islam are called Muslims. The word Muslim is derived from the word Peace. The traditional muslim greeting is peace be unto you.

Who is Allah? Allah is The One and The Only God who created the worlds, Angels (created by light), Jinn (created by Fire), Satan (devil) is an outcast Jinn, man (created from sounding clay), animals and contents of the universes. Allah is One, there is no God other than Him, without any partners, He is eternal without a beginning and enduring without end, Absolute, Self-Sufficient, Self-Existing, never dies, not borne nor gives birth, has no companion and nothing is comparable to Him. He never sleeps nor slumbers. All-Knowing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Nothing happens except what He wills. He gives life and death. He is The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful. He is intensively and continuously merciful to his creatures even though Non Muslims do not believe in him. He is far above from any created being. He is The Creator of everything in the universe, heaven and earth and its content. He will never perish or come to an end. When Allah wants anything to happen he says "Be" and it is. Muslims do not believe that Allah assumed Human form and came down to this earth. Human body form has animal properties and animal characteristics are created by Allah. Allah is high above all the creations.

Creation of Mankind

The first Man's (Adam ) body was created from sounding clay. His companion woman "Hava " was created from Adam's rib. All his descendant's bodies are created by sperm of man and ovum of women. Jesus (Prophet ISA) son of Mariam (Mary) was created by Allah's word (Be and it is) like Adam but in Mariam's womb. Jesus was a human prophet and not son of God. He was not crucified but taken up alive (Holy Quran).

Allah breathed into the body of man part of His spirit called (Ruh) Soul . When the soul enters the body it becomes alive. When this soul is withdrawn from the body it dies and the body decays, putrefies and is eaten by microorganisms. Every day man experience temporary death at night when he sleeps and resurrects when he wakes up. Allah keeps his soul in a safe place during his sleep. Allah has appointed angels as guardians to the right and left side and allowed satan to disturb humans. All these facts are described in Holy Quran.

Stage 1. Life in Lau Ho Mahfuz.

Allah created all the souls of the descendants of Adam and Hava who were predestined to come to this earth. Everything about the universes and our soul before and after creations are documented and recorded in the tablet (book) board in heaven(Lau Ho Mahfuz).

Allah once asked all the created souls, "who is your Lord?". All the souls said "You are our Creator our Lord". But souls forget the covenant when they descend to the earth. Some have faint or vague memory of Allah (God) in the inner core of the heart. At times of life threatening danger man will automatically shout "Oh God !". But who is that God? If no one tells him he will not know. At that time they usually do not address false gods. They usually point up to the heaven and say Almighty God meaning ALLAH.. If they say that many times they will forget false gods. That is the inner instinct of Humans.

Stage 2. Life in the mother's womb.

The soul is sent down to this earth into the body of fetus developed in the mother's womb and the fetus becomes alive. The fetus was swimming in the amniotic fluid inside the uterus like a fish. It does not breathe air. The fetus was fed by the blood through the placenta of the mother and supplied to the body of the fetus by means of umbilical cord. In pregnant women there is no menstruation until the baby is born. Do we remember how we lived 9 months inside the mother's womb?

Stage 3. Life in this world.

At the fetal age of 36 to 40 weeks (pregnancy) the baby is born. The baby breaths the first time and cries. Whereas the nurses, friends, parents and relatives laugh, are happy and praise the baby. When the same baby become old and dies, the relatives and friends cry. Some practice infanticide (kill babies) if the baby is female. Islam does not allow infanticide and abortion. The newly born baby is clean, innocent , free from sins, grows, develops , learns and is brought up in muslim families or in non-muslim families. The soul in the baby forgot Allah and the promise (covenant) given in the heaven that Allah is his Creator and Lord.

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The babies brought up in muslim families will be taught Quran and reminded about Allah and Islam to worship only The One Allah. To avoid worshipping false gods. False gods are either made by man from wood or stone or the creation of Allah (such as sun , moon, tree, fire, water, animals , spirits, the content of the universe). Muslims only worship one creator (Allah) but not the creations. Muslims do not associate anything with Allah. Allah has sent 124,000 Prophets from the time of Adam to the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the last Prophet, to remind all mankind to worship one God Allah. There were divine revelations (books) sent down through Prophets including Abraham, David , Solomon, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (Pbuh).

Muslims believe all the Prophets and their books (psalms, Torah, Bible and Quran). Quran is the latest divine revelation (words of Allah) revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) 1400 years ago and is preserved without any flaws and amendments done by humans up to date. Whereas all the other Holy books were altered or corrected by humans and the original statements were corrupted and become doubtful. Allah said in Quran he will preserve the Holy Quran until the end of the world so no man can alter it. Quran is preserved in the hearts of Hafizs (Those who have memorized the whole book Holy Quran by heart). There are millions of Hafizs in this world. Burning all the copies of Quran will not make miraculous Quran disappear from this world. Quran is revealed in Arabic language whereas the Bible was revealed in Hebrew language. Quran updates all the previous holy books and teaches mankind about universal laws, moral concepts and narratives. The Quran's timeless text remains a miracle, an inspiration and guide to all humanity.

Muslims believe in Quran and follow Prophet's saying and example of his way of life. Those who believe in one Allah, his prophets, his books, his angels, the last day of judgment, the next life, good or bad come from predestined decree of Allah, the existence of hell and heaven, reward for good people and punishment of bad people are called Muslims. All souls are provided with limited free will to choose. There is no compulsion in Islam. All souls have to taste death. When the soul leaves the body, relatives and friends cry. The soul of man will be extracted by the angel of death either gently or roughly when the time is ripe. When a soul is pulled out from the body man must remember his faith in Allah (that Allah is his Creator) otherwise he will be sent to hell.

Satan, the devil is proud and cast out by Allah because he is jealous of Adam, disobeyed Allah, and became avowed enemy of Mankind. He has the power to disturb man from the front, behind, by the sides and can enter the body, whisper evil in Man's heart as approved by Allah. Satan, the devil's job is to mislead man to hell. It is easy for Satan to mislead non-muslims to worship other than Allah but not true Muslims. Satan will destroy Muslims by using many tactics but especially by 1. Jealousy and 2. Greediness . Satan was punished because of jealousy and Adam was punished because of greed. Satan certainly will try to persuade muslims at the time of death when a person is in semi conscious state to say that there are other gods than Allah. If Satan succeeds the soul of Muslim or non Muslim will go out from the body at the time of death without faith and that soul will enter hell.

Muslims therefore practice and profess "there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" (in Arabic "La ilaaha illallah Muhammadur Rasullulah") it must be said by mouth and believed in the heart all the time and practiced all the time to make it habitual during sleep or while awake or in shock or distress. Allah has provided a way for mankind to drive away Satan by uttering the divine revelation 'A-'oo thu bil-laa-hi mi-nash-shai-taa-nir ra-jeem. Bis-mil-laa-hir- Rah-maa-nir Ra-heem." meaning "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast, In the name of Allah , The Most Gracious , The Most Merciful". Whenever a Muslim starts to do anything e.g. eat, drink, sleep, travel, switch on the computer, open the book to read or write, enter bath room , twilight , travel, enter into vehicle, sleep with his wife, gets up from sleep, he recites this verse to drive away Satan.

Muslims always say in good or bad status Alhamdulillah (All praises and thank be to Allah), that is submission to the Will of Allah. Muslims will say to Allah "Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek. Please show us the right way." Muslims must understand that we are tourists travelling and not permanent in this world. We must love Allah more than our life. Family and other worldly things come next. Allah says in Holy Quran "Man and Jinn are created for nothing except to worship (serve) Allah". So our first priority is to serve Him and to please Him with good intention. Allah will not accept the worship or service if performed without good intention e.g. To Pay charity or pray to show off will not be accepted. Intention of doing any good must be to please Allah. Muslims are Vicegerent (representatives) of Allah. Muslims always say Insha Allah (God willing) before they plan to do things. Masha Allah (will of God) to appreciate things.

In order to die as a Muslim with faith one must also practice virtues of Islam (good practice) such as the 5 pillars of Islam.

1. Faith ("Laa ilaha illallah Muhamadur Rasullulah") "there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah", it must be believed in the heart and said by mouth repeatedly to become habitual and to not forget at the time of accident or sleep or distress or death. This is the most important faith. This is the visa to enter paradise. Without faith one may not enter paradise. The biggest tug of war inside our soul is faith. A muslim will not bow his head to anything living or non living to worship except Allah.

2. Pray five times a day (dawn, afternoon, evening, sunset and night).

3. Pay Zakat (poor man's money Alms)

4. Fasting one month in Ramadan

5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) once in a life time.

The first two are compulsory and a must for all muslims. The other three depends upon one's health and wealth. The above practice with good intention will make a muslim the best person on the earth and remember Allah at the time of death. At the time of death if a muslim or a non-muslim remembers Allah and utters "La ilaaha illallah Muhamadur Rasullulah" ("there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"), he will be taken to paradise and otherwise to hell. So non-muslims may remember The Creator just before death and enter paradise because Allah has kept open His door of forgiveness and mercy until before his death. A Muslim cannot point at the non-muslims and say he is going to hell because he himself is not sure about hell or paradise.

Therefore this stage 3 is very important testing ground for human being. It is the duty of muslims to remind each other and his non-muslim friends about Allah, death, the next life (resurrection), reward and punishment, hell and paradise. Muslims are like living in jail in this temporary world. Muslims must obey the laws stated in Quran, avoid adultery, alcohol, gambling, cheating, observe Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful) food and Halaland Haram money and usury, etc. Muslims must undergo many tests and practice Islam. Muslims must be patient constantly, must bear and accept that good and bad are preordained and decreed by Allah and say Alhamdullilah (All praise and thank be to Allah) all the time in order to enjoy reward in the Hereafter, which is everlasting. Muslims must work hard in this third stage temporary world with fear, repentance , ask forgiveness for wrong doing mistakes with hope and mercy from God to prevent from hell fire and enjoy reward in the next life. Muslims will say "Our prayers, our good deeds, our life and death are for Allah our Lord, Creator of the Worlds." Allah created evil but He does not like it. Allah created good and He likes it. He encourages us and guides us to do good. He will guide and protect the obedient servants. But those who refuse to accept Allah's revelation sent to prophets, and follow Satan, Allah will not guide them any more. They will go astray. Allah will forgive all kinds of sins except Polytheism.

Stage 4. Death. 

After the soul is drawn from the body Allah keeps it in a place called Alam Barzaak. Good people's soul are kept in a good place and bad people's soul in a bad place until Kiyamat(Judgment day) arrives, when everything is destroyed except Allah. There will be resurrection of all Mankind

Stage 5. Resurrection on the Judgment day. 

All souls will get up from the graves. Obedient souls will go to paradise for ever. Disobedient souls will go to hell for punishment. Those who ignore or reject or refuse to believe Allah and who worshipped false gods rather than Allah, The Creator , in this world , will go to Hell forever in the next world. Muslims do not believe in Incarnation (reborn again) to this world.

Stage 6. The end stage for disobedient soul is to enter Hell fire.

Stage 7. The end stage for obedient soul is peaceful to enter paradise in the form of new creation with different forms. Allah said that it is easy for Him to do so (Holy Quran). In paradise they will be free from sickness, illness and will at all times be healthy, clean, peaceful and satisfied with provisions, with beautiful young companions and of no ageing, to dwell in forever. This is because Allah is satisfied with the soul who is obedient to His Divine laws and the soul is also satisfied with Allah.

Islamic Tips On How To Be Happy And Relieve Stress

Posted in Islam and Muslims On September 23, 2014

One of the most discussed phenomenons in social sciences at present is the nature of happiness and the element that spring it. Different scholars and philosophers have given different definitions of happiness and how it can be achieved. On a general level the scholastic circles agree that happiness lies within and its achievement varies from person to person and thus one thing that brings happiness for might not bring happiness for the other.

No matter how relative the definition of happiness and its pursuit be, the general agreement is on the fact that if one is able to reduce stress and the factors that cause it, then one can actually have a shot at achieving happiness. Therefore, the pursuit of happiness and the refraining from stress go hand in hand.

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People read different kinds of books in order to combat with their stress and try to achieve happiness. For a Muslim, the things are quite simple. All he or she has to do is to follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the instructions of Quran to keep stress at bay and pave way for happiness. The lines below give some tips that can help a Muslim be happy and at the same time if he or she is stressed, then get relief from it as well.

Pleasure Of Allah:

The major problem behind stress and the barrier to happiness is that we as humans do thing for pleasing others. All we ever want to do is to go for things that we think could please others and when they aren’t pleased as we expect them to be, it brings disappointment which then leads to stress and keeps the happiness away from us. The approach of a Muslim should be that of pleasing Allah Almighty. The reason why one should strive to seek the pleasure of Allah is the fact that only He is the One who returns exponentially and any effort done in His way does not go unrewarded. In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“The believers, men and women, are Auliya of one another; they enjoin Al-Maruf, and forbid from Al-Munkar; they perform As-Salat, and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Allah has promised the believers – men and women, – Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of Adn. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success.” (9:71-72)

In these ayah, Allah Almighty calls His pleasure as the supreme success. Therefore, if a Muslim strives on the way of Allah, lives Islamic way of life, then the supreme success or the true happiness will befall upon Him and all the worries will definitely keep away. Hence, striving for the pleasure is far better than striving for worldly pleasures that bring stress and depression.

Show Gratitude:

The other and perhaps the most subtle element that keeps happiness away from us opens the doors of stress is us being not grateful for what we have and prying on other people and always being contemptuous and jealous of what they have. When we are not grateful for what we have then actually we are not appreciating what we have and if one cannot appreciate what he or she has then how possibly can they think of having more. Regarding being grateful, Allah Almighty says in Quran:

“And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks, I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless, verily! My punishment is indeed severe.” (14:7)

From this ayah of Quran it is clear that those who are grateful for what they have are the ones who get more from Allah Almighty. Moreover, being grateful shows contentment in a person, which is the greatest ally on, can have in achieving happiness and defeating stress. Therefore, being grateful is what can make a person happy in both present and future.

Think Of Your Soul As Well:

The problem with the ideals of happiness that we have at present are primarily based upon material things. We presume that money could bring us happiness, or if we were rich we would have less stress. Similarly, the progression in career, better social standing and so on are some factors which we consider as factors that could bring us happiness. The real happiness comes from the soul, if you are satisfied within then you will be happy with the outside world as well. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

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

Therefore, in addition to living the life of this world, a Muslim must also work upon enriching his or her soul so that the achievement of happiness could become easy and the worldly pursuits that cause stress should be avoided.

Don’t Compare:

One of the major stress inducing factors at present is comparing one’s self with others, especially with the ones who are above us. When we compare ourselves with others who are better than us, we go into a complex and instead of appreciating what we have we start fretting over the things that others have, thus causing depression and keeping us away from happiness. First of all a Muslim should never indulge in worldly comparisons as everyone has his or her own relation with Allah and the blessings also vary depending on the relation. However, if a Muslim is to make comparison then he should make the comparison with the ones who are below him or her in whatever entity the Muslim is comparing. Regarding this comparison, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:

“Look at those below you (less fortunate than you), and don’t look at those above you, for this is better.” (Muslim)

When a Muslim will compare him or herself with the less fortunate ones, then they will surely develop a feeling of being grateful and would feel happy and content for what they have instead of being worried about what others have and they cant get.

Don’t Expect From Others:

Another factor that hurts the most, brings stress into life and breaks the relations that bring happiness is the expecting from others. We as humans tend to expect from other people and when we set high expectations from them, and when those are not fulfilled we feel depressed and dishearten. As humans we ought to depend on each other, however, the best one are those who set their expectations with Allah who would compared the means for those expectations to be fulfilled. Prophet (PBUH) said in a hadith:

“O Allah, give me enough of what You have made lawful to suffice me from what You have made unlawful, and enrich me by Your bounty giving me independence from all other than You.” (Tirmidhi)

Thus, when a Muslim sets expectations with Allah, then He surely does fulfill those expectations. Therefore, instead of setting expectations with people, a Muslim must turn towards Allah, ask for every thing from Him, and depend on Him only. This way expectations will be fulfilled and stress will remain at bay.

Work On Physical Fitness:

There is no denying the fact that methods like Quran recitation can bring peace and solace to a person, however, the peace of soul and heart needs to be complemented with a peaceful body as well. If the body is not healthy then it will fall prey to all sorts of illnesses and health issues, which boost the stress and keep a person from enjoying happiness. Therefore, a Muslim must try to work on physical fitness and keep the body healthy so that it resists stress better and is able to enjoy happiness in general and occasions of happiness in particular. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His hadiths:

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both.” (Muslim)

Listen & Recite Quran

Without any doubt, listening to Quran in heart touching recitation brings happiness and peace to both mind and soul. Also, reading the words of Allah reveals many secrets upon the recite. Therefore, if you are in quest for happiness, start listening and reading the Holy Quran. This will surely help you attain a level of satisfaction and happiness you desire. Further, You can also attend Quran tutoring classes at Quranreading.com where experienced teachers teach especially designed courses to help improve quran reading and understanding skills of the muslim students.

Conclusion:

In short, a Muslim can easily fight and resist stress while at the same time be happy, if he or she starts acting upon the instructions of Quran and try making Islam a part of their daily lives. If this habit is developed then a Muslim will be more content and remain happy for whatever Allah has given him or her and this gratitude will lay the foundation for further happiness and joy.

How to be happy tips?

by Kelly El-Yacoubi

Humans seek satisfaction.  We all need food, shelter, clothing, friendship, love, peace, and happiness. We spend our days pursuing things that we hope will make us satisfied.

In our globalized world it’s easier than ever for you to find exactly what you’re looking for. If you want to know something you can search the web and have the answer almost instantly. If you’re craving a certain food, grocery stores that stock items from all over the world will probably be able to provide it to you. We live in a time of instant gratification and instant satisfaction.

Never Feeling Satisfied

Despite having the world at our fingertips, we often feel dissatisfied. The new clothes we purchase lose their novelty. The marriage we thought would fix our problems eventually moves out of the honeymoon phase. The amount of money in our bank accounts, whether it be $100 or $100,000, is never quite enough.

We foolishly continue thinking that just one more thing will satisfy us. In the Quran Allah (swt) reveals to us that this approach will fail: Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you Until you visit the graveyards. [Quran, 102:1-2]

The Secret to Feeling Satisfied

Let’s stop and think. What do we know about satisfaction? Psychologists know that we humans feel satisfied when things go our way. But they also know that things never go our way all the time– pleasure is temporary and discomfort is inevitable.

What a sweet mercy that Allah (swt) made the world like this. Because of His love for you, His servant, He made everything in the world unsatisfying so that you would seek Him. He is enough. That’s why the Prophet Muhammad taught us the dua HasbiAllah (“Allah is Sufficient for me”).

He made your heart so that the only thing that would truly satisfy it is Him. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) related a famous Hadith Qudsi wherein Allah (swt)  says: The heavens and the earth cannot contain Me, but the heart of a true believer can. Allah also tells us in the Quran: Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured. [from Quran,13:28] Finally, in Surat Al-Fajr Allah calls out to the satisfied soul to enter His Jannah.

Start Today

We all have needs. It’s okay to try to fulfill our worldly wants and needs, but that’s not where satisfaction comes from. Our hearts crave Allah (swt) and His remembrance. One of the best, if not the best, ways to remember Him is through His Word– the Quran.

We must slow down our never-ending pursuit of worldly things and start today to increase the time we read, study, learn, and understand the Quran so that we can know Allah (swt). We should try to do it with as much focus and energy as we put into pursuing our worldly needs. If we do this, inshaa Allah our hearts will fill with Allah (swt) alone, and we’ll finally feel satisfied.

Contentment in Islam: Secret of true Happiness📷

📷As we all pass through life looking at people and materialistic things around us, we often tend to look at people above us and desire to be like them. But Islam advises us to look at those below us and feel contempt at what Allah (SWT) has provided us. Listed below would be some practical suggestions on achieving this contentment and repelling the greed of want of more.

Note: Contentment is the neuro-physiological experience of satisfaction and being at ease in one's situation. It is said that a man complained about his old shoes until he saw a man who had no feet.

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already 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.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) said: "Remember death repeatedly. This will save you from longing for the worldly pleasures. Show gratitude frequently and this will increase the graces upon you. Pray to Allah (SWT) so recurrently, because you do not know in which time Allah (SWT) will respond for your prayer. Beware of tyranny, for Allah (SWT) has ordained that HE will support those whom are oppressed."

Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: "If a son of Adam (as) possessed two vast valleys wherein gold and silver flowed, he would still wish to search for the third one."

Imam Musa Kazem (as) said: "The world is like water of the sea, the man who is thirsty, the more he drinks water of it the more he becomes thirsty, until the water kills him in the end!"

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. In America, this is difficult because almost all advertising is geared toward showing us people who have more than us and enticing us to want it. They show us beautiful cars, beautiful houses, handsome men, and beautiful women. And we can get it all with a credit card. If our lives don't match the ad, we should make a change - buy a new car, get a new wife, give her a bigger diamond!

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

Muslims Falling Prey to Materialism

Even Muslims have fallen into this trap. Many drive expensive cars far beyond their needs, not just for dependability, but for prestige or to make people say, "Wow!" These Muslims have been deceived, duped by the multi billion dollar advertising industry - the chief enemy of contentment, the chief advocate of a lifestyle of constant wanting.

Many children are the same. They have grown up surrounded by advertisements on TV, on the radio, and on billboards. They want everything they see, and they expect to get it now! But how can we teach them to be content, if we are not content ourselves? Instead of wanting everything we see, we need to learn to resist. Instead of letting our children have everything they want, we need to teach them to be thankful for what they have.

📷We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

Example of Prophet Muhammed (saws) Life

This is indeed following the example of Prophet Muhammed (saws) and the early Muslims. The story is told of the time Prophet Muhammed (saws) saw his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra (sa) wearing a dress made of camel hair. Although tears welled in his eyes at the sight, he is reported to have told her, "Fatima, today endure the hardships and poverty with patience so that you may acquire the comfort of Paradise tomorrow on the Day of Judgment."

On another occasion, Umar bin Khattab saw the simple life of Prophet Muhammed (saws) and said: O Messenger of Allah (SWT)! While kings sleep in soft, feather beds, you are lying on a rough mat. You are the Messenger of Allah (SWT) and thereby deserve more than any other people to live an easy life. Prophet Muhammed (saws) was reported to have replied: Do you not agree that the luxuries of the world should be theirs but those of the Hereafter ours? (Bukhari, Tafsir, 287; Muslim, Talaq, 31) There can be no doubt that Prophet Muhammed (saws) and our Imams - some of the greatest heroes of Islam - lived very simple lives with contentment. Checkout the Food of Sher e Khuda, Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)

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.

• As previously mentioned, 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).

Many people possess the material goods of the world and are not happy. In fact, they are often the most miserable people. With everything they have, they still feel they want more. This unfilled desire, along with the constant nagging in their heart for more, makes them unhappy. Those who have little but feel no need for more do not experience this nagging in their heart. They can relax and find peace. Indeed, the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who is content with what he has.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) said, "Riches does not mean having a great amount of property; real wealth is self-contentment." Sahih Bukhari (Book 81, Chapter 15)

Prophet Job / Ayyub (as) was always Content and remembered Allah (SWT)📷

📷Allah (SWT) had granted immense bounties to Prophet Job / Ayyub (as) such that it has been reported that he possessed five hundred pairs of bulls for ploughing his fields and hundreds of slaves, who used to cultivate his farms. His cargo carrying camels were three thousand in number while his sheep totalled seven thousand.

In addition to this, Allah (SWT) had also granted him good health and numerous children. On his part, Prophet Job / Ayyub (as) perpetually praised and thanked his Lord, and when faced with two acts of obedience, he would always choose the more difficult of the two.

But then, he became the object of Divine trials - not for having committed any sin but rather for raising his rank and status - such that Allah (SWT) took back all the bounties that He had given him and afflicted his body with an incurable disease.

However, despite the severity of the adversity, when Prophet Job / Ayyub (as) ever abandoned thanking, praising and remembering Allah (SWT), the Satan got into the act. He began whispering into his wife's mind as a result of which she started to complain of the hard times that had befallen them and would moan: "Everyone has deserted us and we do not possess anything."

Prophet Job / Ayyub (as) said: "For eighty years we had been receiving the bounties of Allah (SWT) and so we should not complain for seven years of hardships but instead continue to remember Him in all circumstances!"

But his wife continued to complain and protest, and persistently placed before him irrational ideas till eventually, enraged, he hollered: "Go away from me such that I do not set my eyes upon you ever again."

When his wife had left him, Prophet Job / Ayyub (as) found himself alone and without a caretaker; going into prostration, he began praying to his Lord and communicating with Him. On this occasion Allah (SWT) answered the prayers of His servant, who had continued to praise and thank Him, and once again granted him all the bounties!

Meanwhile his wife thought to herself: "Though he has driven me away, it is inappropriate for me to leave him alone. He has none to look after him and he may perish out of hunger." With this in mind she returned to the place where she had left him but found him missing, while in his place, sat a youth. As she began to weep, the youth asked her: "Why do you weep?" She replied: I had left my old husband here but I do not see him anymore. The youth said: "If you were to see him, would you recognize him?" She said: "Yes."

Having answered him, she then looked at him hard and realised that he possessed a great resemblance to her husband. The youth then said to her: "I am the same Ayyub." (Anecdotes for Reflection, Vol 3, Dhikr)

True meaning of Tawwakul: Reliance on Allah or trust in Allah (SWT)📷

📷Angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to Prophet Muhammed (saws) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Allah (SWT) has sent you a gift which He has not given to anyone before.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is that gift? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: It is patience.

But there is a virtue better than patience. Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is it? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: It is contentment.

There is still a virtue better than contentment. Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is it? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: It is pleasure of Allah (SWT).

But there is a virtue better than that. Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is it? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: It is piety.

Yet there is a virtue better than that. Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is it? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: It is devotion.

But there is a virtue better than that. Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is it? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: Sure knowledge.

Yet there is a virtue better than that. Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is it? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: The way to attain all of them is to put trust in Allah (SWT).

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked O Jibril (Gabriel)! What is the meaning of putting trust in Allah (SWT)? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: Knowing that His creatures neither harm nor benefit anyone. They neither give nor withhold anything. One must stop having hope in creatures. When a man reaches this position, he will not do anything save for Him, his heart does not go astray, he fears no one save Him and he does not set his hope on anyone but Him. This is the meaning of putting trust in Allah (SWT).

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: O Jibril (Gabriel)! What is the meaning of patience? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: Man must have forbearance and patience in afflictions as in joys. He should never complain of His Creator to the people.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is the meaning of contentment? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: To be content with whatever in this world and to thank Allah (SWT) for the small things he has.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: what is the meaning of pleasure of Allah (SWT)? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: To be pleased with Allah (SWT) but not to be pleased with one's own deeds.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: O Jibril (Gabriel)! What is the meaning of piety? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: A pious man loves whatever His creator loves and hates whatever He hates. He is careful about what is lawful and leaves of what is unlawful, for what is lawful is counted and what is unlawful will entail punishment. He has mercy on every Muslim as he has on himself. He shuns useless words as he shuns what is unlawful. He abstains from overeating as he keeps away from a corpse with bad smell. He keeps away from the embellishments of world as he keeps away from Fire. His desires are not far-fetched and death is present before his eyes.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: O Jibril (Gabriel)! What is the meaning of Devotion? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: A devoted person is one who does not ask for anything from people until he obtains it and whenever he obtained it, he is pleased with it. Also if he has something extra, he will give it away for the sake of Allah (SWT). The fact that he does not ask for something from others is admittance of his being a servant of Allah (SWT). He is pleased with Allah (SWT) and Allah (SWT) is pleased with him. He gives away when he needs it more than others.

Prophet Muhammed (saws) asked: What is sure knowledge? Angel Jibril (Gabriel) replied: A man of sure knowledge acts in a way as if he sees Allah (SWT). Even if he does not reach the degree of seeing Allah (SWT), he knows that Allah (SWT) sees him and is sure that what he has and what he has not is what Allah (SWT) wills.

These were some of signs of putting trust in Allah (SWT) and having piety.

Your faith is your key to happiness

‘Aa‘ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was once asked, “Who is the best of women?” She answered, “She who does not use foul language, who is unaware of men’s cunningness (so she does not become their rival), and whose heart is occupied with nothing but adorning herself for her husband and caring for her children.” Know, my dear sister, that believing in Allah The Exalted is the essence of your happiness and the source of comfort and tranquillity. Indeed, misery, suffering, and constant agonies are caused by abandoning faith in Allah The Almighty, and neglecting His remembrance, thankfulness to Him, and failing to fulfil the due rights of the acts of worship. Allah The Exalted Says (what means):{“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah the hearts are assured.”}  [Quran 13:28[H.S1]  {“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will lead a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.”}[Quran 20:124] A young Muslim immigrant to the USA narrates that he had worked for a wealthy businessman who owns companies there. Whenever this businessman passed by this young man, he would find him smiling and appearing happy, whereas, the employer was sad, worried and gloomy all the time. Once he asked the young Muslim man about the secret behind his smile which reflects happiness and joy. The young man simply answered him, “Because I am Muslim.” Then the businessman exclaimed, “Will I find this happiness that you feel if I embrace Islam?” The young man answered,“Yes.” Then he accompanied his employer to an Islamic Centre where he embraced Islam and then burst into tears. When he was asked about the reason why he was crying, he answered, “This is the first time in my entire life that I have experienced real happiness.” [Tareek As-Sa‘aadah (The Way to Happiness)] A mother’s advice to her daughter When ‘Awf ibn Muhallim al-Shaybaani, one of the most highly respected leaders of the Arab nobility during the Jaahiliyyah, (pre-Islamic era) married his daughter Umm Iyaas to al-Haarith ibn ‘Amr al-Kindi, she was made ready to be taken to the groom, then her mother, Umaamah came in to her, and advised her daughter saying,My dear daughter, you are leaving the home in which you have been brought up and were raised, to a home which you do not know, and with a new companion who you are not accustomed to. By marrying you, he has become your guardian and superior. Therefore, be a slave to him and he will be a slave to you.  My dear daughter, maintain these ten traits and he will always support you. As for the first and second trait: Be content in your life with him and be an obedient companion.The third and fourth: Continuously be attentive to what his eyes fall on and to what his nose might smell. Do not let him behold you unattractive, and let him only smell pleasant scents from you.The fifth and the sixth: Be attentive to the time of his meals, and be quiet during his sleep; for hunger is agitating, and disturbing one’s sleep arouses anger.The seventh and eighth: Preserve his money, and look after his household and children, for guarding his money is a good characteristic, and looking after his household and children is a way of honoring him.As for the ninth and tenth traits: Never expose his secrets or disobey his orders, for if you expose his secrets you will not be safe from his betrayal, and if you disobey his orders you will make him angry.In addition, avoid expressing happiness while he is sad, or being gloomy while he is happy, for the first quality is an act of negligence, and the second displeases him.Honor him the best you can, and he will honor you the best he can.The more you agree with him, the longer he will stay in your company.Know, that you will not attain what you aspire for unless you favor his contentment over yours, and his desires over yours whether concerning something that pleases or displeases you. Steps to marital happiness · Remember that you are not a man: Many wives face marital failure due to developing complexes about their femininity. Such women are not proud of their femininity, and do not acknowledge their husbands’ role of being in charge and their right to lead the family. Such women are paranoid, constantly feeling that their husbands are trying to subdue them and exercise their masculinity over them. Consequently, such a wife will try to prove that she is equal to him. These poisonous beliefs will ruin their lives and turn it into a living hell.  Such a woman should know that men and women complete one another; men enjoy the qualities that women lack, and similarly, women enjoy the qualities that men lack. Men’s right to take charge over women does not mean humiliation or suppression; rather, it means leadership, responsibility, wisdom, compassion, mercy and affection. By virtue of man’s right to take charge, he can take his wife through their life journey tosafety and happiness. · Search for the positive side:    Many wives do not feel happy in their marriages because of their negative perspective of their husbands; they only see their flaws and defects. Their husbands might have countless good qualities that surpass their defects, but their melancholic perspective of their life blinds them from such good traits, thus she is only able to see her husband’s weaknesses. A wise wife should look for her husband’s positive traits, enumerate them, try to foster them and praise him for them. Moreover, she should be patient with his flaws and defects, and try to overlook them. Were she to confront her husband’s abuse with kindness, it would deeply affect him and perhaps drive him to change his bad behavior with her, and replace his flaws and defects with positive qualities. · Make sure of your husband’s love for you: Verifying your husband’s love for you is essential for the wife to attainmarital happiness. On the one hand, a husband should affirm his love for his wife from time to time. On the other hand, a wife should remind herself of her husband’s love for her and try to find reasons which could verify that love; the first of which was his proposal to marry her in the first place which proves his attraction towards her and his love for her. Besides, the fact that he is still married to her also indicates this. Add to that, the fact that he financially supports her, tends to her, cares for her, and feels protective jealousy over her. All this highlights his love for his wife. · Your happiness lies in your contentment: How many women have deprived themselves of attainingmarital happinessbecause of wishing for what others have? The wife pushes her husband to satisfy her desires by providing her with luxuries that are not necessary at all, knowing that he cannot afford that. On seeing her husband unable to provide her with what she wants, she loses respect for him and sees him as a lazy and passive person. If such a wife were to judge her life fairly, she would have seen countless positive points and the bright side of the pages of her life, that can guarantee her happiness if she is content with the blessings that Allah The Exalted has bestowed upon her. In the past, the Muslim wife would stand at her porch bidding her husband farewell, as he went to work and remind him, “Fear Allah The Almighty, and beware, beware of bringing back home anything that is unlawful; we can endure hunger, but we can never endure Hell.” It is worth mentioning that a happy person is not he who gets all that he wishes for; since one’s desires cannot be fully satisfied, and wishes continue until the last breath. Actually, true happiness is found in contentment.

Stress in Islam, Stress Management Techniques, Stress Relief Strategies, Stress in Children📷

📷Muslims can deal with prolonged stress better when they understand where it comes from. Stress, doctors say, usually stress comes from fear of the unknown, the future, and death. However, Allah (SWT) has already provided us with prevention against those fears. "And We will most certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits; and give good news to the patient" (Noble Qur'an, 2:155). The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "Your most ardent enemy is your evil self which resides within your body. If this soul is not checked, it will lead to unusual stress." (Bukhari)

Furthermore, since Muslims are told in the Noble Qur'an that humans are on this earth only as passengers, we should not have this fear of loss. A Muslim's destiny is predetermined, so worrying about it is fruitless. We only have "limited free will" to believe in Allah (SWT) or not, or to chose good deeds or bad ones.

Rejecting faith in Allah (SWT), though, is against nature and a sign of disease. "In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increases their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie" (Noble Qur'an, 2:10). Having no one to turn to during a crisis, the non-believer can become violent or turn to alcohol.

Stress in Islam, Stress Management Techniques: Put the Glass down! Stress Relief Strategies📷

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, 'How much do you think this glass weighs?'

📷'50 gms!'... '100 gms!'... '125 gms' ... the students answered.

'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

'Ok! What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache', said one of the students.

'You are right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?'

'Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student; and all the students laughed.

'Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?' asked the professor.

'No'

'Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?' The students were puzzled.

'Put the glass down!' said one of the students.

'Exactly!' said the professor. 'Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem okay. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything'.

'It's important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to have trust in Allah (SWT) and to 'put them down' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!'

So, as it becomes time for you to leave office today, Remember friend to 'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY' and have tranquility by putting trust in Almighty Allah (SWT).

Noble Qur'an says: "He it is who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they might have more faith added to their faith". (48:4) Tranquility is sign of strong faith while worries and stress is sign of weak faith.

Tell to your mind every day before you go to sleep: "YAA AYYATUHAN NAFSUL MUTMAINNAH, IRJI'II ILAA RABBIKI RADHIYATAN MARDHIYYAH, FADKHULII FII IBAADII WADKHULII JANNATII". (Al-Fajr 89:27-30)

"O soul that is at rest satisfied. Return to your Lord well-pleased (with Him), well-pleasing (Him). So, enter among My servants, and enter into my Paradise" Noble Qur'an.

By worrying so much, do not turn your life to hell. Good luck.

Stress in Islam, Stress Relief Strategies: The Club 99 Stress Management Techniques📷

📷Some time ago, there lived a King. This King should have been contented with his life, given all the riches and luxuries he had. However, this was not the case! The King always found himself wondering why he just never seemed content with his life.

Sure, he had the attention of everyone wherever he went, attended fancy dinners and parties, but somehow, he still felt something was lacking and he couldn't put his finger on it.

One day, the King had woken up earlier than usual to stroll around his palace. He entered his huge living room and came to a stop when he heard someone happily singing away, following this singing. The King saw that one of the servants was singing and had a very contented look on his face.

This fascinated the King and he summoned this man to his chambers.

The man entered the King's chambers as ordered. The King asked why he was so happy?

To this the man replied: "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but I make enough of a living to keep my wife and children happy. We don't need too much, a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummy. My wife and children are my inspiration; they are content with whatever little I bring home. I am happy because my family is happy."

Hearing this, the King dismissed the servant and summoned his Personal Assistant to his chambers.

The King related his personal anguish about his feelings and then related the story of the servant to his Personal Assistant, hoping that somehow, he will be able to come up with some reasoning that here was a King who could have anything he wished for at a snap of his fingers and yet was not contented, whereas, his servant, having so little was extremely contented.

The Personal Assistant listened attentively and came to a conclusion. He said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The Club 99."

📷"The Club 99? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.

To which the Personal Assistant replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The Club 99 is, you will have to do the following, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep, you will then understand what The Club 99 is."

That very same evening, the King arranged for 99 Gold coins to be placed in a bag at the servant's doorstep. Although he was slightly hesitant and he thought he should have put 100 Gold coins into the bag, but since his Personal Assistant had advised him to put 99 Gold coins that is what he did.

The servant was just stepping out of his house when he saw a bag at his doorstep. Wondering about its contents, he took it into his house and opened the bag. When he opened the bag, he let out a great big shout of joy...Gold Coins... so many of them. He could hardly believe it. He called his wife to show her the Gold coins.

The servant then took the bag to a table and emptied it out and began to count the Gold coins. Doing so, he realized that there were 99 Gold coins and he thought it was an odd number so he counted again, and again and again only to come to the same conclusion... 99 Gold Coins.

The servant began to wonder, what could have happened to that last one Gold coin? For no one would leave 99 Gold coins. He began to search his entire house, looked around his backyard for hours, not wanting to lose out on that one Gold coin. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to make up for that one Gold coin to make his entire collection an even 100 Gold Coins.

The servant got up the next morning, in an extremely horrible mood, shouting at the children and his wife for his delay, not realizing that he had spent most of the night conjuring ways of working hard so that he had enough money to buy himself that Gold coin. He went to work as usual - but not in his usual best mood, singing happily - as he grumpily did his daily errands.

Seeing the man's attitude change so drastically, the King was puzzled. He promptly summoned his Personal Assistant to his chambers. The King related his thoughts about the servant and once again, his Personal Assistant listened. The King could not believe that the servant who until yesterday had been singing away and was happy and content with his life had taken a sudden change of attitude, even though he should have been happier after receiving the Gold coins.

To this the Personal Assistant replied "Ah! But your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The Club 99." He explained: "The Club 99 is just a name given to those people who have everything but yet are never contented, therefore they are always working hard and striving for that extra one to round it out to 100!

We have so much to be thankful for and we can live with very little in our lives, but the minute we are given something bigger and better, we want even more!

We are not the same happy contented person we used to be, we want more and more and by wanting more and more we don't realize the price we pay for it. We lose our sleep, our happiness; we hurt the people around us just as a price to pay for our growing needs and desires. That is what joining The Club 99 is all about."

Hearing this King decided that from that day onwards, he was going to start appreciating all the little things in life.

Striving for more is always good, but let's not strive so hard and for so much that we loses all those near and dear to our hearts, we shouldn't compromise our happiness for moments of luxuries!

Stress in Islam, Stress Management Techniques: The Monkey with the Wooden Apples📷

📷There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful apples. Monkey took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.

Monkey sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.

Monkey admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he did not even notice his hunger at first.

A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.

The apples became heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go?

Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? Monkey was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling its fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. Monkey was happy again.

Like that little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. A man carries an image of himself as "productive" - carries it like a shiny wooden apple. But in reality, his busyness leaves him tired, and hungry for a better life. Still, letting go seems crazy. Even his worries are sacred apples - they prove he's "doing everything he can." He holds onto them compulsively.

Stress in Islam, Stress Relief Strategies: Alexander the Great Stress Management Techniques📷

📷Alexander the Great is known as the most powerful military leader and conqueror of the ancient world. Before he turned 30 years old he conquered an empire stretching over 3,000 miles from Greece to India. He was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, known today as northern Greece.

Alexander the Great, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence.

He now longed to reach home to see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant homeland.

The mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail."

With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king's last wishes.

"My first desire is that," said Alexander, "My physicians alone must carry my coffin."

After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury."

The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and continued. "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin."

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes. But no one dare bring the question to their lips. Alexander's favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?"

At this Alexander the Great, took a deep breath and said: "I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt.

Lessons to learn from last 3 wishes of Alexander the Great...

I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.

The second wish of strewing gold, silver and precious stones on the way to the graveyard is to tell People that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world.

With these words, the King closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last.

In conclusion, a surprisingly effective remedy for stress is to "remember death". The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "Remember frequently the one who will destroy all your pleasures - death! For there is no one who remembers death when in straitened circumstances, but his situation will become easier..."

HOW TO ATTAIN PEACE OF MIND, TRANQUILITY AND CONTENTMENT?

Secret (Key) 1:  Know Your One True God.

Secret (Key) 2:  Believe In Him Alone.

Secret (Key) 3:  Follow His Will.

Secret (Key) 4:  Believe In God’s Prophets.        (Including Prophet Muhammad).

Secret (Key) 5:  Remember God.

Secret (Key) 6:  Seek God’s Forgiveness.

Secret (Key) 7:  Worship Him Alone.

Secret (Key) 8:  Love For Others What You Love For Yourself.   

Secret (Key) 9:  Be Generous To Others And Try To Make Them Happy.  

Secret (Key) 10: Have Sincerity And Piety.

Briefly, These Top 10 Secret Keys Through Which We Can Achieve Tranquility And Contentment As Well As Spiritual, Social, And Global Peace Are Among The Magnificent Treasures Of The Glorious Qur’an And The Prophetic Sayings.

To Sum Up, Islam Teaches Us Through Its Two Main Authentic Sources: The Glorious Qur’an And The Prophetic Sayings That We Canattain Peace Of Mind, Happiness, And Salvation, By Knowing And Believing In The One True God (Allah) Willingly And Wholeheartedly. We Must Also Believe In All God’s True Prophets (Including Prophet Muhammad) And Follow Their True Guidance And Teachings.

Thus, The Gateway To A Happy, Content, And Eternal Lifeis Through Believing In And Uttering This Testimony:

“I Testify That There Is No God But Allah, And I Testify That Muhammad Is The Messenger Of Allah.”

However, Islam Tells Us That Belief Alone In God And His Prophets Is Not Enough To Have Peace Of Mind, Happiness, And Salvation!

We Have To Do The Will Of Allah Through Worshipping Him ALONE And Keeping His Commandments.

Submissionto The Will Of God Is The Essence Of The Message Of Allah. Confirming The True Meaning Of Submission To Him And The Reward Prepared For Those Who Believe And Do Good Deeds, Allah Points Out In The Qur’an:

“Indeed, Those Who Have Believed And Done Righteous Deeds – They Will Have The Gardens Of Paradise As A Lodging.” (18: 107)

Similarly, The Holy Bible Reports The Words Of Jesus’ Brother, James, Saying:

“For As The Body Without The Spirit Is Dead, So Faith Without Deeds Is Dead Also.” (James 2:26)

Interestingly, James (4:7) Also Referred To The Meaning Of Islam That Was Previously Discussed.

“Submit Yourselves Therefore To God.”

Therefore, Muslims Are True Followers Of Jesus And The Prophets. A Muslim Means A Person Who Submits His Or Her Will To The One True God. 

Muslims Have Faith In Allah (The One True God) And Do Good Deeds. They Obey And Follow The Commandments That Jesus And The Prophets Taught And Did, Like Believing In One True God, Praying, Prostrating, Kneeling Down In Worship, Fasting, Giving Alms, And Charity, Saying ‘If God Wills’ (Insha Allah), And Using The Greeting Of Jesus And The Prophets: ‘Peace Be Upon You’ (Asalamu Alaikum).

These Are Just Some Examples And Pieces Of Evidence Which Clearly Indicate The Truth, Unity, And Universality Of This Great And Beautiful Religion Of All Prophets: Islam.

Practically Speaking, A Person Who Is A Muslim Or Would Like To Be A Muslim, Must Believe In Six Articles Of Faith.

http://knowingallah.com/en/articles/how-to-attain-peace-of-mind-tranquility-and-contentment

Why Did God Create Mankind?

From The Perspective Of Humankind, The Question “Why Did God Create Man?”  This Implies “For What Purpose Was Man Created?”  In The Final Revelation (The Quran), This Question Is Answered Without Any Ambiguity.  Humans Are First Informed By God That Every Human Being Is Born With An Innate Consciousness Of God.  In The Quran, God Said:

“[Remember] When Your Lord Extracted From The Loins Of Adam’s Children Their Descendants And Made Them Testify [Saying]: ‘Am I Not Your Lord?’  They Said: ‘Yes, We Testify To It.’  [This Was] In Case You Say On The Day Of Judgment: ‘We Were Unaware Of This.’  Or You Say: ‘It Was Our Ancestors Who Worshipped Others Besides God And We Are Only Their Descendants.  Will You Then Destroy Us For What Those Liars Did?’” (Quran 7:172 - 173)

The Prophet, May The Mercy And Blessings Of God Be Upon Him, Explained That When God Created Adam, He Took From Him A Covenant At A Place Called Na’maan On The 9th Day Of The 12th Month.  He Then Extracted From Adam All Of His Descendants Who Would Be Born Until The End Of The World, Generation After Generation, And Spread Them Out Before Him To Take A Covenant From Them Also.  He Spoke To Them, Face To Face, Making Them Bear Witness That He Was Their Lord.  Consequently, Every Human Being Is Responsible For Belief In God, Which Is Imprinted On Each And Every Soul.  It Is Based On This Inborn Belief That God Defined The Purpose Of Mankind’s Creation In Quran:

“I Have Created The Jinn And Humankind Only For My Worship.” (Quran 51:56)

Thus, The Essential Purpose For Which Humankind Was Created Is The Worship Of God.  However, The Almighty Is Not In Need Of Human Worship.  He Did Not Create Human Beings Out Of A Need On His Part.  If Not A Single Human Worshipped God, It Would Not Diminish His Glory In Any Way, And If All Of Humankind Worshipped Him, It Would Not Increase His Glory In Any Way.  God Is Perfect.  He Alone Exists Without Any Needs.  All Created Beings Have Needs.  Consequently, It Is Humankind That Needs To Worship God.

The Meaning Of Worship

To Understand Why Human Beings Need To Worship God, One Must First Understand What Is Meant By The Term ‘Worship.’  The English Term ‘Worship’ Comes From The Old English Weorthscipe Meaning ‘Honor.’  Consequently, Worship In The English Language Is Defined As ‘The Performance Of Devotional Acts In Honor Of A Deity.’  According To This Meaning, Man Is Instructed To Show Gratitude To God By Glorifying Him.  In The Quran, God Says:

“Glorify The Praises Of Your Lord...” (Quran 15:98)

In Glorifying God, Man Chooses To Be In Harmony With The Rest Of Creation Which Naturally Glorifies Its Creator.  God Addresses This Phenomenon In Many Chapters Of The Quran.  For Example, In The Quran, God States:

“The Seven Heavens And The Earth And Whatever Is In Them Glorify Him And There Is Nothing Which Does Not Glorify His Praise.  However, You Do Not Understand Their Glorification.” (Quran 17:44)

However, In Arabic, The Language Of The Final Revelation, Worship Is Called‘ibaadah, Which Is Closely Related To The Noun ‘Abd, Meaning ‘A Slave.’  A Slave Is One Who Is Expected To Do Whatever His Master Wills.  Consequently, Worship, According To The Final Revelation, Means ‘Obedient Submission To The Will Of God.’  This Was The Essence Of The Message Of All The Prophets Sent By God To Mankind.  For Example, This Understanding Of Worship Was Emphatically Expressed By Prophet Jesus (The Messiah Or Jesus Christ),

“None Of Those Who Call Me ‘Lord’ Will Enter The Kingdom Of God, But Only The One Who Does The Will Of My Father In Heaven.”

It Should Be Noted That ‘Will’ In This Quote Means ‘What God Wants Human Beings To Do’ And Not ‘What God Permits Humans To Do,’ Because Nothing Happens In Creation Without The Will (Permission) Of God.  The ‘Will Of God’ Is Contained In The Divinely Revealed Laws Which The Prophets Taught Their Followers.  Consequently, Obedience To Divine Law Is The Foundation Of Worship.  In This Sense, Glorification Also Becomes Worship When Humans Choose To Obey God’s Instructions Regarding His Glorification.

The Need For Worship                                                                    

Why Do Human Beings Need To Worship And Glorify God By Obeying The Divinely Revealed Laws?  Because Obedience To Divine Law Is The Key To Success In This Life And The Next.  The First Human Beings, Adam And Eve, Were Created In Paradise And Later Expelled From Paradise For Disobeying The Divine Law.  The Only Way For Human Beings To Return To Paradise Is By Obedience To The Law.  Prophet Jesus, Was Reported In The Gospel According To Matthew To Have Made Obedience To The Divine Laws The Key To Paradise: Now Behold, One Came And Said To Him,

“Good Teacher, What Good Thing Shall I Do That I May Have Eternal Life?”  So He Said To Him, “Why Do You Call Me Good?  No One Is Good But One, That Is, God.  But If You Want To Enter Into Life, Keep The Commandments.”

Also Prophet Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) Was Reported To Have Insisted On Strict Obedience To The Commandments, Saying:

“Whoever Therefore Breaks One Of The Least Of These Commandments, And Teaches Men So, Shall Be Called Least In The Kingdom Of Heaven; But Whoever Does And Teaches Them, He Shall Be Called Great In The Kingdom Of Heaven.”

Divine Laws Represent Guidance For Humankind In All Walks Of Life.  They Define Right And Wrong For Them And Offer Human Beings A Complete System Governing All Of Their Affairs.  The Creator Alone Knows Best What Is Beneficial For His Creation And What Is Not.  The Divine Laws Command And Prohibit Various Acts And Substances To Protect The Human Spirit, The Human Body And Human Society From Harm.  In Order For Human Beings To Fulfill Their Potential By Living Righteous Lives, They Need To Worship God Through Obedience To His Commandments.

Remembrance Of God

All Of The Various Acts Of Worship Contained In The Divine Laws Are Designed To Help Humans Remember God.  It Is Natural For Human Beings To Sometimes Forget Even The Most Important Things.  Humans Often Become So Engrossed In Fulfilling Their Material Needs That They Totally Forget Their Spiritual Needs.  Regular Prayer Is Ordained To Organize The Day Of The True Believer Around The Remembrance Of God.  It Interweaves Spiritual Needs With Material Needs On A Daily Basis.  The Regular Daily Need To Eat, Work And Sleep Is Linked To The Daily Need To Renew Man’s Connection With God.  With Regard To Regular Prayer, God States In The Final Revelation,

“Verily, I Am God, There Is No God Beside Me, So Worship Me And Establish Regular Prayer For My Remembrance.” (Quran 20:14)

Regarding Fasting, God Stated In The Quran,

“O You Who Believe!  Fasting Has Been Prescribed For You As It Was Prescribed For Those Before You That You May Become God-Conscious.” (Quran 2:183)

The Believers Are Encouraged To Remember God As Much As Possible.  Although, Moderation In All Spheres Of Life, Whether Material Or Spiritual, Is Generally Encouraged In Divine Law, An Exception Is Made Regarding The Remembrance Of God.  It Is Virtually Impossible To Remember God Too Much.  Consequently, In The Final Revelation, God Encourages The Believers To Remember Him As Often As Possible:

“O Believers!  Remember God Often.” (Quran 33:41)

Remembrance Of God Is Stressed Because Sin Is Generally Committed When God Is Forgotten.  The Forces Of Evil Operate Most Freely When Consciousness Of God Is Lost.  Consequently, The Satanic Forces Seek To Occupy People’s Minds With Irrelevant Thoughts And Desires To Make Them Forget God.  Once God Is Forgotten, People Willingly Join The Corrupt Elements.  The Final Revelation, Addresses This Phenomenon In As Follows:

“Satan Got The Better Of Them And Caused Them To Forget God.  Those Are The Party Of Satan.  Truly The Party Of Satan Are The Real Losers.” (Quran 58:19)

God, Through Divine Law, Has Prohibited Intoxicants And Gambling Primarily Because They Cause Human Beings To Forget God.  The Human Mind And Body Easily Become Addicted To Drugs And Games Of Chance.  Once Addicted, Mankind’s Desire To Continually Be Stimulated By Them Leads Them Into All Forms Of Corruption And Violence Among Themselves.  God Says In The Quran:

“Satan’s Plan Is To Incite Enmity And Hatred Among You With Intoxicants And Gambling, And Hinder You From The Remembrance Of God And Regular Prayer.  Will You Not Then Abstain?” (Quran 5:91)

Consequently, Humankind Need To Remember God For Their Own Salvation And Growth.  All Humans Have Times Of Weakness In Which They Commit Sins.  If They Have No Means Of Remembering God, They Sink Deeper And Deeper Into Corruption With Every Sin.  However, Those Who Follow The Divine Laws Will Be Constantly Reminded Of God, Which Will Give Them A Chance To Repent And Correct Themselves.  The Final Revelation Accurately Describes This Process:

“Those Who, Having Done Something Shameful Or Having Wronged Their Own Souls, Remember God And Immediately Ask Forgiveness For Their Sins...” (Quran 3:135)

The Religion Of Islam

The Most Complete System Of Worship Available To Human Beings Today Is The System Found In The Religion Of Islam.  The Very Name ‘Islam’ Means ‘Submission To The Will Of God.’  Although It Is Commonly Referred To As ‘The Third Of The Three Monotheistic Faiths,’ It Is Not A New Religion At All.  It Is The Religion Brought By All Of The Prophets Of God For Mankind.  Islam Was The Religion Of Adam, Abraham, Moses And Jesus.  God Addresses This Issue In The Quran With Regard To Prophet Abraham, Saying:

“Abraham Was Neither A Jew Nor A Christian, But He Was An Upright Muslim Who Did Not Worship Others Besides God.” (Quran 3:67)

Since There Is Only One God, And Humankind Are One Species, The Religion Which God Has Ordained For Human Beings Is One.  He Did Not Prescribe One Religion For The Jews, Another For Indians, Yet Another For Europeans, Etc.  Human Spiritual And Social Needs Are Uniform, And Human Nature Has Not Changed Since The First Man And Woman Were Created.  Consequently, No Other Religion Is Acceptable To God Besides Islam, As He Clearly States In The Final Revelation:

“Surely God’s Religion Is Islam…” (Quran 3:19)

“And Whoever Desires A Religion Besides Islam Will Not Have It Accepted, And He Will Be Among The Losers In The Hereafter.” (Quran 3:85)

Every Act Is Worship

In The Islamic System, Each And Every Human Act Can Be Transformed Into An Act Of Worship.  In Fact, God Commands The Believers To Dedicate Their Whole Lives To Him.  In The Quran, God Says:

“Say: ‘Surely My Prayer, My Sacrifice, My Living And My Dying Are For God, The Lord Of All The Worlds.’” (Quran 6:162)

However, For That Dedication To Be Acceptable To God, Each Act Must Fulfill Two Basic Conditions:

1.    First, The Act Must Be Done Sincerely For The Pleasure Of God And Not For The Recognition And Praise Of Human Beings.  The Believer Also Has To Be Conscious Of God While Doing The Deed To Insure That It Is Not Something Forbidden By God Or The Last Messenger, May The Mercy And Blessings Of God Be Upon Him.

In Order To Facilitate This Transformation Of Mundane Deeds Into Worship, God Instructed The Last Prophet, To Prescribe Short Prayers To Be Said Before Even The Simplest Of Acts.  The Shortest Prayer Which May Be Used For Any Circumstance Is: Bismillaah (In The Name Of God).  There Are, However, Many Other Prayers Prescribed For Specific Occasions.  For Example, Whenever A New Piece Of Clothing Is Worn, The Prophet, Taught His Followers To Say:

“O God, Thanks Is Due To You, For It Is You Who Has Clothed Me.  I Ask You For Its Benefit And The Benefit For Which It Was Made, And Seek Refuge In You From Its Evil And The Evil For Which It Was Made.” (An-Nasa’i)

2.    The Second Condition Is That The Act Be Done In Accordance With The Prophetic Way, Called In Arabic The Sunnah.  All Of The Prophets Instructed Their Followers To Follow Their Way Because They Were Guided By God.  What They Taught Were Divinely Revealed Truths, And Only Those Who Followed Their Way And Accepted The Truths Would Inherit Eternal Life In Paradise.  It Is In This Context That Prophet Jesus, May The Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Him, Was Reported In The Gospel According To John 14:6, As Saying:

“I Am The Way, The Truth, And The Life: No Man Cometh Unto The Father, But By Me.”

Similarly, Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood Related…

“One Day Prophet Muhammad, Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him, Drew A Line In The Sand For Them And Said, “This Is God’s Path.”  He Then Drew Several Lines [Branching Off] To The Right And To The Left And Said, “These Are The Paths [Of Misguidance] On Each Of Which Is A Devil Inviting People To Follow It.”  He Then Recited The Verse: ‘Verily, This Is My Path, Leading Straight, So Follow It.  And Do Not Follow The [Other] Paths For They Will Scatter You About From God’s Path.  That Is His Command To You In Order That You May Be Conscious Of God.’” (Ahmed)

Thus, The Only Acceptable Way To Worship God Is According To The Way Of The Prophets.  That Being The Case, Innovation In Religious Affairs Would Be Considered By God Among The Worst Of All Evils.  Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Was Reported To Have Said,

“The Worst Of All Affairs Is Innovation In Religion, For Every Religious Innovation Is A Cursed, Misleading Innovation Leading To The Hellfire.” (An-Nasa’i)

Innovation In The Religion Is Forbidden And Unacceptable To God.  The Prophet (PBUH) Was Also Reported By His Wife, Aa’ishah, To Have Said:

“He Who Innovates Something In Our Religion, That Is Not Of It, Will Have It Rejected.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

It Is Fundamentally Due To Innovations That The Messages Of The Earlier Prophets Were Distorted And The Many False Religions In Existence Today Evolved.  The General Rule To Follow In Order To Avoid Innovation In Religion Is That All Forms Of Worship Are Prohibited, Except Those Which Have Been Specifically Prescribed By God And Conveyed To Humans By The True Messengers Of God.

The Best Of Creation

Those Who Believe In One Unique God, Without Partners Or Offspring, And Do Righteous Deeds [According To The Above-Mentioned Principles] Become The Crown Of Creation.  That Is, Although Humankind Is Not The Greatest Creation Of God, They Have The Potential To Become The Best Of His Creation.  In The Final Revelation, God States This Fact As Follows:

“Surely, Those Who Believe And Do Righteous Deeds Are The Best Of Creation.” (Quran 98:7)

The Gravest Sin

To Contradict The Purpose Of One’s Creation Is Then The Greatest Evil That A Human Being Can Commit.  Abdullaah Reported That He Asked God’s Messenger (Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) Which Sin Is The Gravest In God’s Sight And He Replied,

“To Ascribe A Partner To God, Even Though He Created You.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Worshipping Others Besides God, Called Shirk In Arabic, Is The Only Unforgivable Sin.  If A Human Being Dies Without Repenting From His Or Her Sins, God May Forgive All Their Sins, Except Shirk.  In This Regard, God Stated:

“Surely God Will Not Forgive The Worship Of Others Besides Him, But He Forgives Sins Less Than That To Whomever He Wishes.” (Quran 4:116)

Worshipping Others Besides God Essentially Involves Giving The Attributes Of The Creator To His Creation.  Each Sect Or Religion Does This In Their Own Particular Way.  A Small But Very Vocal Group Of People Down Through The Ages Have Actually Denied God’s Existence.  To Justify Their Rejection Of The Creator, They Were Obliged To Make The Illogical Claim That This World Has No Beginning.  Their Claim Is Illogical Because All Of The Observable Parts Of The World Have Beginnings In Time, Therefore It Is Only Reasonable To Expect The Sum Of The Parts To Also Have A Beginning. 

It Is Also Only Logical To Assume That Whatever Caused The World To Come Into Existence Could Not Have Been A Part Of The World Nor Could It Have A Beginning Like The World.  The Atheist Assertion That The World Has No Beginning Means That The Matter Which Makes Up The Universe Is Eternal.  This Is A Statement Of Shirk, Whereby God’s Attribute Of Being Without Beginning Is Given To His Creation.  The Numbers Of Genuine Atheists Have Historically Always Been Quite Small Because, In Spite Of Their Claims, They Instinctively Know That God Does Exist.  That Is, In Spite Of Decades Of Communist Indoctrination, The Majority Of Russians And Chinese Continued To Believe In God.  The Almighty Creator Pointed Out This Phenomenon, Saying:

“And They Denied [The Signs] Wrongfully And Arrogantly, Though Within Themselves They Were Convinced Of Them.” (Quran 27:14)

To Atheists And Materialists, Life Has No Purpose Beyond The Fulfillment Of Their Desires.  Consequently, Their Desires Also Become The God Which They Obey And Submit To Instead Of The One True God.  In The Quran, God Said:

“Have You Seen The One Who Takes His Desires As His God?” (Quran 25:43, 45:23)

Christians Gave Prophet Jesus Christ The Attributes Of The Creator By First Making Him Co-Eternal With God, Then By Making Him A Personality Of God Whom They Titled ‘God The Son.’  Hindus, On The Other Hand, Believe That God Has Become Man In Many Ages, By Incarnations Called Avatars, And Then They Divided God’s Attributes Between Three Gods, Brahma The Creator, Vishnu The Preserver And Shiva The Destroyer.

Love Of God

Shirk Also Occurs When Human Beings Love, Trust Or Fear The Creation More Than God.  In The Last Revelation, God Said:

“There Are Among Men Those Who Worship Others Besides God As Equals To Him.  They Love Them As Only God Should Be Loved.  But Those Who Believe Have A Stronger Love For God.” (Quran 2:165)

When These And Other Similar Emotions Are Directed More Strongly To The Creation, They Cause Human Beings To Disobey God In A Effort To Please Other Humans.  However, Only God Deserves A Complete Human Emotional Commitment, For It Is He Alone Who Should Be Loved And Feared Over All Creation.  Anas Ibn Maalik Narrated That The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) Said:

“Whoever Possesses [The Following] Three Characteristics Has Tasted The Sweetness Of Faith: He Who Loves God And His Messenger Above All Else; He Who Loves Another Human Being For God’s Sake Alone; And He Who Hates To Return To Disbelief After God Has Rescued Him As He Hates To Be Thrown Into A Fire.” (As-Suyooti)

All The Reasons For Which Humans Love Other Humans Or Love Other Created Beings Are Reasons To Love God More Than His Creation.  Humans Love Life And Success, And Dislike Death And Failure.  Since God Is The Ultimate Source Of Life And Success, He Deserves The Full Love And Devotion Of Mankind.  Humans Also Love Those Who Benefit Them And Help Them When They Are In Need.  Since All Benefit (7:188) And Help (3:126) Come From God, He Should Be Loved Above All Else.

“If You Try To Count God’s Blessings, You Will Not Be Able To Add Them Up.” (Quran 16:18)

However, The Supreme Love Which Humans Should Feel For God Must Not Be Reduced To The Common Denominator Of Their Emotional Love For Creation.  Just As The Love Humans Feel For Animals Should Not Be The Same As What They Feel For Other Humans, The Love Of God Should Transcend The Love Humans Feel Towards Each Other.  Human Love Of God Should Be, Fundamentally, A Love Manifest In Complete Obedience To The Laws Of God:

“If You Love God, Then Follow Me [The Prophet] And God Will Love You.” (Quran 3:31)

This Is Not An Abstract Concept, Because Human Love Of Other Humans Also Implies Obedience.  That Is, If A Loved One Requests That Something Be Done, Humans Will Strive To Do It According To The Level Of Their Love For That Person.

The Love Of God Should Also Be Expressed In The Love Of Those Whom God Loves.  It Is Inconceivable That One Who Loves God Could Hate Those Whom God Loves And Love Those Whom He Hates.  The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) Was Quoted By Aboo Umaamah As Saying:

“He Who Loves For God And Hates For God, Gives For God And Withholds For God, [And Marries For God] Has Perfected His Faith.” (As-Suyooti)

Consequently, Those Whose Faith Is Proper Will Love All Those Who Love God.  In Chapter Maryam, God Indicates That He Puts Love In The Hearts Of The Believers For Those Who Are Righteous.

“Surely, God Will Bestow Love [In The Hearts Of The Believers For] Those Who Believe And Do Righteous Deeds.” (Quran 19:96)

Aboo Hurayrah Also Related That God’s Messenger (Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) Said The Following In This Regard:

“If God Loves A Servant He Informs Angel Gabriel That He Loves So-And-So And Tells Him To Love Him, So Gabriel Loves Him.  Then Gabriel Calls Out To The Inhabitants Of The Heavens: ‘God Loves So-And-So, Therefore Love Him.’ So The Inhabitants Of The Heavens Love Him.  Then He Is Granted The Love Of The People Of The Earth.” (Saheeh Muslim)

What If You Found A Watch In The Sand?

Suppose You Found A Watch In The Middle Of The Desert. What Would You Conclude? Would You Think Someone Dropped The Watch? Or Would You Suppose That The Watch Came By Itself? Of Course, No Sane Person Would Say The Watch Just Happened To Emerge From The Sand.

All The Intricate Working Parts Could Not Simply Develop From The Metals That Lay Buried In The Earth. The Watch Must Have A Manufacturer. If A Watch Tells An Accurate Time, We Expect The Manufacturer Must Be Intelligent. Blind Chance Cannot Produce A Working Watch. But What Else Tells Accurate Time? Consider The Sunrise And The Sunset.

Their Timings Are So Strictly Regulated That Scientists Can Publish In Advance The Sunrise And Sunset Times In Your Daily Newspaper, But Who Regulated The Timings Of Sunrise And Sunset? If A Watch Cannot Work Without An Intelligent Maker, How Can The Sun Appear To Rise And Set With Such Clockwork Regularity? Could This Occur By Itself? Consider Also That We Benefit From The Sun Only Because It Remains At A Safe Distance From The Earth.

A Distance That Averages 93 Million Miles. If It Gets Much Closer, The Earth Would Burn Up. And If It Got Too Far Away, The Earth Would Turn Into An Icy Planet Making Human Life Here Impossible. Who Decided In Advance That This Was The Right Distance? Could It Just Happen By Chance? Without The Sun, Plants Would Not Grow. Then Animals And Humans Would Starve. Did The Sun Just Decide To Be There For Us? We Need To Experience Sunrise.

We Need The Sun Energy And Its Light To See Our Way During The Day. But We Also Need Sunset. We Need A Break For The Heat, We Need The Cool Of The Night And We Need The Lights To Go Out So We May Sleep. Who Regulated This Process To Provide What We Need?

Moreover, If We Had Only The Warmth Of The Sun And The Protection Of The Atmosphere We Would Want Something More-Beauty. Our Clothes Provide Warmth And Protection, Yet We Design Them Also To Look Beautiful/Knowing Our Need For Beauty, The Designer Of The Sunrise And The Sunset Also Made The View Of Them To Be Simply Breathtaking.

The Creator Who Gave Us Light, Energy, Protection And Beauty Deserves Our Thanks. Yet Some People Insist That He Does Not Exist. What Would They Think If They A Watch In The Desert? An Accurate And Working Watch? A Beautiful Designed Watch? Would They Not Conclude That There Is A Watchmaker? One Who Appreciates Beauty? Such Is God Who Made Us. 

http://knowingallah.com/en/articles/what-if-you-found-a-watch-in-the-sand/

Dear Dibakar Pal,

Thanks for your help.

Although this fact is true and almost all know that, GREED as an inseparable trait of humankind is in kinda contradiction with.

In addition, you could be greedy as well as being self-satisfied. There aren't any paradox.

Dear Kirk MacGregor,

Thank you for your answer but I feel little confused about that. It might due to technical expressions in philosophy. It would be your kindness if you could explain more explicitly.

Dear Shafagat Mahmudova,

Thank you so much for your answer,

First of all, It was quiet interesting for me to hear the following statement because I thought this ability is something "acquirable" in family (as a social group which are more close to the person from its childhood).

" There are studies that confirm that the ability to rejoice is part of our genetic heritage. "

The question which come to mind by reading the happiness formula you introduced is:

Are there any differences between happiness and satisfaction? Which of them brings "PEACE" ?

Dear Adel Oueslati,

Thanks for your answer.

The controversial part of this statement is this:

Are the circumstances are such controllable that we could decrease our expectation? whats matter with our greediness.

And also, I think by accepting the aforementioned statement, all hardworking persons which mostly have high-expectations are not satisfied!!

Dear Asit Kumar Batabyal,

I appreciate for your simple and perfect answer.

I've also read the article you mentioned found it so much helpfully.

Thanks again!

Dear Amir,

It's very good that you are analyzing all the answers. I appreciate your interest. Best wishes

Dear Amir,

After you have been reading all the long and complicated answers it makes me smile that you appreciate simple and perfect answers:). A good laugh increases both your life satisfaction and longevity.

Dear Béatrice Marianne Ewalds-Kvist,

Thank you for the article. It seems to be exciting. I will definitely read it.

Dear Asit Kumar Batabyal,

That’s very kind of you. Thank you.

I personally believe that it is a crucial question each person will face in his/her life soon or late. This concept could also have a great impact on the all of our activities and make our life more meaningful.

Sure I do Béatrice Marianne Ewalds-Kvist!! ;)

Through self-sufficiency, contentment and appreciation of one's achievements

Ma chère Béatrice Marianne,

J'apprécie beaucoup votre perspicacité.

Mon cher Daniel,

Je vous remercie pour vôtre compliment.

Gratefulness enhances the satisfaction with life. To appreciate to have a bed with sheets and cover, to have coffee in the morning, food during the day, access to electricity and phone for calling on acute help. In the east of Finland this is cut off by bad weather for the time being.

Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude

Optimism is key

stress reduction, a positive self-bias, and increased pain tolerance, all of which could enhance motivation and performance during competitive tasks.

We all need:

someone to love, something meaningful to do and something to look forward to!

There's a lot of talk these days about improving mood by improving the colonisation of good bugs in our gut! Improve health and feel happier!

Satisfaction requires knowledge of self and a heart to live by the day.

Anyone can be dissatisfied any given time of the day but the knowledge of what matters in the end and trying to be immersed in the present and be an observer to the film of life is key to regain the sense of satisfaction.

It is harder to live by these words though. It requires practice to excel like in any other erena of life. Practice to live with satisfaction each passing moment and it makes one effortless and natural over days . However the journey should not be spoiled while aiming one goal.

At the end, sense of excellence in whatever we do for success in profession, life and society is a work in progress and more we focus on some figures or targets for satisfaction the more we drift away as the trees are missed for woods while life passes by only to make one left dissatisfied.

Nice point of view Mr. Ganesh S Dharmshaktu!