The Meaning And Experience Of Happiness In Islam An Overview

Abstract

For decades, man have struggled to define the ethics and the truth about the concept of mankind. In doing this, they have come up with various arguments and views, some of which are applicable and some are noticeably vague and full of irrationality. The discussion of the concept of mankind becomes crucial when it comes to the question of happiness. Indeed, many philosophers have tried to identify happiness based on their own thoughts and perspectives. Needless to say, some of the ideas seem rigid and inexplicable despite many efforts to clarify it. The question of happiness has long been discussed by Islam. The discourse on it is located invariably the Qur’an, Hadīth and the commentaries of ulamā’ . In the context of this paper, the discussion will be based on how Islam explicitly evaluates the meaning and experience of happiness from the ethical perspectives. Two main sources will be employed in order to discuss this topic, namely the thoughts and arguments of al-Ghazālī and al-Attas. In addition, various Western perspectives will also be studied vis-à-vis the subject matter. It is hoped that the paper will provide sufficient discussion about the concept of happiness and its characteristics as well as being useful to contemporary scholars in developing further the discipline of Moral Philosophy besides being a minor contribution to the scholars the world over in understanding the concept of happiness.

Keywords: Happinesspleasureethicssoulcharacter

Introduction

From Islamic perspective, happiness is expressed by the term sa‘ādah . The term contrary to sa‘ādah is shaqāwah , which generally conveys the meaning of great misfortune and misery. The term sa‘ādah is related to two dimensions of existence: the hereafter (ukhrawiyah) and the present world (dunyawiyah).

The term sa‘ādah has a close relation to both the hereafter and the present world. In the case of the hereafter, sa‘ādah indicates a meaning of an ultimate form of happiness, which is everlasting contentment and bliss, the highest vision of God, promised to those, who in the worldly life, have submitted themselves sincerely to serve God by obeying His commands, and avoiding His prohibitions. In other words, they observe the tenets of Islamic teachings.

The present world, on the other hand, is related to three things: (1) to the self (nafsiyyah), such as conduct pertaining to knowledge and good character, (2). to the body (badaniyyah) , such as good health and security, and (3) to things external to the self and the body (khārijiyyah) , such as wealth and other attributes. Based on the explanation above, it is clear that happiness affects not only our secular and regular life; in fact, it cannot be separated from the spiritual aspects of our existence as interpreted and guided by religion. This spiritual existence is derived from the revelation according to al-Attas (1995, p.91-92).

According to Al-Attas (1998, Semester III 97/98) it is necessary to identify shāqawah first in order to get a clear understanding of the sa‘ādah in Islam. Shaqāwah conveys a general meaning of ‘great misfortune’, ‘distress’, ‘misery’, ‘disquietude’, ‘despair’, ‘the adversity’, ‘straitened of circumstances’ and ‘suffering’. It is from the shaqāwah , its constituent elements such as khawf (fear of the unknown), huzn (grief, sorrow, sadness, roughness of soul), dhank (narrowness, straitened), hasrat (profound grief and regret for something gone and never to be experienced again) and similar emotions were derived from.

In the application of the Quran, the meaning of shaqāwah in its various conjugated forms such as shaqā, yashqā, tashqā, shaqiyy and shiqwah also relate partly to the hereafter, partly to this world and some even to both. All of them according to al-Attas (1995, p.102-103) undoubtedly refer to those who turn away from God and reject His guidance. In short, it is clear to us that shaqāwah brings misery to human’s life. This sense of ‘despair’ can happen to anybody who keeps disregard the commands of God and always behaving in a manner that God has prohibited.

On the contrary, al-Attas (1995) opines the sa‘ādah implies that if a man with his self-consciousness truly submit himself to God by following His guidance and commands, he will then be granted with boundless happiness. This can be achieved through virtuous sense of imān or faith that will lead him to ultimate happiness starting from the very present world that he lives in and continue in the hereafter.

Problem Statement

Greek and Western philosophers however comprehend differently the concept of happiness. Thus, in order to explore further the concept of happiness, it is noteworthy to discuss some of the Western perspectives on this concept. It is worth to start with the views of some of the Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Arius and Epicurus. According to Annas (1993, p. 43-44) Aristotle defines happiness (eudaimonia) as living well and doing well and seeking eudaimonia is the final end. As for Arius, he defines happiness as the best things in one’s life or the greatest of one’s goods or the most important. Annas (1993, p.43-44) then gives his reformulation of Aristotle’s ethics. He opines that since the final good is not the fulfilment of bodily and external goods, but living according to virtue, therefore happiness is an activity (energeia) in accordance with virtue in actions that are preferred, as one would wish them. Bodily and external goods are called productive of happiness by contributing towards it when present; but those who think that they fulfil (sumplēroun) happiness, do not know that happiness is life and life is the fulfilment of (sumpeplērōtai) action. No bodily or external goods is in itself an action or in general an activity (Shaw, 1996).

For Epicurus, happiness is the pleasant life which can be achieved by avoiding distress and desires for things beyond one’s basic needs. Bodily pleasure and mental delight and peace are the possessions to be sought in life (MacKinnon, 1995). Annas (1993) proposes that at a man’s final end, happiness is in fact a pleasure. Since this pleasure is the primary aim and is innate to us-for that reason, we do not choose every pleasure, but sometimes we pass over many pleasures, when greater annoyance follows for us from them and we judge many pains superior to pleasures, when greater pleasure follows along for us when we endure the pains for a long time. Every pleasure, therefore, because of having nature, which is familiar to us (oikeian) is a good, but not every pain is always natural to be avoided. However, one should judge all these matters by measuring together (summetrēsei) and looking at the advantages and disadvantages, for we make use of the good on some occasions as a bad thing, and the bad, conversely, as a good.

Having examined the Greek philosophers, it is equally important for us to examine how some western scholars evaluate and reformulate the concept of happiness, which they learned from ancient Greeks. According to Brad Art, happiness indicates the meaning of intended pleasure and the absence of pain. Pleasure is the only desirable end in itself (Art, 1993). Another conception of happiness is: “Happiness is the best thing in life, the greatest of our goods. It is different from the other goods we aim at; it is not another end, but the way we actively pursue those other ends, and so can be referred to as the use we make of those ends. Since happiness is our own activity it is something we do and so it is up to us” (Annas, 1993, p. 329).

Research Questions

The above definitions of happiness are taken from the Greek as well as the Westerner philosophers. Indeed, they have their own views of happiness. However, they seem to restrict the concept of happiness to the present life only. They, in fact fearful to discuss the existence of happiness after death because most of them do not believe in life after death. This, from the point of view of Islam, is the most flawed argument of the western scholars regarding the concept of happiness.

Their avoidance to discuss the concept of happiness in the context of the afterlife does not resolve the doubt and uncertainty that plagues the concept. This could be the contributing factor why westerners are still confined in their understanding of the concept of ethics. Observing it from an Islamic viewpoint about ethics, they appeared to be ‘lost’ and this sense of ‘lost’ is one of the factors continues to refrain them from exploring the concept of happiness in its full capacity. Al-Attas (1998, Semester III 97/98) makes an observation regarding their ‘fear’ of discussing the concept of ‘happiness’ after death. He opines that this is especially so in the case of modern Western philosophy which does not know whether there is such a thing (death), and whether we are going to be responsible for it. You cannot run away from it-the ancient Greeks tried to run away from it by pretending that there is nothing after you die, you are just finished, you are non-existent, but then that also did not bring peace and happiness. It creates doubts, it creates uncertainty, and therefore it does not solve the problem…..The philosophers do not want to talk about these problems. Death - very little is known about it. Only now they are trying to probe death and trying to make people accept it as natural, but they do not want to treat that... The fear in those who reject God’s guidance is something they cannot get rid of. It is always nagging even if they pretend to believe that there is no such thing. Even if they succeed in pretending, they cannot escape the fact that the idea of happiness, as far as Islam is concerned, is not just in this world, it continues, and therefore you can have false happiness in this world.

Purpose of the Study

Research Methods

From the above explanation, it is now clear to us how happiness can be attained in our life. Indeed, Islam is a genuine religion from God that provides not only a distinct concept of happiness; it also provides a path to attain it. Another important argument which needs to be considered is all these means have a strong correlation with human act and behaviour. Therefore, if one is truly a Muslim, he will have no problem in gaining happiness in his life because most all of these qualities can be witnessed in his actions and attitudes. He will lead an easy life in accordance to God’s commands and obeying His guidance. God will bless his life and he will be granted with the no end of pleasure and happiness, in the form of the love of God.

In comparison to this, the western method in calculating and measuring happiness in their lives can be explained through the Pleasure Minus Pain method:

Act A produces 12 units of happiness and 6 of unhappiness

(12-6 = 6 units of happiness)

Act B produces 10 units of happiness and 1 of unhappiness

(10-1 = 9 units of happiness)

According to them, Act B is preferable because it produces a greater net amount of happiness compared to six units of happiness for Act A. There are also other measurements invented by western scholars in calculating the happiness; for example, the intensity, the duration and the fruitfulness (MacKinnon, 1995). Although this calculation seems logical, it is still insufficient in preparing a man to gain happiness in his life. In short, they are baffled by their own conception of happiness. They comprehend happiness only in a limited capacity. They know the way to achieve it, but unfortunately, they are mislead by their arguments and philosophies.

Findings

Conclusion

The paper has discussed briefly but comprehensively the meaning and experience of happiness. From the discussion, the conclusion that could be derived is that that there is no end in happiness. In fact, one can obtain happiness for the rest of his life, both in temporal and secular life as well as in the hereafter. In fact, in the hereafter, he will be granted with the Vision of God, the finest end of happiness. Concerning the means to happiness, it is clear that Islam provides such an exclusive path for man to attain happiness in his life. This path covers man’s outward and inward behaviour. It also contributes such as tremendous influence in man’s life. These means, if exercise scrupulously, will enhance man’s attitude and action to a better merit. In short, he will find himself honored by layman and blessed by God. Concerning the knowledge and action, which are the primary means to happiness, there is no doubt that these elements will lead those who exercise it to the love of God. Furthermore, he will be granted with the Vision of God in the hereafter. Those who practice these elements could be regarded as a good Muslim. This is because they really perform what God and His messenger have ordered them in the Qur’ān and Hadīth.

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