Miscellaneous Articles

We should know the world as it is. An easy life is the result of the cognition of the world. The prophet of Islam said that if you knew of the world what I know, your souls would feel complacency from it. He also said in his prayers, "0 God! show the being and universe to me as it is."

Also, Imam Ali said that every one who knows the world, will not grieve at it. He does not say the world is full of pleasures; rather, he says that if your knowledge and cognition of the world are real, despite its hardships and in spite of confessing to them, we will not sorrow. Imam Hussein, in the hardest moments of Ashura, said, "0 my Lord, I forbear Your Decree," and the more he became closer to death (martyrdom), the more he became happy. Thus, grief and distress due to hardships are rooted in unawareness. Unawareness causes dissatisfaction, and dissatisfaction causes sorrow and grief. The prophet of Islam said that God has verily placed, through His wisdom and bounty, welfare and happiness in certitude and satisfaction, and grief in doubt and dissatisfaction. In addition, Imam Ali said that certitude is the best remover of sorrow (Pasandideh, 2007, p. 23-27).

A great part of life's hardship is because of our own stringency, and not of real problems of life. Therefore, we should search for tranquility of life in ourselves and search for it in internal factors. Imam Kazem says to take life easy, because God made life pleasant for those people who take it easy. Imam Ali says in this regard, "I investigated and searched through life, and I did not see it save in leaving carnal desires. Therefore, leave these desires so that your life may become delightful" (Pasandide, 2007, p. 137-139).

The prophet of Islam says that wisdom comes down from the heavens, but it does not come down to the hearts where the tomorrow's grief is. The prophet of Islam says that God has placed, because of His wisdom and bounty, welfare and happiness in certitude and satisfaction, and sorrow and grief in doubt and anger.

Philosophy and wisdom sprung from the cognition of the world can bring humans to an admirable position in which they see the universe and its events as they are. They see as beautiful only those things that are beautiful, and they see as ugly only those things that are ugly. They enjoy the good and hate the bad. Therefore, they see no obscenity in what God has created and has brought up because God is "Who has created all things well" (The Sura of Sajdeh 32: 7).

There are three essential concepts, each of which is the prerequisite of the next; they are knowledge, attitude, and behavior. The improvement in knowledge should lead to an improvement in attitude, and improvement in attitude should lead to an improvement in behavior. Therefore, a person who has a comprehensive personality and has the above concepts in himself or herself will be more likely to achieve happiness.

Adapted from the book: "Foundations of Happiness"