بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
ثم الصلاه و السلام علی محمد عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون
اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
The seventeenth sign of the righteous:
يُصْبِحُ فَرِحاً … بِمَا أَصَابَ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ وَ الرَّحْمَةِ
They end the day while they are happy … because of the grace and mercy that has come to them.
Happiness is a pleasant inner and heart state that we find in many situations. This condition is manifested in the face and appearance of human beings in the form of freshness. Happiness can be considered as a state of positive vitality and excitement that affects human beings under the influence of various factors, a state in which the human soul reaches the degree of satisfaction and openness.
Happiness is a human need. The basis of the universe and its phenomena is designed to create happiness in man. In addition to natural factors such as a refreshing spring, a gentle morning, a beautiful waterfall, colorful flowers. One can have faith, avoid sin, feel close to God, fight anxiety, smile and laugh, joke, smell good, wear colorful clothes, meeting friends, sports, work, travel, entertainment, recite the Qur’an, think about God’s creations, and give alms. All are among the factors that create a state of happiness and joy in human beings.
Islam and happiness
The religion of Islam agrees with cheerfulness and happiness, and in verses and hadiths there is much advice for work, effort, and cheerfulness. Islam has praised and affirmed happiness according to the basic human needs. The Qur’an considers happy life as a blessing and mercy of God and considers weeping and wailing as contrary to God’s mercy and blessing.
One day, the Prophet ordered all Muslims to mobilize to take part in a defensive battle against the infidels and polytheists. Some of them refused to participate in this campaign under various pretexts and violated the command of God and the Holy Prophet! God says in the Qur’an:
فَرِحَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ بِمَقْعَدِهِمْ خِلَافَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَكَرِهُوا أَنْ يُجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَالُوا لَا تَنْفِرُوا فِي الْحَرِّ قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّا لَوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ؛فَلْيَضْحَكُوا قَلِيلًا وَلْيَبْكُوا كَثِيرًا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿توبه:81-۸۲﴾
Those who stayed behind rejoiced at their staying behind the Messenger of God. And they hated to strive with their wealth and their lives in God’s way. And they said, “Do not venture out in the heat.” Say, “The Fire of Hell is much hotter, if they only understood.” Let them laugh a little, and weep much; in recompense for what they used to earn.
The fact that God wishes for the disobedient to laugh less and cry more indicates the fact that laugh is a natural thing as one of the factors of cheerfulness, and God wants the disobedient to be deprived of this blessing as punishment.
The Qur’an’s descriptions of paradise also indicate that Islam affirms joy and happiness, and that God has set paradise in this way to make human beings happy. The Qur’an considers the factors of happiness and joy for the believers and says:
قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زینَةَ اللّهِ الَّتی أَخْرَجَ لِعِبادِهِ وَ الطَّیِّباتِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ؟ قُلْ هِیَ لِلَّذینَ آمَنُوا فِی الْحَیاةِ الدُّنْیا خالِصَةً یَوْمَ الْقِیامَةِ؛
Say, “Who forbade God’s finery which He has produced for His servants, and the delights of livelihood?” Say, “They are for those who believe, in this present world, but exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.” We thus detail the revelations for people who know.
Imams (peace be upon them) have also emphasized happiness and cheerfulness. Imam Reza (as) says:
اجتهدوا في أن يكون زمانكم أربع ساعات: ساعة لمناجاة الله، وساعة لأمر المعاش، وساعة لمعاشرة الاخوان والثقات الذين يعرّفونكم عيوبكم ويخلصون لكم في الباطن، وساعة تخلون فيها للذاتكم في غير محرم، و بهذه الساعة تقدرون على الثلاث. (بحارالانوار، ج۷۵، ص۳۲۱)»
Try to have four times: a time to worship and be alone with God, a time to earn a living, an hour to associate with trusted brothres, and those who make you aware of your faults and have purity in you, and a time to dedicate yourself to your hobbies and delights, and for you joy and leisure, and provide the necessary force to perform the tasks of other times with these happiness.
Spiritual joy and happiness, like the joy of praying to God, or the joy of solving and discovering scientific problems for scientists, is much more palatable and pleasurable than these worldly and superficial joys. Rumi in our mystical literature is an example of happy and cheerful mystics whose poems do not show any trace of sorrow and grief, unlike others whose poems are full of sorrow and grief.
The joy of the pious is when he succeeds in obeying God and abstains from sin; Amir al-muminin Ali (AS) says:
سُـرورُ المُؤمنِ بطاعَةِ رَبّـهِ وَ حُزنُهُ عَلی ذَنبِـه .(غررالحکم و درر الکلم، ج1، ص516)»
The joy of the believer is due to obedience to his Lord, and his sorrow is over sin and disobedience.
فَلْیَکُنْ سُرُورُکَ بِمَا نِلْتَ مِنْ آخِرَتِکَ وَ لْیَکُنْ أَسَفُکَ عَلَى مَا فَاتَکَ مِنْهَا (نهج البلاغه، نامه22(
Your joy should be for what you have done for the Hereafter and sorrow and grief for what you have lost from the Hereafter.