Implementing the Value of Gratitude in the Concept of Happiness from Imam Al-Ghazali’s Perspective

The Concept of Happiness According to Imam Al-Ghazali

In creation, humans are the most perfect beings of God, both spiritually and physically. This perfection elevates humans to the highest rank among all creatures. The beauty of humans is not only reflected in their physical aspects but also in their mental functions and various abilities such as thinking, creating, feeling, and believing. These mental aspects integrate with the physical, forming a living and developing human being.

However, with all these advantages, humans are required to create a balanced and harmonious life, with happiness as the ultimate goal. Every human being longs for happiness in this life. Happiness seems to be a hope or goal desired by all humans, evident in the reality that people strive vigorously to achieve happiness. Happiness is expected to be felt without being limited by time or place, both personally and communally. Not only worldly happiness, but happiness in the hereafter is also a longing for every human being. In Islam, prayers for happiness are included in every prayer recited after performing Salah.

The concept of happiness has been discussed from various perspectives, resulting in different meanings. The issue of happiness is a never-ending topic. The happiness desired by humans remains unstable, varying in nature and differing from one person to another. The essence and paths to achieving happiness vary greatly.

Many views and opinions exist regarding happiness. Some believe that happiness can be measured by the amount of material wealth one possesses, while others think that happiness is found in physical health. Some believe that happiness lies in rank, position, and fame. As mentioned earlier, happiness has no fixed form. What one person views as happiness may not be the same for another because happiness is a pleasure achieved by each person according to their own desires.

In the context of human happiness, our current life in the 21st century is considered to have a dark side. This era is marked by multidimensional crises, economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental, causing psychological effects (anxiety) on the global community.

These crises fundamentally stem from an identity crisis, rooted in the unclear understanding of one’s personal identity. This identity crisis and the loss of self-identity in the psychic order are closely related to the unclear values that can serve as life guidelines. Consequently, many people suffer because they fail to achieve a meaningful and happy life.

They have lost hope for future happiness as promised by the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, secularism, scientism, and technologist perspectives. In other words, modern humans in the 21st century have lost their spiritual vision. They need new insights to rediscover their spiritual vision. To recover from spiritual and heart diseases, humans must recognise themselves, their identities, and their God.

Based on this issue, the author feels compelled to explore the concept of happiness. This writing will delve into the concept of happiness and how to achieve it through the thoughts of Al-Ghazali. According to Al-Ghazali in his book “Kimia Al-Sa’adah” (The Alchemy of Happiness), happiness can be achieved when humans can subdue their animalistic desires and replace them with angelic traits. The highest happiness is when a person’s veil is lifted with Allah, allowing them to see Allah with their heart’s eye. Al-Ghazali emphasises the importance of knowing Allah, suggesting that by drawing closer to Allah, one will find tranquility and happiness.

Implementing Gratitude to Achieve Happiness

Implementing the attitude of submission (addin) or total surrender to Allah as a path to achieving happiness means living everything with sincerity and not feeling overly sad when things don’t go as planned because Allah knows the best path for us. This is challenging because one of the inherent traits of humans is always feeling insufficient with what they have, wanting what others possess, making it difficult for humans to be grateful and thus hard to achieve happiness. This dissatisfaction means they do not free themselves to enjoy the blessings already given by Allah.

Imam Ghazali explains that gratitude consists of three elements: knowledge, state, and action. The knowledge is the awareness that the blessings received are solely from Allah. The state is expressing joy for receiving the blessings. The action is to fulfill what is surely intended and loved by Allah, who gave the blessings. Gratitude can take various forms, including actions of the heart, body, and tongue. The heart’s gratitude involves doing good deeds and keeping them secret from others. The tongue’s gratitude involves expressing praise and saying “alhamdulillah” (all praise is due to Allah). The body’s gratitude involves using the blessings to obey Allah and not using them to commit sins. Practicing these aspects in daily life signifies that one is implementing gratitude.

Gratitude makes everything feel lighter and more enjoyable, making it a means to achieve happiness. With gratitude, the heart and mind will be free from burdens and not troubled by unnecessary concerns.

Happiness does not solely revolve around abundant wealth, luxurious houses, or owning expensive items. Happiness can be felt in simple ways through gratitude, making the heart feel content and satisfied with what is available. Gratitude increases blessings, making it easier to achieve physical and spiritual happiness.

In the context of knowledge and action in the concept of happiness according to Imam Al-Ghazali, gratitude is a collaboration between the two. Gratitude as knowledge is the aspect of humans accepting and enjoying whatever Allah has given them in their respective portions. Gratitude as action is our obedience to Allah’s command to always be grateful for everything. Allah promises that gratitude combined with faith can prevent His punishment on earth.

A nation will not experience crises or difficulties if they are faithful and grateful. Allah will not punish them if they are grateful and faithful (QS An-Nisa: 147). He will also continue to increase the blessings if we are grateful (QS Ibrahim: 7).

Another form of happiness derived from gratitude is the strengthening of friendships, leading to a harmonious social environment. This is evident in research published in the journal “Emotion” in June 2008 titled “Beyond reciprocity: gratitude and relationships in everyday life.” The research shows that gratitude fosters and maintains friendships.

Additionally, gratitude has been proven to have various benefits, including physical and mental health and better social life. No wonder “gratitude research” has become a popular field among 21st-century scientists.

Grateful individuals tend to have lower materialistic tendencies, paying less attention to material possessions. They do not measure success or luck by the amount of wealth accumulated, making them feel happy and content with a simple life.

In conclusion, the easiest path to achieving happiness is by practicing gratitude in daily life. With gratitude, everything we have will feel sufficient, making life lighter and allowing us to feel happy in simple ways.