In summer, air conditions, in winter heaters. For transportation: cars, planes, etc. For communication: telephone, mobile, internet, etc. In summary today, today, man can satisfy his physical needs to a satisfactory level. But what about the meta-physical needs? Is man happy today? Were these advancements guranteed happiness for mankind? Did these means, increase or decrease anxiety, tension, depression, suicide, etc.? Statistics on the ground show that, these meta-physical needs are inversely proportion with science and technological advanements. It is so, because the people in whose hand is the science and technology are poor in their submission to the true God. These people are rich in physical knowledge, but poor in worshipping and adherence to the ture religion.

This article lists a number of causes that results in the peace of mind. These causes when followed and applied guarantee a happy course of life. The person, men or women, who follow these causes is guaranteed to lead a joyful life iwhtou anxiety, depression or tension. This person will never think to commit suicide. He does not hesitate to claim he is a happy person. This man might not be ?materialistically? rich, but surely he is spritually and meta-physically happy and rich.

Tawheed [Islamic monotheism creed]: That is to have faith in Allah alone. To place all submission to Him. To fear Him, love Him, etc. These heart actions are but reflections of this person’s firm knowledge about Allah, His attributes and qualities. The peace of mind is directly proportion to the magnitude of tawheed in the heart. More tawheed results in more peace and widening of the breast. This person starts to walk in a special (meta-physical) light from Allah.

أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَهُوَ عَلَى نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ

Is he whose breast Allâh has opened to Islâm, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allâh! They are in plain error! [az Zumar (39):22]

And Allah says:

فَمَن يُرِدِ اللّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلاَمِ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاء كَذَلِكَ يَجْعَلُ اللّهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

And whomsoever Allâh wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islâm; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allâh puts the wrath on those who believe not.[al-Anam (6):125]

Thus the guidance and light of tawheed is the greatest cause of openness of heart, and association of deity with Allah (i.e., Shirk) is the greatest cause of constriction and closeness of one’s heart.

A light that Allah throws in the heart of His slaves, which the light of faith (emaan), which opens the heart and widens it and brings joy and happiness to it. Whenever this light is absent, the heart feels like fish out of water, and like a person in prison.

The Prophet –peace be upon him-said: “If the light goes inside the heart, it widens and becomes spacious”, the companions said: ‘What is it’s sign O Prophet?”, He said: “inclination to the abode of eternity, repulsion from the abode of deceive   (this world), and the preparation for death before it arrives” [tabari 8/27]

Knowledge: It widens the breast and makes it spacious, till it becomes more spacious that the whole world. Ignorance, on the other hand, makes it narrow, constrained and imprisoned. The more a man is knowledgeable, the wider his heart becomes. However, this is not true for all kind of knowledge, rather it is only for the knowledge that came from Prophets, which only proves to be the beneficial knowledge.

Return to Allah: Loving Him from the deepest of the heart. Enjoying worshipping Him. Nothing widens the heart as this mean. Some of those who felt the sweetness of worshipping Allah said: “if I am in paradise in a similar pleasure, then I am really in a pleasure”. Love of Allah has an amazing effect in the peace of mind, happiness of the soul, and pleasure of the heart. Only a loving slaves of Allah knows the nature of this pleasure. The more a person loves Allah, the greater pleasure and anxiety-less life he enjoys. This man feels depressed only when seeing the sinners who are furthest from the love of Allah.

on the contrary the greates cause of grievance and narrowness of heart is turning away from Allah, and instead, turning the heat towards something other than Allah. When someone loves other than Allah, he is punished by that thing, and he becomes a prisoner of that new diety. You will find that poor slave of other-than-Allah in anxiety, tension and depression. Thus, it is only two kinds of loves and affection: a love that is this world’s paradise, and a Love that is a punishment for the heart. Former is the love of Allah, and later is the love and worshipping any entity other than Allah.

Remembrance of Allah: continuous rememberance of Allah causes pleasure and rest and relax to the heart. Allah says:L

الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allâh: Verily, in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find rest. [ar-Ra’ad (13):28]

Kindness to Allah’s creation: with money, influence, physical and monetary support. The generous and helpful person is the widest in heart and he feels pleasure of his generosity. The miser, who does no or little good to fellow mankind, are in constrain and are un-happy. The Prophet gave the analogy of a charitable man and a miser with tow men entrapped in iron cast. When the generous attempts to give charity, the iron cast starts of widen and release. The miser gets more constrained in the cast when attempting to give charity. (Bukhai 3/24, Muslim 1021).

Courage: for the courageous is wide hearted, and the coward is constricted in heart and mind and stays in anxiety. The coward is miser, who loves his body too much, as the miser loves money too much. Thus, love of soul and money distracts his from love of Allah, and this results in depression and anxiety.

Free the heart from bad qualities: For bad qualities causes unhappiness and anxiety.

Avoid Excessiveness in 5 habits: Avoid excessive vision (looking into prohibited items) , talking (too much), listening (to prohibited materials, and gossips), too much mixing (with friends in un constructive manner), eating & sleeping too much.  Excessiveness in these habits results in mental pain and anxiety, and will cause the sickness of heart.

Conclusion

The happiest person ever out Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him- fulfilled all the qualities mentioned so far. This is why he was the most wide-hearted man ever walked on the ground. Those who follow his path will get happiness proportion to the magnitude of his adherence to the path of the Prophet.

Allah says:

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ  وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ  الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ  وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ  فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا  إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا  فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ  وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ

Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)). And removed from you your burden. Which weighed down your back? And have We raised high your fame? Verily, along with every hardship is relief, Verily, along with every hardship is relief (i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one hardship cannot overcome two reliefs). So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allâh's worship. And to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your) intentions and hopes.

Source: Adapted from Ibnul Qayyem, Zad Al-Ma'd (2/23) 

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