The great sufi saint
of the tabi'in era, just one or two generations after Prophet Muhammad [ pbuh] and the sahabi period, Hasan Al
Basri concluded rather abruptly that tranquility, happiness and
contentment in this life and the
afterlife rest on three things :
1. Recitation of the
Quran
2. Solat
3. Zikrullah
Must have sound rather too simplistic to most of us present day Muslims, mildly, partially or totally 'disconnected' from the Din or otherwise.. He was of course addressing
Muslims of his century, the 8th or 7th century or so, where doing
all the basic 5 pillars of Islam were a matter of routine. 'Nominal Muslims'
were non existent and if they exist, regarded as kuffar or worse,
bottom of the heap 'Munafikun'.
This is the 21st
century. Nominal Muslims and the so called 'Munafik' rule and dominate
the Muslim hinterland interfacing with the Western world. Values have changed.
Human rights. Animal rights. Green right. All rights except God's right...The
world has become godless. Political correctness is the order of the day. This is the 'period' when wrongs become right and rights become inordinately wrong.
Even when people of religion discuss 'happiness' with the rest of the world, it has to be 'laced' and sugar coated with 'honey' and the right PC. Otherwise the United Nations and the whole might of the Security Council will come 'homing' on them in due course !
[ see ' On tranquility, happiness and contentment : An Emory University discourse with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Prof Hoessien Nasr, His Honourable, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sack and Rev Schorri ....http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-tranquility-happiness-and.html ]
Even when people of religion discuss 'happiness' with the rest of the world, it has to be 'laced' and sugar coated with 'honey' and the right PC. Otherwise the United Nations and the whole might of the Security Council will come 'homing' on them in due course !
[ see ' On tranquility, happiness and contentment : An Emory University discourse with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Prof Hoessien Nasr, His Honourable, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sack and Rev Schorri ....http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-tranquility-happiness-and.html ]
I have practically
gone 'around the world' studying and researching on the nature of happiness.
Have read Holiness Dalai Lama's book on 'Happiness' and found him quite hollow.
Listened to gurus and self proclaimed expert on lifestlye . All lacking
substance and direction, most totally lost.
Listened to hundreds
of lectures on 'tranquility and contentment', listened to various professors
and philosophers. All seemed only to concentrate on the now and here. Those who
believe in a tomorrow beyond today, got themselves lost in the central issue of
God and minor gods !
Certainly happiness
and tranquility has nothing to do with your position in life or how much money
you have in the bank.
One can be the
president of USA
One can have a
Bentley Turbo and a fleet of Mercs and Porches in the garage and a trophy wife
waiting in bed. But happiness may still be elusive. In fact these symbols
of success could guarantee one a real big headache if one lack the
knowledge and the wisdom to handle them. We would be wise to be reminded
by what Prophet Mosses [ pbuh ], had to say about the age of affluence to the Israelites following the end of years of hardship after the exodus from Egypt :
"Affluence is the preamble of heedlessness, disbelieve and misplaced pride".
"Affluence is the preamble of heedlessness, disbelieve and misplaced pride".
At the personal level
I have 'experimented' myself with zikr, in the depth of the ocean bed, zikr
hours and hours in endurance riding on the back of a galloping horse over
hills and dales. I have even wokened up in the wee hours of the morning to experience
the bliss of solitude and prayer. Had read volumes of tafseer and
books.....these 'experiments', all to no avail, if the heart is not there.
Happiness is not on
the hills or dales or in books or volumes of quran......it is just there
in one's heart to be rediscovered !
At the end of the
day, I have to conclude, on matters of the heart, and indeed tranquility,
contentment and happiness are things of the heart, we have to give it ,to the
sufis who practice 'experiential Islam'. that indeed the sufi saint, Hassan Al
Basri, had got it right.
For all the
professors , philosophers and people who are expert at weaving words and
phrases in this world, from our perspective as Muslims at least, the 'keys to
the garden' remained only in three magic words:
Recite the Quran [
Iqra ], Solat, Zikr.
It is for all of us
to just discover them on our very own individual life journey !
Mekkah and Medinah
geographically are situated in Saudi Arabia, but for those who have arrive,
these two venerated places of worship should be in one's heart !
on recitation of the
Quran:
[Yususf Estes]
[Mufti Menk of
Zimbabawe]
on solat:
[Mukhtar Al
Magraoui]
on zikr :
[Yasir Qadhi]
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