- This article explores how a hollow pursuit of happiness defined by material success and individualism leaves many vulnerable to nihilism, anxiety, and existential confusion.
- It explores how Islam offers a purpose-driven life rooted in divine connection, self-discipline, and inner contentment, as several studies suggest.
Here’s a mini memoir to whet your appetite:
Last week, I had a conversation with one of my year eleven students that has stayed with me ever since. I had chosen a task designed to stimulate their minds and sharpen their skills for the fast-approaching exams. The task: the pursuit of happiness and whether acquiring fame and wealth has a bearing on it.
During our brainstorming session, one student—let’s call him Raj, a Hindu whom I’ve recently grown increasingly fond of—responded with the following monologue:
“Miss, look at those people who pray 5 times a day across the world, no offence to you or anyone here, I’m not talking about you guys but a lot of them are unhappy. If you are trying to make God pleased with you by praying all the time but you yourself are miserable and are being bombed to smithereens, what’s the point? It makes sense to do things that make you happy like becoming as rich as possible and making a name for yourself if you have the opportunity to. Even in my own culture, all these delusional Indians go to the temple all the time, thinking this will bring them happiness but it never does. The majority of India is still poor.”
Well I never! Wowser! Stop the clocks right there! In that very moment, my classroom had turned into the upside down world.
Despite his tough Year-eleven-boy-exterior, Raj is the kind of kid who will happily take his arm off and give it to anyone who needs it. He has a dry sense of humour paired with a disarming charm that almost always gets him out of trouble. And like always he was sat in his seat articulating his thoughts with unflinching honesty. But what was really going on here? My lesson plan hadn’t factored in the unveiling of an emerging existential crisis in many of the fifteen year olds who were sat before me.
It is not uncommon for teenagers raised in the West, particularly those from non-practicing Muslim households, to adopt a capitalistic mindset and a transactional approach to worship. Furthermore, when you examine the mindset of the average teenager in this part of the world, it is often shaped by Individualism and thinking that good vs evil is akin to a DC or marvel movie: a struggle which is eradicated within 2 and half hours followed by the ‘good guys’ walking into the sunset, stretching for a meaningful metaphor about Man, Life and the Universe. I mean Captain America didn’t have to endure prolonged suffering to become a hero. And then there’s the problem of evil that Raj was alluding to. All of this is the ontological furniture of the social universe presented to people from a very young age. Secular liberalism is the world order which is why young people focus on noise as opposed to substance and why an overwhelming majority find themselves depressed and anxious as young as the age of six. Interesting to note, according to Orville Gilbert Brim, author of “Look at Me! The Fame Motive from Childhood to Death,” contemporary culture is witnessing a rise in individuals who aspire to be famous not for a specific talent but for the sake of acceptance and validation. Brim highlighted numerous surveys indicating that a significant number of individuals in the United States consider attaining fame as their primary life goal.
Moreover, Ptolemy, the Roman-era astronomer who envisioned the cosmos revolving around the Earth—a model later dismantled, not only by science but by a humbler understanding of our place in the universe. Today, we face a subtler, yet no less illusory, revival of that worldview: a modern cosmology of the self, in which everything orbits around personal desire and perception. But Raj is only fifteen years old I hear you say. And yes, he still has much life to live, to learn and to grow but I worry about how any of these young people will gain direction if they are not spiritually grounded. Hedonism, while initially centred on the pursuit of gratification, often leads to psychological dissatisfaction when such pleasures inevitably fail to provide lasting fulfilment. This disillusionment gives rise to depressive states, which, as I’ve seen time and time again in young people, evolves into a nihilistic worldview characterised by a belief of the absence of meaning or value in anything. The seats in my classroom were full but occupied by empty souls. Young ones unaware of who they are or their life’s purpose. Yet this wasn’t just a problem confined to those four walls; it was symptomatic of a broader societal problem.
I would contend, Islam is the only way of life which frees people, obeying one master as opposed to many. We often witness atheists and Nihilists throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. But nothing ever does. And then the angel of death pays them a visit.
In a study conducted by Harold .G.Koenig titled Reflections on Religion and Health Research: An Interview with Dr. Harold G. Koenig Dr. Koenig analysed 1,500 studies published between 1872 and 2010. This review encompassed hundreds of peer-reviewed, data-based quantitative studies examining the relationships between religion and spirituality and various health outcomes. The findings consistently demonstrated that higher levels of religious involvement are associated with greater psychological well-being (e.g., increased happiness, optimism, and life satisfaction), lower rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, healthier behaviours, such as reduced smoking and alcohol consumption and improved physical health outcomes, including lower blood pressure and enhanced immune function. The studies also indicated that people who are religious and pray more have better physical and mental health and those who abide by religious rules have lower suicide rates.
Furthermore, a recent study lead by German psychologist Dr Laura Edinger-Schons highlights a compelling link between spirituality and life satisfaction, revealing that the closest measurable proxy for happiness is how satisfied individuals feel with their lives. Central to this sense of fulfilment is a concept she refers to as “oneness”—a deep feeling of interconnectedness with others, the world, and a higher power. The study surveyed over 67,000 participants, categorising responses by religious affiliation. It found that Muslims reported the strongest sense of oneness, which corresponded with the highest levels of life satisfaction. This sense of spiritual unity appears to significantly enhance overall well-being. The study concluded that the feeling of oneness is a recurring trait among individuals who exhibit deeper levels of spirituality across various faiths. The University of Mannheim, where the research was conducted, focused on how this inner connection affected life satisfaction across different religious groups. Muslims emerged as the group most attuned to this sense of being part of something greater than themselves, followed by Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus. Atheists, by contrast, scored lowest in terms of life satisfaction, likely due to the absence of a perceived connection to a transcendent source. As Edinger-Schons noted:
“I did not find it surprising that atheists have the lowest levels of oneness beliefs in the sample, but what surprised me was that oneness beliefs were actually very different across various religious affiliations, with Muslims having the highest levels.”
This is especially resonant given that the central tenet of Islam is Tawhīd, the belief in the absolute oneness of God. This foundational belief not only shapes a Muslim’s spiritual outlook but also contributes to mental and physical health benefits, such as improved social bonds, stronger immunity, heightened empathy, and reduced depression.
The researchers further explained:
“This study broadens the knowledge on the psychology of religion, revealing not only the average level of oneness beliefs in the different religious groups but also exploring the effect of these beliefs on life satisfaction while controlling for the effect of religious affiliation.”
As one interpretation of the findings put it:
“One viewpoint suggests that the characteristic that distinguishes Muslims from followers of the other faiths is that Islam’s influence is very clear in every aspect of its adherents’ lives. Islam which is considered a complete way of life by its followers contains an entire socioeconomic system. Accordingly, Islam structures the daily lives of Muslims which requires a balanced satisfaction of both the material and spiritual needs.”
The study ‘Effect of Muslim Prayer (Salat) on α Electroencephalography and Its Relationship with Autonomic Nervous System Activity’ concluded that during salah, parasympathetic activity increased and sympathetic activity decreased. Parasympathetic activity entails the part of the nervous system that slows the heart, dilates blood vessels and decreases pupil size. The study found how salah promotes relaxation, minimises anxiety, and reduces cardiovascular risk.
Additionally, researchers referenced the “Satisfaction with Life Scale” (SWLS), developed by a professor at the University of Illinois. This psychological tool comprises five questions, each rated on a scale from 1 to 7. Higher scores indicate greater life satisfaction.
Giles Fraser, former Philosophy of Religion Lecturer at University of Oxford made the following conclusions on Humanism: ‘If God is supposed to be dead, and suffering remains, ‘Humanism could have an evil problem too’.
Even amid constant scrutiny and being the most targeted religion globally—with Muslim-majority nations suffering invasions, wars, and displacement—Muslims consistently appear to be more content. Why is this the case? Because the presence of Islām and Īmān in one’s life provides deep-rooted satisfaction. The belief that this life is transient and Jannah is the ultimate reward, tied to a righteous life, fosters a sense of purpose and hope that transcends worldly struggles. As Muslims, we are taught that if you mistake the vehicle of the self, for the essence of the self, you have failed this test of life. Our purpose in life is to worship Allah alone and we are insignificant in parallel to the cosmos. Moreover, we possess no power without Allah. However, interestingly, our conscious subjective experience in this life revolves entirely around us. This is precisely what elevates the significance of our test and consequently amplifies the rewards that come from combatting our naffs (ego) and desires.
“Desires make Slaves out of Kings and and Patience makes Kings out of Slaves”- Imam al-Ghazali
A soul that relentlessly pursues transient pleasures often does so with the intent of evading pain. Nevertheless, pain is an inherent part of life. Consider the fact that life begins from our mothers enduring pain during childbirth for us, and existence itself can be accompanied by various forms of anguish. We see how the man who finds himself drowning in the vast ocean is just as desperately in need of Allah as the one seemingly revelling in luxury within the confines of a penthouse suite, devoid of faith in his heart.
The paradoxical essence of embracing powerlessness while maintaining a resilient trust in the goodness of our Creator’s plan distinguishes Muslims from others.
So hold your head high. Be unapologetically proud of your Muslim identity, your modest attire, and the values you uphold because this right here, is the truth. While critics may cling arrogantly to inherited falsehoods, Muslims have far greater reason to feel proud and abundantly grateful for what we have: the gift of guidance from Allāh, Alhumdulillah.
‘And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter – that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.’ (Qur’an 29:64)
“How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.”(Narrated by Muslim, 2999).
It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He tests them, and whoever accepts it attains His pleasure, whereas whoever shows discontent with it incurs His wrath.”(Classed as Hasan by Al-Tirmidhi, 2396)
