Sulaimaan Ravat – Happiness is a Choice!

			For the
		

			amount of Ramadan
		

			now after Ramadan to continue reciting the Quran, Allah subhanho wa Taala instill the love of the
Quran in each and every one of our hearts.
		

			Now we come to the main program, Briana
		

			interview,
		

			evade sightings to those servants of mines of machinery were in Medina who listen attentively.
Listen. And when you invest in a 34 year old son, allow us the ability
		

			to understand, practice and propagate. we elevate all of us
		

			most of the team, we appeal to one in all to be studying the Jets. There are many gaps in between so
University for those coming afterwards.
		

			Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
		

			Hello, we learn how to get I mean, while it
		

			was salatu salam on official Colombia you will mousseline so you're gonna want to begin our mowlana
Mohamed while he was happy as mine
		

			will be led you into shape honorable Jean, this new learn and walk learning
		

			Miami
		

			lettering open movement for Nokia
		

			American
		

			laser Villa and a lot of
		

			VEDA VEDA nefs hokum aka la Salatu was salam, honorable Allah, Allah, respected brothers listeners.
Let me begin this morning by asking you a question.
		

			What is the most elusive thing in the world?
		

			What is the one thing that everyone is looking for? But very few people seem to find? What is that
one thing with regards to which 1000s of books have been written, universities around the world are
lecturing on it.
		

			Scientists have been studying it for ages, governments are appointing cabinet positions to oversee
it. The UN has declared an international day after its Google Analytics prove that people are
searching for it actually has become so rare that everyone wealthy, talented, powerful achievers,
leaders. They all seem to be searching for it. But most seem to have failed in finding it. What is
this most elusive thing that I'm referring to? The answer is happiness. Yes, happiness. We judge
everything in terms of how happy it will make us. We often hear people say to what makes you happy.
Your happiness is most important. Every human yearns to lead a happy life. Happiness is the only
		

			goal on earth that all people are seeking without exception. It is perhaps the most encompassing and
common goal in our lives. Now since everyone is searching for happiness, yet it is so elusive. Very
few are able to find it. I thought it would be appropriate on this happy day to talk about happiness
to touch on this topic.
		

			Because brothers, if we can understand what is true happiness and how to achieve it, if we can
understand what is true happiness and how to achieve it, then every day in our lives will be a day
of eat.
		

			If you can lead a happy life, every day in your life will be a day of me. My talk will revolve
around answering four questions. The first, why is happiness to use it? Why is it so hard to find?
The second, what is happiness? The third, what is happiness comprised of? And the fourth? How can we
choose to be happy? So in the course of this discourse, I will attempt inshallah to answer these
four, four questions. Let's start with the first one. What is happiness? so elusive? Why is it so
difficult to find? Why so many people failing to find happiness? The simple answer is, our approach
is wrong. We are searching for happiness in the wrong places, we are looking for happiness in the
		

			next purchase, in a better house, in a better car, in cooler technology, the most fashionable
clothing in a better job, in the next holiday, we are looking for happiness in the next person, we
are chasing the next and the next and the next. And we think when we get that next day, then we will
be happy. But then happiness continues to remain elusive. We need to understand one thing, material
possessions, material possessions, will give you a temporary boost of pleasure. But it will never
bring you through happiness. Because after a while you will start longing for the next thing. Once
you get the first day, it will bring you temporary superficial happiness. And after a while you
		

			start adding you start yearning for the next thing, you start becoming bored with that thing which
you have acquired and you thought initially would bring you happiness doesn't bring you the
happiness. unhappy people are unhappy. Why? What are happy people unhappy, because they focus on
what they don't have. They focus on what they don't have, they feel the need to have something they
don't have to become happy. And only a tiny focus of their lives is narrowed down to what they don't
have. And they don't appreciate what they do have. So their lives become boring. What is already
granted them does not bring them any satisfaction. And happy people are unhappy because they are
		

			always looking at the negatives in life. They are always living in either the past or worrying about
the future, but they don't focus on the present. And as a result, happiness continues to remain
elusive. So that's the first question, why is happiness elusive? The second question, what is
happiness, we all talk about it, we all want it We are all searching for it. After all, what is
happiness? When you study the teachings of the scholars, and you study the findings of
psychologists, it boils down to this happiness is the consistent mental and emotional state of well
being. Happiness is the constant mental and emotional state of well being. Happiness has more to do
		

			with your internal condition than your external circumstances. When you have a general feeling of
contentment and satisfaction in your life, that you are a happy you will be a very nice quote. They
said, happiness is not a destination that you arrive at. It is a matter of travelling.
		

			Happiness is not a destination that you arrive at. It is a matter of delivery. Your happiness,
progress is based solely on your decision to be happy. And this could be the most important decision
that you take in your life. We need to stop searching for happiness. The search for happiness is the
main reason why we are happy. You don't need to look for happiness, because happiness is not out
there it is in here. It's in your heart, in your soul in your mind. Happiness is a choice. You have
to choose to be happy. This is my catchphrase for today's discussion.
		

			And you'll hear me repeating this on a regular basis throughout the talk. Happiness is a choice. You
have to choose to be happy. So that's the answer to the second question, what is happiness? Let's
move on to the third question. What does happiness comprise of? What is happiness made up of?
psychologists tell us happiness is made up of three things. The first part brings you 50% of your
happiness. The second part brings you 10% of your happiness. And the third part brings you 40% of
your happiness. What is the first part? It comes from a generic
		

			setpoint it means that some people are naturally more happier than others. Some people are naturally
more happier than others. So your genetic set point gives you 50% of your happiness, the 10% that
comes from your circumstances, your wealth, status, your career, your demographic factors, all those
things that apply in your life. And the 40%. The remaining 40% is as of as a result of the actions
that you do, or you do not do. The actions that you choose to do or not to do is what brings you 40%
of happiness. Now, if we unpack this, the first 50% is genetic. So there's nothing you can do about
it. Either you have it or not, you have no control over that. The next 10% is circumstances. And we
		

			have very little control over circumstances. So the 60% is pretty much beyond our control. So what
does this non teachers teach us, you apply the principle of law, the law, and happy with the degree
of law, when it comes to natural happiness when it comes to happiness as a result of circumstances,
I'm happy with the degree of natural law 1400 years there is a lot of talk to us about this concept
of happiness. Today, researchers are saying that the psychological immune system works the best when
you don't have a choice, when the decision has already been made for you. Because when you have too
many options in life, life becomes complicated. What a beautiful two hour binary has taught us with
		

			regards to 60%, which is beyond your control. Our evolution is in Pokhara Allahumma ne ne Pema has
up to three, or whatever sustenance we are given me, Grant me contentment daily,
		

			weekly fee, and whatever little you have given me, my Allah put Baraka in it. And the last sentence
which is relevant, more relevant to our discussion, was loosely adequately VA, if you leave behind
Allah, Grant me something better for each thing that you have decided not to give me over for
everything that you didn't give me which I want, Grant me something better. So the 60% of happiness,
we have very little control over it, we apply that when we apply a lot, we take in direct control of
the situation, because we are happy with the victory of Allah. But our focus should be on the 40%,
the 40%, which is the result of actions that we choose to do or not to do, because that is within
		

			our control. That will tell you one thing, happy people don't wait for life to be perfect or even to
be near perfect. Happy people don't wait for life to be perfect before they are happy. Happiness is
a choice. Happiness is a choice. You have to choose to be happy. That's the third question. Now we
move on to the fourth question, how do you choose to be happy? That's the crux of it. How do you
choose to be happy? And the answer is, by embracing what I am telling this morning, that happiness
portfolio are the recipe for happiness which comprises of four parts. And that's what I want to
discuss now. There are four parts to being happy. There are four parts to the happiness portfolio,
		

			faith, family, community, and yourself. faith, family, community and yourself. Let's start with
faith which is the most important up to now brothers wherever I told you the background, setting the
foundation for the discussion. This is the most important points. The crux of being happy is your
Eman. Your obedience to Allah your opinions to the pursuit of Allah your opinions to the deen of
Allah. If you don't remember anything I say this morning except this one statement. I will consider
myself successful. And what is the statement? Yeah, this for me what is imbibing in your hearts
engraved in your minds and absorbed into every fiber of your body. If Allah is happy with you, you
		

			will be happy. If Allah is happy with you, you will be happy. It is as simple as that. Now modern
day research is backed up say that those who believe in a religion are generally more happy than
those who don't, because they acknowledge a greater pain. Now today, Western writers are writing
that the greatest reason for suicide in the West is that people don't believe in a greater pain
whereas Islam came the day altomare Salatu was Salam tend to planet earth, teaching us this eternal
lesson. If Allah is happy with you, you will be happy. It is critical for us to remember something
as humans, we are a combination of body and soul. We are not body only. That's why when the when the
		

			soul departs the body at the time of death. That very body that has so many functions becomes a
course. The eyes are still there, but you can't see the ears are still there. You cannot hear the
limbs and the organs
		

			not functioning, the body does not own anything. It's not in the nature of anyone. So, as humans we
are made up of both body and soul. But soul is more important because the body will disintegrate in
the in the clay, the root of the soul continues with the journey into the after. But the irony is,
if we analyze our lifestyle, most of our time and our effort and our money is focused on fulfilling
the pleasures and the desires of the body, and by and large, we neglect our soul. And when you
neglect your soul, it becomes a major factor in you becoming unhappy. Researchers is still on top
this non Muslim doctors talk about soul loss. They say soul loss is when a human becomes
		

			disconnected from their soul. They become disconnected from the soul. And then they say we as
doctors, we mislead them, we give them medication, it's a physical illness, but in reality, they
have become disconnected from the soul. They need to reconnect with their souls. Otherwise life will
become meaningless life will become task driven. What is Islam taught us? Islam has taught us that
if you need if you want to be happy, you need to connect your soul with a law.
		

			If you want to be happy, you need to connect your soul with the law. And once you've made that
connection, you need to sustain that connection. How do you sustain that connection was Salam which
is Food for the Soul will declare which brings contentment to the soul will abstention from sin.
Word abstention from sin because sin brings temporary pleasure. It can never bring true happiness.
Self will always make a sinner restless. A person whose life is underpinned by sin will never be
happy. A person whose life is underpinned by sin, He will never be happy. So that's the first part
of the four parts in the portfolio of happiness, the recipe of happiness, faith, our relationship
		

			with Allah our relationship with our Deen brothers. Islam has the recipe for happiness. Islam has
the recipe for happiness. I'll just give you a few examples of the concepts in our Deen which are
ingredients for happiness. One example. Islam teaches us that we should practice optimism, the
famous Hattie Coca Cola and aloha to sell them. I definitely am really looking at how wonderful is
the affair of a believer something good happens in a trip or
		

			something bad happens in itself.
		

			It's a win win situation. Imagine if more people in this world align themselves with this with this.
How do you align their mindset with this? How do you have more optimistic people? This world needs
more optimistic people.
		

			The other day he said, the quality of your life is connected to the quality of your thoughts.
		

			The quality of your life is connected to the quality of your thoughts. There is always reason to be
optimistic, the greats are happier to learn in a burst of the alarm on the moment he lost his
eyesight. You know what a setback it is for a human to lose your eyesight, perhaps one of the
biggest setbacks, physical setbacks, but when he lost his eyesight, he started to pick up lips which
translate along the lines, people literally moves the light from my eyes, my tongue and my ears
still have light in them. If a law removes the light from my eyes, my tongue in my ears still have
light in them. My heart is intelligent, and my mind is to sound
		

			in one faculty, but there are so many other faculties. So that's one example. We are teaching of our
genius ingredient for happiness, that we need another example. Our team teaches us to adopt them to
develop an attitude of gratitude, develop an attitude of gratitude, we have so much to be grateful
for these eyes, which Allah has given us. We won't trade it for a mountain of gold. Yet, we always
feel deprived, why that is a lot harder to sell them except us bahaman come in and be silly. If you
wake up in the morning and your properties, secure milestones, we just said you have three and
		

			you have your food for the day.
		

			It is as we've always given you the whole world. You have no right to feel deprived. You know, there
was a sailor who was lost at sea for 21 days, 21 days, and then miraculously, they rescued him. So
when he had come down and once he had recovered, they asked him a question in an interview. He said
when you were alone for 21 days in the middle of the sea, and you were fearing death. What was the
greatest lesson that you learned? He said the greatest lesson I learned. If you have fresh water and
sufficient food, you have no right to complain. If you have fresh
		

			What is sufficient food, you have no right to complain, we complain too much. That's why we are not
happy. And other teaching of our team, which is an ingredient for happiness. Our team teaches us how
to compare. If you want to compare your life with others, this is how you compare the result. In
letters of D look at those who are higher than you. But in letters of dunya, this worldly life
		

			motto,
		

			look at those who are lower than you. Otherwise, the boundaries of Allah will start to become
insignificant in your eyes, you will never be happy. So if we can stop looking at those who don't
have what we don't have, who have more than us, then we will be having another teaching of our D
which is an ingredient of happiness. Our Deen teaches us to forgive that no matter how much someone
is hurt you, the more you carry that pain and the hurt is like a thorn which is in your shoe as
you're walking, it continues to prick you and to aggravate you. Let it go, let it go. Forgive for
the pleasure of Allah and you will be happy. One more example are the brothers of how our Deen and
		

			the teachings of our Deen actually provide us with the ingredients for happiness. Our gene teaches
us have expectations in Allah alone, have expectations in Allah alone. One of the main reasons that
people are happy or happy is that they have expectations in others, especially those who are close
to them. We expect people to appreciate to return the favor, to reciprocate to understand that they
go to for Allah alone and expect alone for only from Allah and you will be happy to only follow and
expect only from Allah and you will be happy to conclude this first point.
		

			What is it important that we understand? Islam did not come to restrict us? Islam did not come to
deprive us to burden us to make life miserable to make life boring. No. The teachings of Islam are
designed to make us happy. The teachings of our Deen I'm meant to make us happy. Islam does not
advocate sadness. There is no teaching in Islam that you must walk around with a permanent phone and
you must be constantly grumpy. Islam wants us to be happy. But once again I remind you happiness is
a choice. Happiness is a choice, you have to choose to be happy. So we talked about how to be happy
the portfolio of happiness. The first part out of four, three, the most important part, the second
		

			part, family, the most neglected part, it is so sad for others. In this age of the rat race, instant
gratification, material progress, we have sacrificed our greatest assets, and there is our
relationship with our family members. Relationships are a commitment, a commitment that we have
neglected. Our homes have become like hotels,
		

			we live under the same roof. We eat around the same table. But we are living separate lives
emotionally disconnected from each other. Husband and wife are sitting on the same day
		

			that each of us put his or her phone what setting another person they sitting under the same roof on
the same day in the same room, but they are emotionally disconnected. And emotional neglect is what
is killing our relationships. And what's the consequence of that. Firstly, it deprives you of the
genuine and long lasting happiness which relationships provide. And secondly, it puts a strain on
the relationship. Once there is a strain on the relationship automatically Your happiness is
compromised. In order for others listen to this very carefully in order to harvest the great
happiness that relationships can provide. We need to invest in our family relationships. If we want
		

			to enjoy the dividends of happiness, you're telling you it is more important to invest in your
family then it is important to invest for your family. It is more important to invest in your family
than it is to invest for your family. How do you invest in your family? Firstly, by giving time
everyone is busy. This modern life is so hectic that people say well, I'm so busy. Sometimes I have
to delay going to the bathroom to relieve myself. I've got this urgent email and I've got the urgent
meeting and another urgent phone call. But listen, the person with the most responsibilities was the
surgeon he made time. Nobody has got time but you have to make the time. Again I give you the
		

			reference of a coach so beautifully. They say being in a relationship is a full time job. Being in a
relationship is a full time job. Don't apply if you're not ready. Don't apply if you're not ready
you have
		

			To be there for your family, that only are you investing in your relationship, you have to be there
to listen to what they have to say. You have to be there to interact with them. How often brothers
do we have meaningful conversations with those who are close to us meaningful conversations face to
face conversations on WhatsApp, how often we neglect our families. You know what experts tell us,
they say if you want to be happy, spend five minutes extra with someone you love. spend five minutes
extra with someone you love. And if we look at our lives, we are always robbing those whom we love
from the fight.
		

			You need to invest in your family by not marrying your job by not marrying your job. This is a very
sad part in a very safety of our lives. The number one thing that company is all about the company's
not about you, decisions in the company that you work for, or the organization that you serve, will
always be made in the best interest of the company and organization, not your best interests. You
work there for 30 years, you slow Can you slave, and after 30 years, when a younger, more talented
person knocks on the top, they give you three columns. There you will feel dejected. You feel used,
you feel betrayed, but it's too late. By then your children would have grown up, they would have
		

			grown up with the money that you learned from their job, but then have very few memories of
connecting with you. Your wife will be living in the same house that you bought with the money that
you secure from the job. But you and your wife will be emotionally disconnected. Your marriage would
have lost the spark. You know, they did a survey where he surveyed men who are in their mid 50s. And
they asked him one question, what is your biggest regret in life? All men who are in your 50s What
is your biggest regret in life. And you know what the majority of them said, we spent too much time
focusing on our career and too little time with our family. But at the age of 55 your children have
		

			their own families, it's too late to reverse the clock, the great irony of our lives. The great
irony of our lives, we treat the people we love the most the worst.
		

			The people we love the most we treat them the worst, we reserve our best behavior for outside the
house. And then we bring the outside stress into the house, the people in the house we neglect, we
don't sufficiently sufficiently invest in them. So to wrap up the second part in the portfolio of
happiness, nurture your relationships, brothers, your relationships are vital for your happiness.
Once again I remind you, happiness is a choice, happiness is a choice, you have to choose to be
happy. So two of the four paths in the happiness portfolio, the happiness recipe we have discussed
the most important phase, the most neglected family now we move on to the third one the most
		

			misunderstood community communities the third part in a happiness portfolio, how so you will never
be happy unless unless you live your life in a way where you make others happy. You will never be
happy unless you live your life in a way where you make others happy. selfish people are the most
unhappy people. Again, research has shown these teachings are 1400 years ago and our research has
shown that those people who volunteer their services to the community I'm more happier every single
day.
		

			The minimum we can do brothers is smile with people. They say when you smile, your facial muscles
contract, it sends a rush of blood to the front part of your brain, which then releases dopamine
which is a pleasure chemical in your brain. When you smile with people regularly you will be happier
men will be sacrificed for you another sort of law 1400 years ago you taught us not
		

			to fish a do not do any good at this insignificant wallow until our key words guiltily even though
if you can only meet your brother with a smiley face. Nowadays, researchers are telling us that to
spy will make you happy to spread happiness. Our nappy taught it to us 1400 years ago. So the third
part in the portfolio of happiness. If you want to be happy, you have to live your life in a way
that makes others happy. Again, happiness is a choice, you have to choose to be happy. Let's move on
to the fourth part of happiness. And this is the interesting one, the first part in the portfolio of
happiness and the recipe of happiness.
		

			The first part, faith emaan the second part, family, the third part community, the fourth part
yourself, yourself in our obsession with material progress in our machine life daily routine, we
have neglected ourselves in the pursuit of everything else. We have forgotten ourselves. You know a
few months ago I read an anecdote, and it hit me so hard to share it regularly since then, they say
there was a man who secured a job is over
		

			data and he tried to impress his boss on the first day, he worked hard. He took 50 threes. The boss
told him nobody has taught 15 threes in one day and I'm very impressed. The next day he worked hard
he managed 30 The day after he worked even harder only next very steady until it came down to three
will create embarrassment because before it's possible, I can understand and working harder and
harder but the real results are diminishing. This was a true leader. It wasn't just a boss. He asked
him a profound question he said, When last did you sharpen your axe? you're chopping and chopping
and chopping when lost if you sharpen your axe, brothers, take a break from the rat race. Look after
		

			yourself. If you want to be happy, get adequate rest. It freshens your mind and soul organize your
life.
		

			organized and proportion his time I bother family time community time personal time, a person who is
more organized is more happy, each healthy. A healthy body results in a healthy mind, it will have
sickness, your happiness is compromised he today doctors tell us that exercise is the best
antidepressant. If you take only a 10 minute walk is an immediate boost of chemistry in your body
which results in happiness, connect with nature. Today, we live in concrete jungles, we are
surrounded by technology and machines. It has an effect on our state of mind, we need to take a
break from the rat race. We need to break the monotony of modern lifestyle, bring variety into our
		

			lives, bringing new experiences into our lives, you need to take care of yourself. That's the fourth
part of the four parts to the happiness portfolio. Again, I emphasize happiness is a choice, you
have to choose to be happy. Before I conclude on this. Let's just summarize quickly we have answered
four questions. The first question, why is happiness so elusive? Because our approach is wrong. We
are looking for happiness in the wrong places. We focus all the time on what we don't have. We live
too much in the past and in the future. We don't live in the present. That's the first question that
we answered. The second question What is happiness? Happiness is a consistent, mental, emotional,
		

			spiritual state of well being happiness is not out there. It's in here. Happiness is not a
destination that you arrive at. It's a manner of traveling. The third question, What does happiness
comprise of happiness is a choice. You have to choose to be happy. The fourth question, how can we
choose to be happy by embracing the happiness portfolio? The four things that we choose we spoke
about faith, family, community and you Faith Family community and you let me leave you with this
incident brothers. On the day of faith. Omar bin Abdulaziz referred to lolly sees his son was old
etc clothes, he starts crying. He starts crying. So his son asked him about why he cried. He says
		

			when I see when the other children will see you in old clothes on each day. They are going to mock
you and he's going to break your heart. Look at the response of this young boy. He said above our
hearts shouldn't break because we are very close with each day. Our hearts should pray. If Allah is
not happy with us. If our parents are not happy with us, my father, I hope that my Allah will be
happy with me. If you are happy with me almost broke down. He embraced the boy he kissed him on his
forehead. This young boy understood what was happiness and where to find it. May Allah grant us to
such children. Most importantly, may Allah make us such parents. I'll leave you with this quote
		

			brothers. Do not wait to be happy. Do not wait to be happy. Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success. I'll conclude with this verse of the Quran. What is the Quranic
formula for happiness? Allah says in the first which I recited in my introduction, when having a
solid handle indicating
		

			whoever does good deeds, male or female, and you are a believer, Allah says Paul and not
		

			Eva, I will give you a good life, a protected life of your life, a wholesome life, a happy life is
simple. The formula for happiness in our game is simple. Be obedient to Allah, you will be happy not
only in this world but in the yard as well when you will be addressed with these words. Yeah, yet
enough soon enough. Oh contented soul welcome
		

			to
		

			come to your law in a condition where your allies happy with you and you are happy with your law
firm the holy spirit body enter into the company of those servants of Allah with whom he is happy,
wonderfully nutty and empty gender with his eternal happiness. true happiness in this world. We all
keep us happy now grace and May Allah bless us with us.
		

			ultimate happiness in the after was
		

			100 for
		

			me booster amaura logging
		

			in a stand shoulder to shoulder there are many gaps in the center whereas ensure that there are no
gaps I know we never say counselors move in front in esteem shoulder to shoulder
		

			it does ensure that there are no gaps in between in the sense of the gap on my writing side of the
window, we find is a lot of space this is no please we would humbly appeal that all the brothers
come forward
		

			before we wait for the brothers to fit in the SERPs is that the key in how to perform select
		

			how to perform Salah these our intentions should be to the logic of
		

			extra logic,
		

			logic
		

			logic