In the Pursuit of Happiness…

Everyone is in search of happiness…

Where to find happiness?
To find peace turn to your Lord, for He is the Source of peace,
To find happiness, orientate yourself to your purpose.
Happiness is the solace that is derived from being in harmony with the truth.
Search for it within, deep within, there you will find it.
Be content with knowing Allah and you will be the richest of people.
Have inner conviction and determination, and in time you’ll learn to read the cosmos,
Written in the ink of His Name, expressing His Oneness, Uniqueness and Beauty.

Contemplate…
Contemplate on the external world (vast universe),
Contemplate on the world within you (the human universe).
Contemplate on everything, for He manifests alike to the small and the big.
Go in search to find Him, look for Him for He can certainly be found.
Find Him, and you would have found the greatest treasure.

Have faith, for faith, is a gift from Allah…
Moor your faith with constant mention of Him.
Remembrance of Allah is life itself.
Give your heart the space to breathe.
Fill not your heart with images of created beings.
Fill not your heart with worries and fears.
Free yourself from guilt and what if’s.
Be kind to yourself, just let it go.
Dwell not on the past.
Yesterday is gone forever and will never return.
Worry not over the future.
Tomorrow is still in the unseen realm and for you, it may never arrive.
Today, is your day, seize this moment, it is all that you have.

This world is like a honeycomb…
Extract the honey and enjoy the bounties of your Lord.
But do not break the hive.
Be like the bee…
Appreciate the beauty of this world.
Strive in your work, and work as a community.
Be gentle in your approach.
Be respectful and kind to women and children.
Unlike the spider, enough for you is your home.

Learn to live in the world
Aspire not for quick successes and fame, for what is built on sand is likely to be washed away into the sea of obscurity.
Lament not over trivialities, for the entire world is trivial.
Despair not, the weather changes, perhaps it’s pouring in the morning
But by afternoon the clouds recede and the sun bathes the landscape in light.
The days of this world rotate in bringing light and darkness.
This is how the world is

Despair not nor lose hope…
Depression weakens the body and soul.
Fall not into sadness, life is too valuable to shorten it with pain.
Be not sad because you believe in Allah.
Know that if you are going through a tough time,
It’s only because Allah wants to raise your status higher.
He doesn’t burden any soul beyond what he can bear.
So don’t burden yourself in trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Whatever trial afflicts you, thank God, for it could have been worse.
Mourn not when encountering losses,
Nothing was yours in the first place.
If you lose a limb, you still have another.
Lower you gaze and find consolation in remembering the afflicted.
Sometimes, tough situations arise to drive you from creation to seek shelter with Allah.
Take comfort that Allah rewards you for your effort and intention and not the outcome.
Victory comes from Allah. And Allah alone!
Success lies in striving and patience.
With hardship always comes ease.

Living with people…
Anguish not over how people are or are not,
Rather be the positive change you want to see in the world.
Astonish not over the large number of bad people,
But look to the righteous. Be with the few…
Grieve not when you’re shown overt enmity.
Envy and enmity will exist as long as the devil exists.
Work to extinguish your fire of enmity before it burns you.
People always talk, pay no heed to rumours and speculations.
Most rumours and speculations are baseless.

Smile, you are blessed with much…
Your life is overflowing with countless and priceless moments.
Take advantage of health and free time.
And write down your own eternal history.
Persistently, seek forgiveness from the Oft-Forgiving.
A Lord who wrongs you not in the slightest.
Remind yourself of Allah and His beloved Messenger,
Remind yourself of an appointed meeting;
In paradise, sitting on cushions of light.
A home in paradise – prepared and waiting.
Unimaginable bliss, no less than the heavens and the earth.

In the closing moments…
Contemplate over your life and your eventual death.
Fasten yourself to Allah by the chain of obedience and gratitude.
If you can hold fast until the last moment of your life,
Then for the first time for eternity.
You will experience total success and freedom,
And taste complete and pure happiness.

Abu Ibrahim Shama

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