Three steps to a happy life

Happiness is the universalgoal of people from all walks of life – be
they philosophers of a high intellectual caliber or unlettered
laborers -- everyone strives in search of happiness and looks for ways
to escape the worries of life.
However, most people achieve only partial or superficial happiness,
which provides temporary relief from their problems. In order to
search for everlasting happiness that will lead aperson to true
success, one must keep an open heart and mind, as the wise one is he
who searches for the truth and adopts it immediately.
1. The most important means of happiness and the foundation of
all felicity is to have sound belief and perform righteous deeds.
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {"Whoeverworks righteousness
(whether male or female)while he (or she) is a truebeliever (of
Islaamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this
world with respect, contentment andlawful provision), and Weshall pay
them certainly areward in proportion to the best of what they used to
do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)."} [Quran,16: 97]
Allaah The Almighty promises whoever possesses sound belief and
performs righteous deeds that he will have a happy life and will also
be rewarded in the eternal Hereafter.
The reason for this is obvious: those who have the correct belief
which leads to righteous deeds, reformed hearts and refined manners
have the basic foundation thatthey can refer to in any event –
regardless of whether these are matters which cause joy and happiness
or sorrow and dejection.
The Prophet describedthis quality of the true believers when he said:
"How wonderful is the affair of the believer! All of his affairs are
good and this is the case for nobody except a believer. If he is
blessed with prosperity he thanks (Allaah) and that is good for him;
and if heis afflicted with adversity he perseveres and that is also
good for him." [Muslim]
The Prophet informed us that a believer's reward would be multiplied
many times over, regardless of whether what befalls himbrings him joy
or sorrow.
2. Keep oneself busy inperforming beneficial deeds and acquiring
useful knowledge.
By doing so, one's heart is diverted from whatever causes it grief and
sorrow, to the extentthat a person may completely forget his worries
and unhappinessand become happy and energized. This is something that
is common to believers andothers, but the believer isdistinct due to
his belief, sincerity, and his hope for reward while learning or
performing beneficial deeds. If this deed is an act of worship then he
will receive the reward for it, and if it is aworldly task which is
accompanied with a good intention, such as working for the sake of
being able to worship Allaah The Almighty better, then this will havea
strong effect in removing his anxiety andgrief.
3. Concentrating on the tasks at hand, not being anxious about
the future and not crying over the past is another way of attaining
happiness.
This is why the Prophet sought refuge with Allaah The Almighty from
anxiety and sorrow. Usually, a person experiences sorrow due to what
has passed and cannot be retrieved, whereas grief is due to anxiety
for the future and the fear of what mayhappen.
A believing slave of Allaah The Almighty should live for the current
moment, focus, and exert the utmost effort to utilize his time in the
best possible way. This will enable him to accomplish his tasks and
forget his sorrow and grief. When the Prophet made a particular
supplication or guided his nation to do so, he would also encourage
them to exert efforts to obtain what they supplicated for and shun
everything which might prevent the prayer from being answered.
As the Prophet said: "Be keen to do that which will benefit you, rely
on Allaah, and do notbe lazy (by not exerting effort) and say when a
problem befalls you: 'If only I would have done such and such, then
the result would have been such and such' rather, one should say:
'This was decreed by Allaah and He does what He wills.' Saying 'If'
opens the gatefor Satan (to cause discontent)." [Muslim]

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