A Beautiful Islamic Teaching: Spreading Happiness and Earning the Divine Reward
Spread Happiness And Beware Of The Supplication Of The Oppressed Because There Is No Veil Between It And Allah
Main
Points:
1. Islam
teaches us to spread happiness and kindness, help others and alleviate their
hardships.
2. We must set
aside our worries and be joyful in order to spread happiness and earn the
reward from Allah Almighty
3. Defending
the vulnerable and oppressed is also a means of spreading happiness among them.
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By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
18 May 2022
Life is
only given once, but we fail to appreciate it. The goal of this enormous
benefit should be to make us happy, as well as others. But today's tragedy is
that man is so involved in so-called religious animosity that he is unaware of
his own existence, spirituality and its purpose. Thus, man has made his life an
agony in the world by giving his life for sorrows, worries, and troubles. Most
of the difficulties are caused by man himself because people often wish to give
each other stress, pain, and suffering.
Today
humans have negative feelings for one another. They aim to infect each other
with hypocrisy. One person dislikes seeing the advancement of another. He
doesn't want to succeed by working hard, so he makes it his mission to
frustrate and belittle anyone who does. One individual is the enemy of another
on all social, economic, educational, cultural, and religious levels. In the
name of religion, a violent climate is being produced. That is to say, today's
men do not wish to be happy or share happiness.
However, we
should not despair in such circumstances, but rather live with patience and
endurance. Every difficulty and struggle requires patience. Despite that, along
with maintaining our faith and belief, we should constantly do what is
righteous. We must set aside our worries and be joyful in order to spread
happiness and earn the reward from Allah Almighty. This is the beautiful
teaching of Islam, which we must embrace in order to become good Muslims.
Islam
teaches us to spread happiness and kindness, help others and alleviate their
hardships. These are the Islamic teachings. All of these actions will be
rewarded by Allah. In addition, such gestures will promote peace and happiness
in society.
The beloved
Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“The most superior action in the Court of Allah
after fulfilling the obligations is to make another Muslim happy.”[Mu’jam
Kabir, 11/59, Hadith 11079]
Imam
al-Munawi said under the commentary of this hadith that after performing one's
personal duties, such as the five daily prayers, fasting, zakat, and Hajj, the
most preferable activity is to make another Muslim happy. There are numerous
methods to accomplish this, ranging from donating presents to assisting someone
in need. Happiness is the joy experienced by the heart upon receiving or
anticipating a blessing. [Faizul Qadeer, 1/216, Hadith 200]
Spreading
joy and alleviating people's suffering is the most direct path to attaining the
nearness of Allah and a source of enormous reward.
These
practises were promoted by our spiritual forefathers. "Meeting my Muslim
brothers and instilling happiness in their hearts," Sayyiduna Muhammad ibn
al-Munkadir stated when asked what makes him happy and delicious.”[Hilyatul
Awliya, 7/347, 10798]
Worldly
Benefits of Spreading Happiness
Actively
bringing joy and happiness to others has positive impacts. The worries of
Muslims are mitigated. It develops honour and an elevated status for him in the
hearts of people. Others are encouraged to do the same. Muslims will supplicate
for you.
Worldly
advantages of bringing happiness: It is beneficial to actively convey joy and
happiness to others. This alleviates the concerns of the people. It gives them
respect and elevates their standing in the eyes of the public. Others follow
that example. If you do that, Muslims will do a prayer for you.
Those who
spread happiness will be rewarded in the hereafter. Allah and His Messenger
(peace be upon him) are pleased with such people. Someone asked the beloved
Prophet (peace be upon him), “Who is the most beloved person and what is the
most beloved deed to Allah?” He answered, “The most beloved to Allah is the one
who benefits people the most. The most beloved action to Allah is making
another believer happy.” [Mu’jam Awsat, 4/293, Hadith 6026]
The sins of
those who spread happiness are forgiven. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“The actions which guarantee your forgiveness
are: instilling happiness into the heart of your fellow believer; feeding him
to his heart’s content; and removing his difficulties.”[Jamu’l Jawami’, 3/150,
Hadith 7936]
Those who
spread happiness are protected from the horrors of the grave. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said, “Whoever brings happiness to the heart of a believer,
Allah creates an angel who continues to worship Allah. When he enters the
grave, that angel comes and says, ‘Do you not recognise me?’ The individual
asks, ‘Who are you?’ The angel replies, ‘I am the happiness that you instilled
in so-and-so’s heart. I will grant you ease from the horrors of the grave; I
will help you answer the questions of the grave; I will intercede for you in
the court of Allah, and I will show you your residence in Paradise.’”[Al-Targhib
wat Tarhib, 3/266, Hadith 23]
Those who
spread happiness will enter the Abode of Joy (Dar al-Farḥ). The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said,
“Verily,
in Paradise, there is a house called the Abode of Joy. Only those who make
children happy will enter it.”[Jami’ Sagheer, p.140, Hadith 2321]
How To
Spread Happiness?
There are
several activities that do not necessitate exorbitant financial investment or
bodily injury. Instead, they merely require a little attention, and you will
quickly accumulate a large number of nice deeds. Following are some examples:
Giving
someone who is thirsty water does not appear to be a big deal. However, this
makes one pleased, and the good news of forgiveness will be announced to the
person who does so.
It costs
you nothing to give someone useful advice based on your experiences. However,
it has the potential to improve someone's life.
Recognizing
and praising the accomplishments of your colleagues, pupils, children, or
anybody else you are responsible for will inspire them to work even harder than
before, and they will respect you in return.
When you
meet someone, you smile and ask about him. Giving him time and considering him
significant will make him very happy. He'll never forget what you did for him.
Defending
the vulnerable and oppressed is also a means of spreading happiness among them.
We are forbidden by Allah Almighty to oppress anyone. This tramples on justice.
He has commanded that we live by and deal in justice. Otherwise, there will be
corruption. As a result, we must be completely honest with one another. There's
no way to get away from this. Those that oppress others will suffer the
consequences.
The Prophet
(peace be on him) said:
“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed.
There is no veil between it and Allah.” (Bukhari)
Even if the
persecuted individual is an unbeliever or a sinner, his or her du'a is always
answered. Everyone, regardless of religion, has the right to receive justice
from others. In another hadith, Allah Almighty promises to reply to afflicted people's
supplications:
“By My Might, and Majesty, I will respond even
if it takes some time.” (Tirmidhi)
These
instances demonstrate that we can bring happiness to people with little work
and earn the divine reward in a short amount of time. When it matters most, on
the Day of Reckoning, the actual significance of these modest acts of
compassion will be revealed. We have life, health, and free time now to fill
our annals of deeds, lest we be disappointed on that Day. May Allah Almighty
turn us into a source of joy for others!
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Kaniz
Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/islamic-teaching-happiness-divine/d/127031