A series of moral, doctrinal, and social statements from the esteemed religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, may his shadow remain (Words of Wisdom, episode number 13)
"Piety: A Shield Against the Hardships of the World"
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Introduction
The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), in some of his sermons, describes the pious (muttaqin) as follows:
"The pious... shared with the people of the world in their worldly affairs, but the people of the world did not share with them in their Hereafter."
From this hadith, it can be understood that the pious possess both this world and the Hereafter, unlike the worldly people, who have no share in the Hereafter. In some sayings of the Infallibles (peace be upon them), it is also stated that even the worldly people do not truly have this world—at least not in the sense of worldly happiness.
The Key to Happiness
Happiness is the desire of every human being, and this world is the place to pursue that desire. The question arises: what is the key to happiness? What brings happiness to a person? Is it wealth? What about power, knowledge, or reputation? In many cases, wealth actually takes happiness away from a person. Other things, too, are not sufficient on their own to create happiness.
True happiness is peace of mind and tranquility of the soul. Happiness is what gives a person reassurance, something that—when present—makes the loss of worldly pleasures less painful. It prevents a person from dying suddenly under the weight of worldly losses and guarantees a healthy life both in this world and the next.
Anxieties and depressions resulting from worldly troubles—like the loss of wealth or status—can press down on a person so heavily that they may even lose their life under the pressure. Clearly, such people do not have inner peace or a reassured soul. In this life, they have sought everything—except peace of mind and spirit. A person who lays their head on a pillow will not sleep unless they have mental peace, and even if they do fall asleep, it will not be a sweet or restful sleep.
For this reason, wealth often becomes a source of distress rather than comfort. In some cases, it may even lead to death.
Therefore, happiness does not lie in merely possessing one or more of the means of worldly enjoyment—such as wealth, power, physical health, or governance. Happiness is a divine gift; without it, none of the pleasures of life will truly be enjoyable. In other words, happiness is contentment. That means a person, in any condition—whether in wealth or poverty, joy or sorrow, health or illness—should be content with whatever state they are in. Because all these conditions are temporary, and ultimately, a good end awaits them.
Thus, the ups and downs of life should not diminish one's sense of contentment. When this happens, a person becomes truly happy.
A while ago, a young man passed away due to a stroke. Sometime later, I met one of his relatives and asked about the cause of the stroke and the young man's death. That person said: it seems he had a financial dispute with someone, which escalated into a serious argument and eventually turned into a fight and a bitter confrontation. After the argument, with his nerves completely shaken, he leaned back on a chair and suddenly lost consciousness right there. By the time those around him realized what had happened, he had already passed away.
That young man not only lost his money, but also lost his life. Undoubtedly, this is not what true happiness looks like. A truly happy person would not become so disturbed over financial matters that they lose their life over it.
Another person with a similar fate—whose funeral I attended—was, according to a relative, someone who owned a piece of land. He went to sell it, successfully did so, and received a good sum of money. On his way home, he encountered someone who asked about the land. He told the man the price for which he had sold it. The man replied, “I would have bought it from you for double that amount.”
The companion who was with him said: “When he heard this, he became extremely agitated and didn’t say another word. When we got home, his head suddenly fell into my lap and he passed away.”
Regardless of the fact that he had sold his land at a good price, it wasn't even clear if that person truly meant it when he said he would have paid double. In any case, that money brought about irreversible harm for him. Such money, instead of bringing happiness, brought misery.
A pious person (muttaqi), depending on the level of their piety, is protected from such outcomes. And if they possess a high level of piety, such incidents have no effect on them whatsoever. Conversely, the less piety they have, the more they are affected by these matters. This kind of piety brings true happiness to a person.
Piety: The Key to Happiness
Piety removes weakness and passivity from a person and strengthens them against the difficulties, deficiencies, and excesses of life. A pious person, to the extent of their piety, is unshakable. If someone is truly pious, they are never distressed by worldly troubles, nor do they become greedy or overly anxious.
Those who lose control in the face of life's difficulties, whose nerves quickly unravel, who lose their health over material concerns, or who fall into depression and despair when faced with illness—all of these people have little piety. A pious person, whether wealthy or poor, healthy or sick, is truly happy. Whether others praise them or criticize them makes little difference; lack of wealth and the hardships of life do not rob them of their peace of mind, nor do problems upset them to the point that they cannot sleep peacefully at night.
Piety causes a person to sin less and thus regret less. It is natural for a person to become angry at times, but if they possess piety, it prevents them from committing actions they would later regret. Often, reacting in anger leads to greater problems. Therefore, piety is the factor that leads to happiness.
As Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said:
“They [the pious] share with the people of the world in their worldly matters.”
The pious enjoy the world just as the worldly do. The worldly own homes, eat, and drink—and the pious benefit from these blessings too, though perhaps more modestly. Often, peaceful and joyful lives can be found in the humble homes of the pious—lives that are absent from the grand palaces of the materialistic.
The sayings of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) emphasize that a comfortable life belongs to those with piety. Even if the pious face economic, political, or social hardships, they overcome all these with the help of their piety.
On the other hand, people who are overly attached to the world often fall into sin, fraud, and transgressing divine boundaries, and in doing so, they ruin their Hereafter. As a result, they are deprived of the eternal happiness that awaits in the afterlife, while the pious enjoy a comfortable and peaceful life in the Hereafter.
And may Allah send blessings upon our Master and Prophet Muhammad and his pure family.
