50 Candles To Light Your Path (P/B)

Translated by Abu Rumaysah “Know O beloved reader that it is most important to spend one’s time and energy in treating the heart, and hastening to correct and purify it from sickness and all sins. This is due to the heart occupying a great and lofty position in Islaam, for it is the place to which the Lord looks and the storehouse for tawheed, faith, and sincerity. Actions are distinguished, one from the other, with respect to their excellence in the Sight of Allah in accordance with the condition of the heart, not by their number or form, but rather due to the strength of the caller, his or her truthfulness, his or her sincerity and the extent to which he or she prefers Allah over himself or herself … Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee, may Allah have mercy upon him and provide us with his knowledge, said: “The heart has been singled out for this because it is the leader of the body, and through the purification of the leader the subjects become purified, and with his corruption they become corrupted. So if you, O servant of Allah, with to cure your heart then it is upon you to be truthful with regards to seeking refuge with Allah and putting your trust in Him, to pray a great deal of superogatory prayers, to perform the actions of obedience to Allah frequently, to pray the night prayer while the people are sleeping, and to treat your heart by making it continuously stick to the remembrances and by befriending only the righteous … and to frequently recite the Qur’an. And Allah will indeed allow all of this to be preserved by him.”

Everyone chases after happiness, yet few fully recognize what it is or whence it comes from. Happiness isn’t a destination but a journey needing certain inner qualities and a right state of mind to experience and reap. It’s neither sold as a commodity nor can be bought, except through carefully crafting one’s character and following a plan of action.

For indeed, those who don’t plan will fail to realize desired results. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Those among us (destined to be) from people of happiness [in the Hereafter] will (find it easy to) enact deeds of people of happiness…” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, #4948].

In other words, by choosing a path reflecting attitudes of happy people one will recognize its reality and the ease and pleasantry in having good deeds done that are in themselves, characteristics of happy people. It requires contemplation of an alternate world view to one that compounds first world problems, for example.

Shaykh Nasir Al-Sa’di mentions in this short summary, eight ways to achieving the goal of bringing about happiness while driving away its opposites – sadness, grief, and anxiety. Reaching it is contingent on three main causes he identifies to leading a goodly life.

These succinct pointers are easy to understand and you’ll be able to identify the impediments you need to rework and hence live your life with happiness. This will transform you into being the best Muslim you can in today’s complex world, and will also inspire you to train your inner self.

Whoever follows these eight steps will find self-awareness and a pathway to joy and success in this life and the next, Insha’Allah.