Wednesday, May 09, 2007

In Arabic (Qur’anic and Hadits) there are at least four words that have some thing to do with happiness. They are sa’adah (happy), falah (lucky), najat (secure) and najah (succeed). Saadah (happy) implies a gift from God after experiencing various difficulties, while falah is finding a thing that has been looked for (idrak al bughyah). There are two kinds of falah, worldly falah and otherworldly falah. Worldly falah is having happiness which makes living in this world comfortable, which are finding (a) (limited) eternality; long life, permanent health, always-fulfilled necessities, and so on, (b) wealth; possessing things more than what are needed, and (c) social honor. Meanwhile, otherworldly falah consists of (a) unlimited eternality, (b) wealth without requiring anything any longer, (c) honor without any humiliation, and (d) knowledge so that there is no anything that we don’t know.


Najat is happiness felt when one is free from a frightening threat, for example the feeling had by one when a judge pronounces him to be freed from a criminal sentence, when the president grants him a pardon, or when knowing one’s family had survived a tsunami. Meanwhile, najah, is happiness felt by one since things desired are obtained whereas one possibly had been pessimistic about obtaining them. For example, a poor family is najah (succeed) when all of its sons and daughter at last become bachelors

Gladness has a horizontal nature, while happiness may have horizontal and vertical natures. We will probably able to explain our gladness, but we will find it more difficult to explain our happiness. Tears of happiness may replace words that are unable to express happiness. Prof. Fuad Hasan in his book Pengalaman Naik Haji (Hajj Experience) admits that he can’t explain why he was crying in front of Ka’bah when he did hajj, since the happiness he felt was vertical, a form of gift not achievement.

A lot of spouses have their tears down their faces when saying marriage contract, and so do their parents, and they all can’t explain their happiness.
Happiness has something to do with difficulties experienced. The true happiness in a household living isn’t exist when a marriage contract is said, not in honeymoon, but when the pair prove that they have been able to sail across the ocean of life to reach the beach of destination and in their destination they see their children and grandchildren become successful and honorable persons.

A man will be very suffering if in his old age he sees his children and grand children suffering and humiliated, although previously his ship of household’s journey has been full of success stories. Happiness usually comes after successful people overcoming continuous difficulties, but not all difficulties will bring us to the true happiness.

According to a hadith of Prophet Muhammad, there are four pillars of happiness in a household living: (1) loyal wife/husband, (2) dedicated children, (3) healthy social environment, and (4) livelihood that is at hand (easy to obtain). Loyalty of one’s wife/husband makes one calm and proud, dedicated children make them one’s sweethearts, a good social environment eliminates one’s anxiety, and livelihood which is easy to obtain stimulates one’s optimism, idealism, and imagination.