Page 72 - Faith: The Way to Happiness

FAITH: THE WAY TO HAPPINESS

In the hearts of believers there is a joy and a tranquility which
their hope of the approval of Allah and their directing all their ef-
forts to earning it bring them. This cheerfulness and joy which they
experience makes them happy and at peace in the life of this world,
at the same time constitute an important source of the eagerness
which will enable them to earn Allah's approval even more. So long
as they have no faith, ignorant people cannot achieve this joy and
happiness and cannot imitate it because it has a quality which Allah
has made accessible only to the faithful and which comes from the
hope He gives of His approval and mercy and of eternal Paradise.
Allah announces in the Qur'an the good news that this is a blessing
solely for believers:
By it, Allah guides those who follow what pleases Him to
the ways of Peace. He will bring them from the darkness to
the light by His permission, and guide them to a straight
path. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 16)
Ignorant people are not aware that the approval of Allah is finer
and of far greater value than any other reward they may obtain and
any worldly profit. For this reason, throughout their lives they are
deprived of the lasting happiness and joy which earning the ap-
proval of Allah can bring them.

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