What do we often do when idling?

We look at our social media feeds, right? And as we scroll, looking and reading the success and happiness in other people’s lives, how frequently do these thoughts cross our minds?

💭 “I wish I was as pretty as her.”

💭 “Their house is so beautiful. I wish my house was like that.”

💭 “Must be nice to be so rich. I wish I was as well-off as them.”

Then we turn off the screen of our phones, but those thoughts don’t get switched off as easily, do they? Sometimes they continue to follow us throughout our day, and at times, make us feel miserable, sad, and unfulfilled.

Is being prettier, wealthier, or more successful the key to happiness?

Brothers and sisters in Islam, among the foundations of achieving happiness in this dunya is to possess the characteristic of Qana'ah. Qana’ah is to accept and feel happy, pleased, and satisfied with what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us. A person of qana’ah will not have hasad (envy/jealousy) with people who are given more rizq than him. Rather, he is content with what Allah gives him, and he is also content with what Allah gives others. 

“Have you heard about so-and-so? His business is doing so well, he’s got three houses now!”

“Ma shaa Allah! May Allah bless him, and make him His grateful servant!”

How awesome would this dunya be if everyone’s thought-process immediately goes into being genuinely happy for others, and making sincere supplications for them, instead of being green with envy?

But like all good traits, qana’ah needs to be constantly practised and instilled in our character. In this article, we will look at 5 ways to attain qana’ah so that we may achieve happiness in this dunya, in shaa Allah!

🟣 1. Iman + ‘amal soleh.

Our Deen is so holistic - the first two steps to having the trait of qana’ah are actually the basics of this Deen! And that is to have iman *and* to do righteous good deeds. Iman alone won’t cut it, and doing good deeds without iman won’t either.  Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Qur’an: 

مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا مِّن ذَڪَرٍ أَوۡ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ۬ فَلَنُحۡيِيَنَّهُ ۥ حَيَوٰةً۬ طَيِّبَةً۬‌ۖ 

“Whoever (1) works righteousness whether male or female, while he is (2) a true believer, verily to him We will give {hayatan tayyibah | a good life}...” [Surah An-Nahl 16: 97]

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never breaks his Promises. Mentioned in this ayah is one of His Promises to His believing servants, who do righteous deeds that are in accordance with the Sunnah of Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (ﷺ), that in this dunya they will be given {hayatan tayyibah | a good life}. Scholars said that the meaning of {hayatan tayyibah} is actually qana’ah - the feeling of tranquillity and contentment in all aspects of life.

So to think and believe that {hayatan tayyibah} is to be rich, famous, or handsome is far from the truth. As cliché as it sounds, a lot of money may buy things, but it doesn’t guarantee one’s happiness. Rasulullah ﷺ said:

“Wealth is not about having many possessions. Rather, true wealth is the richness of the soul.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 6446]

When we have contentment within our own selves, meaning being pleased with what we have, then we’ve actually attained true wealth in this dunya. In another hadith, Abu Dharr radhi Allahu ‘anhu narrated that Rasulullah ﷺ asked him: “O Abu Dharr, do you say an abundance of possessions is wealth?” Abu Dharr said yes. Then the Prophet ﷺ asked: “Do you say a lack of possessions is poverty?” Abu Dharr said yes. Rasulullah ﷺ repeated this three times, then he said:

“Wealth is in the heart, and poverty is in the heart. Whoever is wealthy in his heart will not be harmed, no matter what happens in the world. Whoever is impoverished in his heart will not be satisfied, no matter how much he has in the world. Verily, he will only be harmed by the greed of his own soul.” [Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir 1643 | Graded Sahih by Al-Albani]

If we have qana’ah in our hearts, then whatever situation or condition we find ourselves in - whether it be a good financial standing, or a loss of wealth - we will still find contentment and feel at peace, because we’re grateful to Allah with what we still have, and we have yaqeen that He subhanahu wa ta'ala gives and withholds according to what He knows is best for us. But a person who is devoid of qana’ah will feel miserable and unsatisfied, even if Allah blesses him with an abundance of ni’mah. How many rich and successful people out there who have amazing homes and delicious food, but would still find themselves difficult to eat, or prevented from having a good night's sleep? We have crazy wealthy people but live a miserable life because they’re envious of others who are “ahead” of them.

Society makes us think that the wealthier a person is, the more successful he becomes. But look how simple Rasulullah ﷺ put it:

“Successful is the one who enters the fold of Islam, and is provided with sustenance which is sufficient for his day's needs, and Allah makes him content with what He has bestowed upon him.” [Sahih Muslim 1054]

A Muslim who is qana’ah will always live a life of patience and shukr to Allah regardless of his condition - and Rasulullah ﷺ said that this is a sign of a successful person. May Allah make us one of them!

🟣 2. Remember: Allah’s blessings.

The second way to attain qana’ah is to remember all the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us. When we think of blessings, we need to look beyond the money in our bank. What about our health, our family, a good home, a good friend, the ease of walking to the masjid to worship Allah, the tranquillity and peace in our home country, and even our sights, hearing, and smelling? These, and many more, are all blessings from Allah. 

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: “And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them…” [Surah Ibrahim 14: 34] 

The truth is, there are so many uncountable ni’mah that Allah blesses us with. As human beings, we often remember the calamities and tests that we faced, and we tend to forget all the blessings, ease, and happiness we received and experienced. Let us change that perspective, in shaa Allah, because Allah says that the more we are grateful to Him, the more He will give!

“And (remember) when your Rabb proclaimed: If you give thanks, I will give you more; but if you are thankless, verily My Punishment is indeed severe.” [Surah Ibrahim 14: 7]

🟣 3. Reflect: Dunya is temporary.

My husband bought a car a few years ago, and despite taking good care of it, it continues to deteriorate - just like everything in this dunya - our houses, our brand-new gadgets, or that favourite hijab of ours. Even the flowers that bloomed yesterday will wilt tomorrow.

Know that this world is temporary. Dunya is not our forever-home. Whatever it is that we pursue in this world will leave us, all except our righteous deeds. This is not to say that we shouldn’t work hard for our dunya in order to improve our situation, but we have to look at this short-lived life with the lens of qana’ah. Whether Allah gives us a little or a lot, be grateful for what has been given! Allah is Al-'Alim, Who knows what is good for our dunya and hereafter.

🟣 4. Remember: Your reward is Jannah.

As mentioned earlier, this dunya is not our forever-home. And that is actually something to be relieved of - because here, nothing lasts. Despite the work and great effort we put in, everything will one day fade away. 

But alhamdulillah, our real reward is in Jannah. A place where we will be granted absolutely anything, and everything. And they last forever. They are eternal. And instead of wilting away, they only become so much better!

Rasulullah ﷺ said: “Verily, there is a market in Jannah, to which the people will come every Friday. The wind will scatter fragrance on their faces and clothes and will increase their excellence and beauty. They will return to their families after having been increased in excellence and beauty, and they will say: By Allah, we have seen you increased in excellence and beauty! They will say to them: By Allah, you as well have increased in excellence and beauty!” [Sahih Muslim 2833]

Can you imagine living in Jannah forever, and ever, and everything increases only in goodness and beauty? It is absolutely mind-boggling! May Allah make us enter into the highest level of Jannah without reckoning!

🟣 5. Seek akhirah-oriented friends.

I remember a quote that says: “I've noticed whenever I'm with well-mannered and mature people, who fear Allah, then automatically my manners become greater, and I become closer to their level of iman and maturity. The way it works is amazing. Your friends will influence you in a dramatic way, whether you like it or not.”

Brothers and sisters, if we keep hanging out with friends who always talk about dunya, dunya, dunya; about branded items, luxury cars, how many shoes or bags they have, then we will eventually be affected by these discussions. We will start wanting these things, things that weren’t even on our minds in the first place, and we will begin to feel discontent and dissatisfied with what we have. 

This is why Rasulullah ﷺ said: “The similitude of a good friend and a bad friend is like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith. The perfume-seller might give you perfumes, or you might buy from him, or (at the very least) you might smell its pleasant fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might burn your clothes, or (at the very least) you will breathe (the fumes’) repugnant smell.” [Riyadh As-Saliheen 363 (Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)]

If we have a righteous friend, that person’s positive influence will naturally rub on us. Whereas the influence of a bad friend is like a blacksmith, that even if we don’t purchase anything from him, we’re still going to smell bad. We will inevitably be influenced by them. So be friends with those who are qana'ah and akhirah-oriented. These are some of the means to attain qana’ah, bi idznillah.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us His servants who have qana’ah, who are pleased with what we have, and those whom He is pleased with. May Allah grant us happiness in this dunya, and eternal happiness in the akhirah!

آمـــــــــين

Your sister in Deen,

~ Aida Msr 🌸

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References:

• Sunnah.com
• AbuAminaElias.com