Are Peace and Happiness Signs of a Pure Heart? What Is the Hidden Secret to Achieving Happiness and Peace?
Discovering the secrets to achieving peace and happiness in today’s chaotic world has always been a hot and fascinating topic for researchers. The most important factor for peace and happiness is health, a challenging subject that scientists continue to explore. Health is the first and most crucial pillar of a comfortable and stress-free life, so much so that when we feel the slightest pain, we cannot enjoy anything else or carry on with our daily lives. But is this good feeling of health only related to our physical body? Or is it also connected to the health of the non-material dimension of our being, that is, our spirit, our heart, or our soul?
For example, if our body is healthy but our heart is not joyful or peaceful, can we truly claim to be happy and fortunate? You have certainly met people who financially, socially, and physically well-off but suffer from depression, sadness, and anxiety. If we claim that the soundness of our heart is the most determining factor in feeling good, are we wrong? So what exactly are the signs of a pure heart? And how do they manifest in us? To answer this question, it is helpful to consider the importance of mathematics in the creation of the universe. The world was designed and created based on mathematics. Humans cannot interfere with the science of mathematics and change its rules. For instance, can we say that two plus two equals five? Or that three plus three equals eight? A similar, unchangeable order governs the realm of creation. For example, everyone knows overeating fatty and salty foods leads to high blood pressure, or that an addiction to sweets leads to diabetes. Can anyone claim to be immune to these laws, insisting that constantly consuming harmful foods has no negative effect on their physical health? In the same way, the mathematical laws of the universe are also fixed.
Just as health has specific indicators, the laws for achieving health also have their own specific paths and formulas. Just as we recognize a person’s physical health when they feel no pain or discomfort, a pure or sound heart also has its own distinct signs. Two signs, peace and happiness, are sings of a pure heart. These are signs that can only be attained through a specific and fixed formula. It is impossible for a heart to be purified of its ailments and achieve soundness, yet not be happy and peaceful, even if it has spent years engaged in outward acts of worship. Our heart must inevitably follow a specific path, learn certain formulas, practice them, and make following these formulas part of its daily life for the signs of a pure heart to appear. This is just like a sick person who has no path to recovery other than following the doctor’s prescription and dietary restrictions. To know the formula for generating peace and happiness in the heart, and to gain a more precise understanding of how to manifest the signs of a pure heart, stay tuned.
The Secret to Achieving Peace and Happiness
We stated that our heart achieves soundness when it learns to properly prioritize its beloveds. This means it can love the lower beloveds such as wealth, family, education, beauty, possessions, etc., in a balanced manner and only to the extent necessary. Simultaneously, it must prioritize the Beloved of human dimension of being, Allah, above all other beloveds. We mentioned that only someone who has deeply connected, found intimacy, and united with their true Beloved can achieve a sound heart and pure soul. Furthermore, we know that the most important results of a sound heart are peace and happiness. Therefore, with a bit of careful thought and precise reflection, we realize that the mathematical equation for achieving peace and happiness is having a sound heart. To obtain a sound heart, the classification and arrangement of our beloveds must be such that Allah is our greatest, closest friend, companion, and beloved. We can see this orderly path more clearly in the following equation:
Proper Arrangement and Prioritization of Beloveds → Acquisition of a Sound Heart → Production of Peace and Happiness
Let us examine the correct arrangement of our beloveds. To explain this, we need to delve into a deeper definition of the word “marriage.” The goal of marriage is to attain peace and happiness. However, what is important and relevant to our discussion is that marriage is more than simply taking someone of the opposite sex. Marriage means forming a pair, a coupling. In reality, we marry anything we love, become attached to, and find intimacy with; it becomes the spouse of our heart. This beloved could be a piece of clothing, an object, a diploma, a person, or even the most exalted entity in existence, that is, God. When we connect and form an intimate bond with God, because God is the source of peace and happiness, this pairing with God infuses our heart with peace and happiness, and we receive the signs of a pure heart. Peace and happiness are stable, deep, and internal feelings that are dependent on an infinite source. They are not dependent on temporary, external matters and do not turn into sadness and anxiety under the influence of various environmental conditions. Since the most essential part of our being, our divine and human dimension, is from the Spirit of God and compatible with Him, it only finds rest in Him and is in need of Him. Our heart is a thirsty entity that can only be quenched and comforted by the remembrance of God, companionship, and intimacy with Him. It is like an eye, which can only see and find comfort with light. Now, if we are engaged in religious rituals but still feel unhappy and restless, we need to re-examine the quality of our deeds and diagnose their flaws. That is because the results of our worship shows that although we have been engaged in worship, that heart connection and relationship, which is the factor of soundness and the producer of peace and happiness, has not been formed, and we have not received the signs of a pure heart.
Obstacles to Achieving Peace and Happiness
We try different ways to achieve happiness and peace. Even without realizing it, we are eager to acquire the signs of a pure heart. We buy new clothes, change the home’s decor, and get a new car. We go to the gym and exercise for physical fitness, cook new and delicious foods, and seek out new movies and music to watch and listen to. We host various gatherings and pursue higher academic degrees. With these actions, we might feel temporarily happy for a while, but the lifespan of this happiness and peace is short, and the sense of lack returns. The reason is that our heart has not received the proper nourishment for its soundness and has not found its worthy and suitable companion, partner, beloved, and spouse. Imagine a child, longing for their mother after being separated from her. In such a situation, colorful dolls, tasty snacks, and exciting distractions can only calm and occupy their mind for a few short hours. After a while, they long for their mother again, become restless, and complain. The true beloved of that child is their mother, and lasting happiness and peace are only found beside her. Our feelings of longing, anger, and frustration are also due to seeking temporary, superficial beloveds. We have buried our true Beloved beneath limited and various substitutes. Our heart becomes sick from this separation and loss, which is why we lack lasting peace and happiness, and the signs of a pure heart do not manifest in us. We try to acquire beauty, wealth, knowledge, power, fame, and more, hoping to find peace. However, the more we pursue these beloveds and the more we bond with them, the more our anxieties, worries, and preoccupations grow, and the more entangled we become. This is because we do not know our true self and its captivating beloved; we have led ourselves into repeated, mistaken marriages with limited, lower beloveds. As a result, we feel disappointed, sad, and defeated. Every bitterness, lethargy, and sickness in the heart is due to distance from the source of peace, God. If human peace and happiness depended on wealth, beauty, education, or fame, then the highest rates of stress and mental illness would not be found among the wealthy and famous. Our heart is hungry for peace in order to be happy. But we behave like a starving person who, despite intense hunger, snacks on crumbs and only thinks of the temporary fullness and small, fleeting pleasure it provides. Not only do we not become satisfied, but we then spend a long time dealing with the harmful effects of that limited, fleeting pleasure, such as sickness and obesity.
The Heart Is the Sanctuary of God
A sound heart is one that has detached from the world and its alluring, temporary beloveds. Precisely because of this, it attains the signs of a pure heart, i.e., peace and happiness, more easily and quickly. Perhaps this heart may sometimes be emotionally hurt by certain events or even cry. However, its core of peace is not shattered, its human dignity is not questioned, and it never feels emptiness, inferiority, worthlessness, or despair. This is because it is connected to the source of peace and free from worries and anxieties. The heart is the home and sanctuary of God. As soon as we fill it with worldly problems and mental concerns, we occupy the space that belongs to God. The entry of anything other than God into this sanctuary is not permitted. That is because if extra beloveds enter the heart and settle there, since this place does not belong to them and they have usurped God’s space, they cause anxiety and sorrow. We stated that the formula for having peace and happiness, which are signs of a pure heart, is clear. Our choices and connections directly and immediately affect the outcome of this formula. The selection of our beloveds and the manner of our connection with them determine the quality and quantity of our peace and happiness in life, as well as our acquisition of the signs of a pure heart.