Islam and Human Happiness

If we examine all the orders and laws of Islam, we find that every single law or order aims at and ends with the happiness of the individual. This applies to Islamic regulations with regard to worship, economics, penal laws, and all life aspects.


The Belief in Allah and Psychological Security

When a person believes in Allah, this belief gives him a strong feeling of security, which is a basic psychological need. This belief in Allah gives the believer a strong support in critical moments and gives him continuous hope against all sources of despair. This belief gives strength to the sick and hope to the hopeless.

The Belief in Allah and Ethical Responsibility

A person who believes in Allah tends to be more ethically responsible than a person who does not believe. This belief makes a person feel that he is observed by Allah everywhere and on all occasions. This feeling makes a person as clean as possible and as far from sin as possible.

The Belief in Life after Death and Continuity Feeling

A Muslim believes in life after death. This belief gives the person a feeling of continuity. To a Muslim, death is not the end of life. Death is a transition from the first life to the second life. A Muslim is not horrified by death because he knows that death is a change into another life.

The Day of Judgement and God's Justice

A Muslim believes in the Day of Judgment, a day when every person is rewarded or punished for his deeds in this life. This belief gives the person a feeling of satisfaction with the justice of Allah. Allah is fair; everybody is responsible for his actions. This responsibility makes everybody watch himself and his own deeds.

God-Man Connection

A Muslim prays five times a day. This prayer is a connection between the believer and Allah. Without this continual daily prayer, the man-God connection becomes weak. The stronger man-God connection is, the more obedient to Allah man becomes.

Self-Control

A Muslim should fast a month every year. This fasting trains the man's will and frees him from being enslaved by his own habits. Fasting also makes man more sympathetic with others suffering poverty or deprivation.

Belongingness

A Muslim is urged to perform prayers with other men in groups. Friday-noon prayer must be a collective prayer. Pilgrimage is a collective practice. These practices help man to grow socially and to feel that he belongs. The feeling of belongingness is one of the basic psychological needs of man.

Away from Tension

Islam regulates the relation of the two sexes and discourages any unnecessary intermingling of the two sexes. This helps both sexes to be away from any source of sexual temptation or tension.

Away from Sin

Islam instructs men and women what parts of the body they should cover. The woman should cover all her body except the hands and the face. The purpose is to protect both the man and the woman from sin and tension. Medicine has proved that neurological tension ends up with many diseases in the heart and the digestive system.

No Alcoholic Drinks

Islam prevents the drinking of alcoholic drinks in order to protect the human body from their damaging effect. Such drinks also damage the functions of the mind and the nervous system.

Preventing Crimes

Islam legislates the killing of the murderer because this is the most effective way to protect society from more murders by the same murderer or new murderers. Islam legislates severe punishments for robbers and thieves because this is the best way to stop such crimes.

Protecting Family

Islam prohibits adultery and legislates a severe punishment for adulterers and adulteresses to protect marriage as a sacred institution, to protect the family as the best social cell for human life, and to protect children from homelessness. Islam punishes a false accuser of adultery, because no liar has the right to spoil others' lives.

No Interest in Economy

Islam prohibits interest because individuals in the same society should be partners. In the interest-banking system, the depositor requires a certain interest on his deposited money whether the bank profits or loses. The interest system is a big blow to social solidarity. In Islam, interest is not allowed. The alternative in Islam is partnership, where all partners share profit or loss in proportion to their shares. This sharing system of Islam is fairer and often more profitable to more partners.

Ready Solutions

Islam gives man solutions to his major problems. These solutions shorten the way for man and give him the help and the guidance that he needs. Without these solutions, man is unable to reach a decision on many issues. If we look around, we find that many countries have several political parties that adopt contradictory policies and give contradictory answers to the questions of economics, politics, and law.

This shows us that man alone is not capable of solving his own basic problems. If we examine Western civilization, we find that people there disagree on everything: the existence of Allah, the role of religion, divorce, marriage, racial discrimination, crime, and punishment.

Constant Ethical Values

Islam gives man a constant system of ethical values. Islam makes it clear to believers that certain acts are good and certain acts are bad and that certain acts are allowed and certain acts are prohibited. Islam gives man a clear reference to refer to in all aspects of life. With this reference, man's chances to make mistakes are minimized.

The Just Ruler

Islam orders the ruler to base his rule on justice and consultation Islam orders subjects to obey the ruler as long as he obeys Allah. Islam gives the ruler fair rights and fair duties and gives subjects fair rights and fair duties as well.

Basic Needs

In Islam, the ruler must secure the basic needs to everybody under his rule regardless of religion or race. The individual is entitled to the rights of housing, eating, clothing, learning, and medical care.

Equality of All

Socially and ethically, Islam emphasizes the equality of all persons before law and the equality of all humans in origin since all humans belong to the same father, Adam. Islam emphasizes fraternity and mercy as two major qualities of good believers.

Every single verse in the Quran and every single tradition of the prophet Muhammad {peace be upon him}, aim at the happiness of the individual. Let us pray that Allah guide us all to His right way. Let us submit to Allah. Let us believe in all His prophets and all His apostles. Let us believe in all Revealed Books and the final Revealed Book, i.e., The Holy Quran