HAPPINESS AND THE ATTAINMENT OF HAPPINESS: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE. Issue 1 (19th February 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nasr, Seyyed Hossein
• Is Part Of: Journal of law and religion. Volume 29:Issue 1(2014)
• Page Start: 76
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2014-02-19
• Subjects: Islam, -- happiness, -- Qur'ān, -- Ḥadīth, -- Islamic wisdom tradition; Religion and law -- Periodicals; 344.096
• DOI: 10.1017/jlr.2013.18
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0748-0814

Abstract

Abstract: Happiness is a universal concept and experience that cuts across cultures and religions. Nonetheless, the particular manifestations and descriptions of happiness are culturally informed and contextualized. This essay explores the concepts of happiness and the pursuit of happiness in Islamic thought, arguing that the pursuit of happiness is envisaged differently in Islamic thought. Rather than the more transient forms of happiness celebrated in modern, secularized or hedonistic cultures, the pursuit of happiness in Islamic thought is concerned above all with the attainment of enduring happiness.