According to a song in Disney’s 1991 film Beauty and the Beast, “life is so unnerving for a servant who’s not serving.”

When I heard this, my reaction was: “What a cute way to recap the whole truth about life – and happiness. How right it is that elements of the truth can be found anywhere and anytime, often when least expected.”

It all boils down not to what we actually want, but who actually we are. Our being and status dictate our needs and aspirations. It is not the other way round.

What is Happiness?

We have been created with an exalted purpose and for a noble mission. And we have been honored by Almighty Allah who made us His vicegerents on earth.

We are expected to perform at all times accordingly and to achieve things along the lines of our standing and reputation. This leads to self-realization, which is the fulfilment of the potentials latent in one’s character or personality.

That inevitably leads to a state of satisfaction and contentment. It provides a deep sense of meaning and gratification. And it makes one feel that his most important needs in life are fulfilled. It makes him feel that his life is just what it should be, and that he lives it exactly as life should be lived. It makes him “him”.

This furthermore creates a state of a total wellbeing, which is synonymous with a good, productive and enjoyable life.

And that is happiness, connoting being truly happy and living a happy life.

In other words, happiness is when man and life, both as Allah’s creations, find each other and coexist in a harmonious and reciprocal relationship.

Read Also: 6 Avenues of Happiness

Happiness is when one’s being, purpose, thoughts, plans and actions are all consistent, unwavering and in harmony. Happiness is when one is completely in the know and acts – when one knows himself, his life and the Creator.

Similarly, happiness is as much an objective as it is a means. It is as much personal as mutual an experience. It’s primarily spiritual in nature, but its power and intensity extend into the intellectual and even physical dimensions of man as well. It encompasses his entire existence.

Thus, it is rightly said that success is not the key to happiness. Rather, it is happiness that is the key to ultimate success.

It goes without saying, therefore, that happiness is a state of the soul, and to a lesser extent, of the mind. It is identifiable with the truth.

Read the full article here.