The Dunya And True Happiness
By Abdul Rahman Chao | 2026-01-15T10:12:57.177262+00:00 | Topic: Iman
The Dunya And True Happiness
Sheikh Chao
Introduction: The Pursuit of National Happiness
Brothers and sisters, I was reading up on some statistics the other day. And there was a very interesting statistic that I came across. And there is only one country in the world that bases their studies and findings on this specific statistic.
We all know that for the different countries that they use different standards. GDP, gross domestic product, I believe. We also find other forms of measurement to measure a country's economy. Standards of living, education, mortality. And so the higher ratings a country gets, that is a country which is, you could say, ranked as a country that people want to live there. People are generally happy over there.
And one particular country that sort of picked my interest was gross domestic happiness. This country is a very, very tiny landlocked country. You might have heard of it, you might not have heard of it. It's called Bhutan. And for those of you who have not heard of that country, that country is landlocked between India and China. And this country is mainly Buddhist.
And one of their important ways to decide whether their country is on the right track or not, is they have some way of finding out how happy the people are.
Allah's Warning About the Dunya
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the Quran something that is greater. And He says to us in the Quran:
"And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala starts off this verse by talking about a phrase that you find in the Quran over and over again. And that is, know, to have knowledge, to understand, to realize, to properly comprehend:
Know that this world, the life of this dunya, is nothing but play and idle talk, decorations. Perhaps you have people who like to compare one over the other, whoever has a bigger house, who has a better car, and competition in wealth and children.
The True Nature of Worldly Pursuits
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us all of these things: Play, decoration, to be proud, wealth, to have wealth, to have children, to have large families. If you look at all of these things, brothers and sisters, you'll realize that these are the most basic, fundamental aspects in which a person derives their happiness. If a person has lots of wealth, that gives them a certain level of happiness. If a person has reached a certain level of success in their career, it brings them a level of happiness, and so on and so forth.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala began the verse by saying اعْلَمُوا know. So in other words, if you really knew that the world was like this, in other words, you should not be running after the dunya the way how we run after it. So as a result, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is reminding us, because we really do not know. In other words, we forget.
The Parable of Worldly Life
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives an example of how this world is like in its reality. He says, it is like:
It's like a group of non-believers in which they receive rain, and this rain causes the crops to grow. But then suddenly, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala changes it. And they suddenly realize that all of their crops, all of their wealth, it's not just simply about crops here. But it's all of their success and their dreams, and their property, and their wealth. It has all turned into dust, it's withered away, withered away in this dunya, because it does not bring true happiness. But at the same time, it withers away on the day of judgment because they did not use the dunya to get them closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They did not utilize the blessings whom Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had given them so that they can benefit themselves and to become better Muslims.
The Consequences and Rewards
And as a result, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives a stark warning, a very harsh warning:
And for those people who did not think about the akhira, there is a very painful punishment for them. But for those people who do know about the reality of this world, and do not drown in this reality and know how to balance themselves. What does Allah say?
But for those people, there is maghfirah. For those people, there is ridwan, there is the fact that Allah will be pleased with them.
The Mirage of Worldly Happiness
So as a result, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is trying to tell us: If you knew of how fake the world is, and if you understood that this world is nothing but glitz and glamour and that it will rot away one day, if you really know that, then also know that if you are to stick to that, then there is indeed reward from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on the Day of Judgment.
And that is why, brothers and sisters, life is nothing but that. Life is like a mirage. You look at it, the more you try to chase it. The more you try to chase it, the more it gets farther and farther. So that is why one of the scholars of the past, he says: Do not chase after the dunya. If you were to chase after the dunya, it will always keep going. But if you were to turn around, then this dunya is nothing but like a shadow. And if the dunya is like a shadow, then wherever you go, that shadow will follow you.
Modern Capitalistic Obsession
And that is why, brothers and sisters, if we look at today's economy all over the world, you find people who are obsessed with the dunya. This whole form of capitalistic market economy where you just simply buy things because you like it versus buying things that you actually need. And as a result, when people continue to buy these things that they do not need, thinking that those things will bring them happiness, that will actually make them even more depressed.
So there is nothing wrong when a person wants to get a certain degree. There is nothing wrong if a person wants to ascend and get a better career. There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong if a person wants to look better. But the problem is when a person only thinks about those things and is only obsessed with those things and forgets about their responsibilities in this world in this world as well as their responsibilities in the next life.
The Priority of the Akhira
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the Qur'an. He tells us in the Qur'an about - and we hear this every week, brothers and sisters, we hear it. We hear the ayah of the Qur'an being recited:
And then at the end of the surah Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:
We hear this over and over again. Many of us memorize this surah, walillahil hamd. And if you haven't memorized the surah, take some time to memorize it, inshallah. May Allah make us among those who
memorize the Qur'an.
What does that ayah say?
- But you were following it and you love it. And you prefer this dunya over the next life.
- But the next life is permanent. And it will stay. It will stay and forever.
Human Greed and Its Remedy
Brothers and sisters, the nature of humanity is that we are greedy. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the Qur'an:
(Bukhari hadith 6436)
But if the son of Adam was to have a valley of gold, then he would have wanted a second one. If he wanted a second one, he would have wanted a third one. And then the Prophet ﷺ he says:
(Bukhari hadith 6436)
And as a result, what's going to happen to this person? The Prophet ﷺ says nothing will fill their stomach except for dirt. Nothing will fill themselves except dirt. In other words, that stuff is not real stuff. Another way to interpret this hadith is that when you die, all of your insides, all of you go back into the dirt.
The Impact on Character
So if that is the reality of who we are - that we're going to be simply very very temporary in this world for a very short period of time in this world - then we have to recognize that this world is not for us. It is not for us. And as a result, brothers and sisters, how many of you have met different people in your life? And those people, they only care about the dunya. And as a result, I'm not trying to say that this is all across the board, but the people who chase the dunya the most are usually the worst in manners. Because they have no morals. That's all they care about. All they care about is gathering wealth.
They think that this wealth is going to be there with them forever and ever and ever. And so when a person continues to run after the dunya, you can tell that their manners are of the worst.
One of the scholars of the past said:
(Al-Hakim in his Tarikh)
And he talked about how many of us are very very keen to know about the different sciences. We want to learn all the business techniques out there. We want to know all of the nice tricks and ways so
we can get as much money and profit as we can. And he says, a person will not get dignity and honor except that they have knowledge. But that knowledge will not bring them dignity if that knowledge is not accompanied with good manners.
So no matter how much you know, brothers and sisters, you look at the story of Qarun, you will learn that Qarun knew a lot of things. He had the knowledge to gather all this wealth. But at the same time, that knowledge didn't help him. That knowledge was accompanied by arrogance.
The Prophet's Example of Detachment
Brothers and sisters, in order for us to understand the reality of this dunya, we have to listen to the words of the Prophet ﷺ in which he explains to us the reality of this world. And if we really want to achieve happiness, we have to follow his sunnah. And so he says:
(Tirmidhi hadith 2377)
What is with me and this world? In other words, I don't have anything in need of this world. The Prophet ﷺ, he says, what is with me and this world? I don't need any of it. My example and my relationship to this dunya is like a man that is traveling and this man finds this tree and he stays underneath this shade to get some rest only just for one hour. Just for one hour. And then he gets up and then he leaves. This is the way of the dunya, brothers and sisters.
The Test Analogy
Let me give you a better example. For those of you who are in college or for those of you who understand how much pressure there is during finals week or as they call it, hell week. Sometimes you have finals just one after the other. You have a final at 10 in the morning and then at 2 o'clock you have another final. The first final is about 2 hours and then you have 2 hours and then you have another final and 2 hours after that.
If there was a student who just finished the first final, do you think they would just start relaxing for the next 120 minutes? Do you think they would go and watch a movie in the meantime for 2 hours? No. But that person would spend whatever time he has left to review and prepare before the next test.
Brothers and sisters, we are living in a test. And the next world is a test. It is indeed a test and fitna from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So there is no time to rest. It is a time for preparation, brothers and sisters.
Keys to Happiness: Zuhd (Asceticism)
So the first key to happiness, brothers and sisters, is by leaving away the unnecessary things in this
dunya. Ali ibn Abi Talib said:
Glad tidings for those people who demonstrate a level or two of asceticism - zuhd. Glad tidings are for those people who do not waste their time going after this dunya but instead they are raghibeen fil akhira. They really care about the next life. These are the people who take the ground as a cushion and its dirt like a bed and its water like perfume and knowledge as their emblem, to seek knowledge, and du'aa as a way of protection, and they refuse to indulge themselves in this worldly life.
Abu Darda's Advice
And Abu Darda radiallahu anhu wrote to some of his friends and he gave them some words of advice of how to attain happiness. And he said:
I ask you to be God conscious, to be conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and I remind you to live life simply and to seek out Allah's reward. Because if you do that, if you are to seek out Allah's reward, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will love you for it. And if you are to give up this world and stop indulging in this dunya and pleasure, the people will love you too because you are not competing with them for this dunya.
True Meaning of Zuhd
So brothers and sisters, from this message I do not want you to think that giving up the dunya is good. It's not about giving up the halal that makes you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. A lot of people they think that to become a zahid, to become an ascetic, you have to give up the halal and that you have to live a terrible life so that will make you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Imam Ahmed rahmatullah alayh, he talks about this wrong concept where people think that if they want to attain happiness, they have to give up the whole dunya. They cannot even touch it. He says this is wrong. And so he says:
Is it possible that there is a person who is rich, he has wealth, but he is yet still a zahid, he is still an ascetic? How is that possible? So he says that:
That wealth that that person has, they can truly become a zahid and ascetic and happy with life if their feelings regarding an increase in wealth or a decrease in wealth are the same. So if they are not losing it because they lost some money, that's a good sign. If they are not over jubilant over an increase in wealth, that is also good. So to maintain a level of balance.
Balancing Worldly and Spiritual Needs
Al-Hasan al-Basri said:
He says that to attain happiness is by doing zahid, by practicing asceticism. And he says to be an ascetic is not simply by throwing away your money, by stop eating what is halal for you, but rather it is knowing that whatever you have in your position, know that Allah, what He will give you in the next life, that is worth more than what you have in your hand.
And in the same way he says you should balance your emotions that in case something was to happen to you, you are balanced. There is this equanimity. There is this balance, not totally freaking out. And so if you were stuck in a bad situation versus when you are not in a bad situation, that your emotional level is balanced. That is how you can attain happiness.
And he continues and he says and that when a person praises you or if a person does not praise you, that doesn't matter to you.
The Nature of True Zuhd
He says:
So this scholar he says:
To be living a life of simplicity is not about eating difficult or food that is really really dry and rough, or wearing rough clothes. Because some people they think that I'll just subsist on some bread and water and that will make me closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is not zuhd brothers and sisters.
Imam Al-Shafi'i's Five Keys to Happiness
And so brothers and sisters, Imam Al-Shafi'i rahimahullah, he talks about this. And he says if you want to achieve happiness in your life, if you want to get the best for the next world, there are five things.
He says:
Number one: (غِنَى النَّفْسِ - To be self-sufficient, to not constantly depend on other people.)
(وَكَفَّ الْأَذَى - To not harm others. In other words, to do good for other people, to be a good Samaritan.)
(وَكَسْبُ الْحَلَالِ - To have halal income.)
(وَلِبْسُ التَّقْوَى - To really wear taqwa. Not simply the hijab or the beard, but to really have both.) To understand that what you are wearing is not simply what makes you closer to Allah, but that it has to be together with taqwa that will make you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
(وَالتِّقَةُ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ - And number five, to have reliance on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala at all times.)
Detailed Analysis of the Five Keys
So if you think about all of these things, let us examine each of these five things very very briefly.
(غِنَى النَّفْسِ - When a person keeps depending on someone else, when a person keeps looking forward to other people lifting them up, and when people do not do that for them, they get disappointed. So if you want to be happy, be self-sufficient. Do not depend on other people. Depend on Allah Azza wa Jal.)
(وَكَفَّ الْأَذَى - A lot of times you heard of people saying, whatever goes around, comes around.) (كَمَا تَدِينُ تدان - Whatever goes around, comes around. So if you live a life where you are cheating people, you are harming people, you are not getting your halal income, you are saying evil things to other people, that stuff is going to come around and haunt you, brothers and sisters.)
(مَنْ قَالَ شَرًّا مَا لَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ سَمِعَ مَا لَا يَشْتَهِي - If a person says whatever is not allowed for them to say, then he will hear things that he doesn't like to hear. If a person laughs at other people, they will also be laughed at. This is how it is, brothers and sisters.)
(وَكَسْبُ الْحَلَالِ - One of the reasons, brothers and sisters, people keep chasing after the dunya - and one of them, I'm not saying this is the only reason but when a person is dealing in haram, they will use all of their methods to get the most profit out of it. And even when they get whatever profit that they get out of it, they still feel unhappy because that money was not halal for them. That money was not lawful, it was not obtained in the way that will please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.)
The True Meaning of Islamic Dress
(وَلِبْسُ التَّقْوَى - Brothers and sisters, it's not simply about - a lot of times, this is something that a lot of new Muslims they are forced to think by people who are already Muslim - that if you are going to be)
a good Muslim, you have to wear a thawb, you have to wear a taqiya, you have to wear these things to be a good Muslim. That is not what Islam is. Islam did not come to tell you of a certain dress that you have to wear, but Islam came to give you guidelines on whatever you wear already and how you can make that according to Islamic principles.
So there is no fadal, there is no increased honor that a person can say because I wear a thawb, that means that is better than someone wearing pants and a shirt. That is totally unacceptable. Because we know if a person was wearing a thawb but they were dragging their thawb and they were walking in an arrogant way, compared to a person who is wearing a shirt and pants and walking in a humble way, that person who is wearing a thawb is more disgraced in the eyes of Allah.
So it's not exactly about what you wear, but it's how you wear, brothers and sisters. Iman is not something that you put on your head, oh sisters. Iman is more than that. Because if you wear the hijab and you're sitting there and doing ghibah about other sisters, then you have just de-hijabified yourself. So when you sit there and you pray for hours and hours and hours, or if you grow a long beard, and the way how you behave with other people is unacceptable, not according to the sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, then it is just like as if you have shaved your face. That sort of dishonesty in the way how we treat other people.
(وَالتَّقَةُ بِاللَّهِ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - And to have firm trust in Allah. In other words, whatever goes on in this life, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how crazy... Actually yesterday I was in a panel discussion at Vanderbilt on personal crises and how we handle them from a religious perspective. And one of the things that I told them is that whenever you are in a personal crisis, you have to remember that Allah jalla jalaaluh is using this as a way to bring you closer to Him. And it all depends on how you behave.)
Practical Tips for Attaining Happiness
So let me give you in the final few moments, let me give you a few concluding tips on how you can attain happiness, not only by not indulging in this world, but we will explore inshallah.
Tip 1: You Can Have a Happy Life in This World
Number one, you can have a happy life in this world. This world doesn't have to be a Debbie Downer, a sad story. Allah jalla jalaaluh says in the Qur'an:
Whoever does good deeds, male or female, and he is a believer, we will give them a good life. And then we will reward them, we'll give them their reward for what they have done.
And so as a result, brothers and sisters, we find in the hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in which the Prophet tells us:
(Muslim hadith 2999)
Oh, how strange and how beautiful yet is the way of the believer. If something good was to happen to them, they thank Allah. And if something not so good was to happen to them, then they are patient with Allah jalla jalaaluh.
Tip 2: Act Today, Forget Yesterday, Fear Not Tomorrow
The second tip, brothers and sisters, is that in order to attain happiness, you have to act today, forget yesterday, and do not fear the future. Act today, forget about yesterday, and fear not of the future. So what you have in front of you today, do it, do not delay it. There are certain things in the past that you cannot change. There are certain things in your past life that you might regret. It's good to have a little bit of memory of those things, but do not keep dwelling on it. Because if a person keeps dwelling on the pain, they cannot move forward. And if you are to fear the future, then you can never move forward.
As the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:
(Muslim hadith 2664)
Notice and take heed for those things, about those things that will actually benefit you. Seek Allah's help and do not give up. Do not start acting in an irrational way. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says depend on Allah jalla jalaaluh. If something not so good was to happen to you, don't say "If only I had done such and such." If only I had changed my way, something like that. And this is actually a whole new khutbah in and of itself of how we understand this hadith, but it is talking about - let's say for example, you are planning a trip and you plan early and let's say on the way a storm comes along the way. That's the qadr of Allah jalla jalaaluh. You don't need to be saying, "Well if I had left the day before, then I wouldn't be stuck in the storm." (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ - But of course, if someone says) I'm not going to study at all and then I'm going to flunk the test and then I'm going to say (قَدَرُ اللَّهِ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ - No, no you should have studied.)
Tip 3: Remember Allah Constantly
Number three brothers and sisters is that you need to remember Allah jalla jalaaluh constantly. Our bodies are very very weak. We cannot simply depend everything on sheer power or drugs or medicine. There are a lot of things in which medicine cannot help us. And a lot of it, brothers and sisters, is that we have to have reliance in Allah jalla jalaaluh. So when you take that pill, it is not the
pill that will give you recovery, but it is Allah jalla jalaaluh who allows that pill to work to give you recovery.
Tip 4: Never Despair in Allah's Mercy
Number four, brothers and sisters, do not give up in Allah jalla jalaaluh. That is why one of the characteristics of the disbelievers is that they have given up:
"Those people who have given up in Allah, in the mercy of Allah, are the disbelievers. Why? Because we have people who think that they have done something so great that Allah cannot forgive them. And yet they say Allah is the greatest. Allah jalla jalaaluh can forgive.
Ibn Taymiyyah's Two Essential Characteristics
Finally brothers and sisters, two last points. And that is, in order to attain happiness, as Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, he talks about that you have to have two things. Number one, you need to have proper knowledge. And number two, you need to be steadfast.
Qala Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah ta'ala, and he actually explains this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
(Tirmidhi hadith 2684)
"There are two characteristics that you will not find in a hypocrite, brothers and sisters. Number one: (حُسْنُ سَمْتِ - What is, I did not say صَمْتِ. صَمْتِ - means silence. سَمْتِ - And number two: فِقْةٌ فِي الدِّينِ"
Understanding the First Characteristic: Husn Samt
The first thing is حُسْنُ سَمْتِ. And if you look up what this word سَمْت means in Arabic, it actually has multiple meanings. And one of them means to be steadfast. That a person, for example, he was sticking on a decision or they took a road, he drove down one road, he went down one path and he sticks to it. Another definition of سَمْت in the Arabic language is that a person has clear understanding of what is right and what is wrong. And number two: فِقْ فِي الدِّينِ - To have understanding of the religion.
And so that is why if we are to examine the first one and that is to be steadfast and to continue going where you are going towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala - Sufyan Bin Uyayna, he talks about this. And he says:
"Whoever fixes the way how they behave in private, Allah will fix the way how they behave in public.
And whoever fix their relationship with Allah, then Allah will make you have a good relationship with people.
And whoever works for the next life, Allah will make this world enough for you.
Understanding the Second Characteristic: Fiqh fi'd-Din
And the final point, and that is فقة في الدين. Some of the scholars of the past they said:
Knowledge is not about knowing so many ahadith or knowing so many ayat of the Qur'an.
But true knowledge is to have piety in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Whoever truly fears Allah, then they really are someone who knows.
And who goes off and purposely disobeys Allah, that person is the one who truly is ignorant.