The ingredients of happiness

 

ln a hadith related by Tirmidhi, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said:

 

"Whoever spends the night safely in his place of sleep, while he is physically healthy and has sufficient sustenance for his day, it is as if he achieved the world in its entirety."

 

The meaning of this is that if one has enough food and a safe place to sleep, then he has achieved the best of the good things in this world. And many are those who are at this level in life but are thankless nonetheless. Allah, the Almighty, said to His Messenger (bpuh):

 

(...I have completed my favor upon you…)   (Qur'an 5: 3)

 

After reading this verse, you should ask yourself this question: what blessing was complete for the Prophet (bpuh)? Was it material wealth? Was it the possession of castles, mansions, gold, or silver? Lt is none of these blessings that Allah is referring to, since the Prophet (bpuh) was not wealthy.

 

The Prophet (bpuh) would sleep in a room made of mud. His roof was made of branches from palm trees. Extreme hunger often forced him to tie two stones around his stomach, in order to alleviate the pangs of hunger. His mattress was the branch of a date-palm tree, which would give him pains in his sides. He had to leave his armor with a Jew as collateral for thirty measures of wheat, until he would be able to pay him back. He would go three days straight without finding so much as a rotten date to eat.

 

(And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present [life of this world]. And verily your Lord will give you [all i.e. good] so that you shall be well-pleased.)    (Quran 93: 4-5)